Called to a New Way of Life

The four texts this week bring out a common theme of a new way of life. In Jeremiah and the psalm God warns about the consequences that come with the decisions the people have made. God then extends an invitation of grace and expresses readiness to welcome them back, assuring them safety and security. God is willing to walk with them again in a renewed relationship. The scripture from Hebrews opens with an invitation to a new way of relating to people who are unfamiliar to us, which is a way in which we welcome God. Luke’s Gospel is a story of Jesus’ challenge of the status quo and an invitation to a transformed way of hospitality.

• Read Luke 14:1, 7-14. When have you extended an invitation to others? What kind of invitations do you send out? What considerations do you have when extending the invitation?
• Read Jeremiah 2:4-13. What has God done in your life that you have forgotten and taken for granted? What is it that has taken the place of God in our lives?
• Read Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16. Where have you seen people go out of their way to show compassion for others? When have you demonstrated love for other people?
• Read Psalm 81:1, 10-16. What do you think you can hold on to in place of God?