Redeemed Community

We find redemption in a community that accepts all. Hosea makes clear God’s love for the people gathered. It is not individuals who are redeemed but a community brought home by God. God’s love and caring show up again in the psalm’s celebration of the redemption of a people lost in desert wastes. When they cry out, it is God who brings them to a town with other people. Renewal is found in the community of that town. The Colossians text reminds us of strategies for living in community: Don’t do things that hurt others. Because we are redeemed together, our actions must show respect and concern for ourselves, for others, and for the God who has renewed and redeemed us. As the community is redeemed, Christ is revealed within us. In Luke we are reminded that Christ cannot be revealed if we are hoarding resources for ourselves—do not store excess resources but use them for the good of our community.

• Read Hosea 11:1-11. Consider God as the parent of your community, raising you up, teaching you to walk. How does that change your community’s story?
• Read Psalm 107:1-9, 43. When have you been alone in the wilderness of loss, suffering, or doubt? How were you supported by a community in this wilderness time?
• Read Colossians 3:1-11. What on this list is hard for you to let go? What can you do to let go?
• Read Luke 12:13-21. What are resources you tend to hold on to, even when you have more than you need? What can you do to let these go to the community around you?