Author’s Note: Each week I usually look over the text and consider a couple questions that help me think over the following week. This is not meant to be exegetical or comprehensive – there are plenty of stronger sites for such research. This week’s readings can be found here.
Jeremiah 2:11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit.
What is beneficial about a Chrstian pattern of life, if anything? Jeremiah seems to indicate that the faith of Israel is simply ineffective – the other Gods do not work. Worshiping other Gods is inefficacious, like using a cracked pot to carry water. In this sense faith is practical. This should assuage the scientist and even the agnostic. What we do works, even if the reasons seem obscure or imprecise.
Usually people worship other Gods because they seem effective. So what are those Gods, and what do they bring? How are they mistaken?
Hebrews13:1 Let mutual love continue. 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 14:14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Sometimes I think that we could learn a lot about how church life should be from going to three *** restaurants (like this one I went to, when I got my doctorate). Jesus refers to himself as the server – as if he’s the waiter who ensures that the wedding feast moves without a hitch. To some extent He is invisible, making the plans.
Do our congregations do the work of hospitality? It’s not easy. Hospitality forces us to get out of ourselves and attend to the visitor. Being an effective server also requires technique, skill and discipline – there are many ways to render a visitor invisible or uncomfortable. Our “discipleship” is not just about formed thoughts but about the work of providing a space for others to experience the Sabbath. We underestimate the preparation that requires. Perhaps we should study church plans the way restauranteurs plan restaurants.
The Gospel inspires me to wonder what do we value? When do we insist on taking credit? What does it mean to be recognized? Why would we be recognized? To be seen is a deeply human need; and when we are not the humiliation can be too much. But perhaps a deeper trust diminishes that need enough so that we can still be effective agents in the world though the only person who knows us is the one who made us.
The Divine Latitude 
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