Took

Jeremiah was called from the beginning, and embraced his call, so that when the test times came, he didn’t need to cram or be worried that he wasn’t prepared.

1. What struggles do you face in making sure you aren’t cramming for each of life’s tests, but are prepared?
   
2. God has called each of us – how do we embrace that call in our own lives?
   
3. What do you feel God is calling for your life – where is He wanting you to go or
   do? 
   

Book

BOOK – Jeremiah 1:4-10
Jeremiah was called before he was even born.

1. What hard work did God call Jeremiah to do?
   
2. Jeremiah’s objection to God was that he was too young – he didn’t know how to
   speak. If God had appointed YOU the prophet, what would your objection be?
   (Or would you have no objections?).
   

3 What do you find to be the most positive aspect of this reading?

Jeremiah 1:4-10
The word of the LORD came to me saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the LORD said to me,
"Do not say, 'I am only a boy';
for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the LORD."
Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant." 

LOOK

Taking a big test can be a stress-filled event. What if I didn’t study the right material? What if I didn’t pay attention in class? What if the first time I’m opening the text is the night before the test?(!)

1. How well did you handle tests in school?
   
2. Did you have a tendency to cram or were you one to review a little bit each night
   leading up to tests?
   
3. Outside of school, can you share a challenge or situation where you were sure
   you just couldn’t do it, but managed to get through it anyway? How did you get through it? 
   

Took - Prophetic Love

Love can drive us to irrational choices and send us on a roller-coaster of emotions, yet most often we agree that it is worth it.

1. Share a time or experience where you have clearly felt God's abundant love.
2. Is there a metaphor for God's love that might be clearer for people today?
3. Love can also lead to anger or frustration, have you experienced this?  What did you learn from that experience?

Book - Prophetic Love

Isaiah likens God's love (and investment in us) with a vineyard.

1. What do you get from the vineyard metaphor?
2. Does this metaphor adequately describe how God invests in his people?
3. Is the response of frustration and anger at the wild grapes reasonable?

Isaiah 5:1-7

5Let me sing for my beloved
   my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
   on a very fertile hill.
2 He dug it and cleared it of stones,
   and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watch-tower in the midst of it,
   and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
   but it yielded wild grapes.

3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
   and people of Judah,
judge between me
   and my vineyard.
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard
   that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
   why did it yield wild grapes?

5 And now I will tell you
   what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
   and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
   and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will make it a waste;
   it shall not be pruned or hoed,
   and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
   that they rain no rain upon it.

7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
   is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
   are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
   but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
   but heard a cry!

Look - Prophetic Love

Most of us have declared our love for a variety of things, some serious, some not so serious.  The things we truly love often do help shape our lives.

1. Share time when you have declared your love for somebody or something.
2. What was the response, from the person, from others who witnessed it?
3. Have you been the subject of someone else's declaration of love?  What was your response?

Took - Prophetic Calling

TOOK

Isaiah’s words, although written thousands of years ago, still hold meaning for us today.

1.         What is on auto-pilot for you in your worship of the Lord?  Do you think He might appreciate something different from you instead of the “same old same old”?  What? 

2.         What do you think is on auto-pilot for the Church in our worship of the Lord?  What might He be expecting differently of the Church instead?

3.         Who is out there that you haven’t been rescuing or defending or pleading for?  What can you do to alter that? 

Book - Prophetic calling

Isaiah tries to shake up the people, who God feels are on “auto-pilot”.

1. Do historical context and an understanding of the scripture timeline help your understanding of the prophets?
2. Why do you think the people had become routine (“auto-pilot”) in their worship of the Lord? 
3. Why the statement of  “let’s argue it out” vs “obey!”? 

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Hear the word of the LORD,

you rulers of Sodom!

Listen to the teaching of our God,

you people of Gomorrah!

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the LORD;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats.

When you come to appear before me,

who asked this from your hand?

Trample my courts no more;

bringing offerings is futile;

incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation--

I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.

Your new moons and your appointed festivals

my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me,

I am weary of bearing them.

When you stretch out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

I will not listen;

your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

remove the evil of your doings

from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

learn to do good;

seek justice,

rescue the oppressed,

defend the orphan,

plead for the widow.

Come now, let us argue it out,

says the LORD:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be like snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land;

but if you refuse and rebel,

you shall be devoured by the sword;

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Look - Prophetic calling

Some family traditions can stem back generations.  The traditions are greatly revered and held up each year.  However, sometimes you might feel that the need to freshen up some of your traditions to get them off of “auto-pilot”. 

1.         Does your family have sayings or traditions that go back a generation or two (or even more)?  Share one.  Has your family ever altered the tradition to ‘freshen’ it up? 

2.         What do you do in your daily life that you feel is on auto-pilot?

3.         How hard would it be for you to stop observing one of your family traditions or take a different route to work, drink your morning cup of coffee from a different cup or serve dinner at a different time of day (or fill in your own auto-pilot activity)?  Why? 

Highs . . lows . . . prayer requests

Just a chance to check in with those on the site . . .

Prayers for our teachers and students returning to school
Prayers for our covenant groups as they reform
Prayers for our church

Took - Treasures

TOOK

We all need to be aware that our lives could be demanded of us at any moment, so what we choose to focus on is important!

1.         How can you be you rich towards God?

2.         How can you be rich towards your neighbor?

3.         What about the church – how can it be rich towards God?