Above the entrance to a manor in the far north-east of Poland stands the inscription: “Woe to the one who sets out and does not return.” That sentence opens the final stage of a journey through the Letter to the Hebrews and the question of what remains of it in everyday life. The sermon settles on chapter thirteen (Hebrews 13), where the answer turns out to be strikingly concrete: brotherly love, an open door, remembering prisoners, honesty in marriage and freedom from money. Listen if you want to see how ordinary relationships show the world who is best.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Hebrews 13:1-3 the author calls for brotherly love, hospitality and remembering prisoners. Why were these instructions so important for Jewish believers who, under persecution, were considering going back to their old life?
- According to the sermon, the sentence "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) sums up the whole letter. How does this truth connect the earlier chapters about Jesus being better with the practical instructions of chapter 13?
- The sermon contrasts hospitality, literally love of strangers, with xenophobia, the fear of strangers. Who would be hardest for you to invite to your table, and what lies behind that?
- At the campfire on the men's trip, a history teacher, a dentist and men just out of prison or fighting addiction sat side by side. What helps, and what hinders, our community from being that kind of place with no better or worse people?
- The speaker said that attachment to money tells the world Jesus is not enough for us. Where do you look for security, and how could the promise "I will never leave you nor forsake you" change the way you give?
- The author urges us to remember our leaders and imitate their faith, and the sermon stressed mutual accountability between leaders and the community. How can you practically support someone who leads you in following Jesus this week, or open your home to someone outside the community?
