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Discussion
Thaw
Share a time when you were picked last (or not at all) as a kid to be on a team, or to go to a party, etc...
Why did this happen?
Was there ever a time that you did the picking? Do you remember your criteria.
In what ways does the playground mentality express itself in grown up world? (work, school, politically, internationally, culturally, economically, ethnically)
Read
Isaiah 25:6-9
What are you surprised by?
What is the veil or covering that's over people?
Leader note: Take some time to point out that "saved" and "salvation" here are about the end of a system of thought that divides people. This may come as a surprise for the narrower view that salvation deals with avoiding hell after death. Also note that the word "stretched" or "covering" (depending on the translation) in verse 7 is the Hebrew word "nasak", translated literally "woven". Discuss the implications of a "woven" system of thought, or a "woven" social dynamic between people. What are examples of the social weave that need unwoven? What might this have to do with the "death" that God is going to swallow up and the tears that he will wipe away?
Read Luke 14:7-15
What are your first thoughts about Jesus' parable and the response in verse 15?
What must change to be the kind of person who does things for people who cannot repay?
Leader note: make sure to not let people too narrowly define "repayment" in the financial sense alone. Often times, repayment is a stroked ego, a sense of accomplishment or a bolstered sense of identity based on doing "good things". One might even do an opposite harm by focusing in on the lowly as a spiritual project/obligation. What are the implications for doing things for people who don't thank us, don't make us look good, or are even insulting an unappreciative? Would we do it again? Why or why not? Remember vs. 11 demands humility!
Read vs. 16-24
Thoughts?
What is Jesus teaching about the invitation of the gospel?
How does that differ from what you already thought of the gospel? God?
Leader note: The word "compel" in vs. 23 has been grossly misunderstood by some parts of the church through the centuries. As a result, people have been forced to submit to the crushing power of others who come proclaiming the name of Jesus, but not the will and reputation of Christ. This word, in the Middle Eastern sense, is used to denote not the force of the one inviting, but the humility of the invitee. "I'm lame, crippled, poor- outcast, surely I'm not invited." But this is no regular feast- it's the Isaiah 25 feast of God- all are invited. The compelling here is necessary because they aren't used to being invited to anything, let alone a Master's feast. But the invitation is to be lovingly insisted upon as not too good to be true!
Apply:
Who are the isolated, oppressed and marginalized in our culture?
Are Christians first to burst through those walls and barriers? Should they be?
How does what we do for a living, what we buy, how we vote, what we support worsen the divide? Improve it?
What actions can and should be taken by followers of Jesus today?
What actions can this group take together?
What actions or changes of mind need to be taken by individual members?
Prayer
Spend some time praying for awareness. Who is getting left out? Who is "them"? Who is it that remains at the borders and edges of our life? Who is it that suffers outside the banquet? Who are the people that we have grown used to saying "it's their own fault...if they would just _______"?
Additional texts to consider: Galatians 3:28, Acts 17:26, Ephesians 2:13-18
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