8.31.25 TRUSTING THE COVENANT: Renewed Through Repentance
Jeremiah 31:18-20, 31-34, Ezekiel 34:1-5, 10b-18
Dear Trinity Family & Friends,
Have you ever longed for a fresh start? A moment where grace breaks in, where the past no longer defines you, and the future begins to bloom with hope? If so, you’re not alone. The people of Israel knew what it meant to lose their way and to be met by a God who never gave up on them.
This Sunday, we continue our Trusting the Covenant sermon series with a message entitled “Renewed Through Repentance,” grounded in two powerful prophetic texts, Jeremiah 31:18–20, 31–34 and Ezekiel 34:1–5, 10b–18. These are words spoken to a people in crisis, a people who had wandered, resisted, and suffered the consequences. And yet, God’s response is not condemnation, but restoration.
In Jeremiah, we hear the tender voice of God longing for his people to return, not out of shame but out of deep love. God promises a new covenant, written not on stone tablets but on our hearts. In Ezekiel, God calls out broken leadership and offers a vision of a faithful Shepherd who will gather, feed, and care for the lost and scattered sheep. These promises of God remind us that repentance leads to renewal, and that God's mercy always makes a way.
As you prepare for worship, I invite you to reflect: Where in your life are you longing to begin again? What would it look like to return to God with your whole heart?
Episode 20 Crisis and Starting Over
Day 1: Jeremiah 1-4
Day 2: Jeremiah 27-29
Day 3: Jeremiah 16; 18-20
Day 4: Lamentations 1-2; 5
Day 5: Ezekiel 34-37
Day 6: Covenant Meditation on Lamentations 3:1-24
Day 7: Group Meeting Experience with Jeremiah 31:15-34
Small Group Discussion Questions:
- How do you define repentance, not just as a word but as a way of life?
- In Jeremiah, God promises to write the covenant on our hearts. What might that look like in your daily walk with God?
- Ezekiel speaks of broken shepherds and God’s promise to care for the sheep. How have you experienced God's care in seasons of spiritual disconnection?
- Where in your life is God inviting you to start again with honesty, humility, and hope?
Never forget that there is no crisis too great and no failure too final for the renewing grace of God. I hope you’ll join us in worship this Sunday as we lean into the beauty of repentance, and the God who meets us there, not with punishment but with promise.
Blessings,
Pastor Carrie
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