Enter the Joy

Small Groups

Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, if there is a meal).

Gathering Time (5 minutes). Divide participants into groups of two or three and ask, “What is one activity, community, or cause to which you happily donate time, talents, or treasure?”

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). You may not get through all the questions in the time you have together. Consider inviting group members to work through any remaining questions on their own throughout the week.

Prepare to read Matthew 25:14-30 by sharing the following: “This text is a parable that is the third of four that are considered 'warning parables' (Matthew 24:45-51, Matthew 25:1-13, 14-30, and 31-46). Bring your questions and your curiosity as we approach this passage.”

• Read Matthew 25:14-30. Invite participants to have the scripture in front of them, either in a Bible, on a phone app, or printed on paper. After reading it, ask the following questions:
  • What are your first impressions of this parable? Feel free to share interpretations that may make you uncomfortable or that confuse you.
  • What questions emerge  as you read this passage?
• This parable includes themes of great wealth (a talent was equivalent to a lifetime of financial earning; it was a large amount of money), slaves/servants, and a harsh “master.” What do you think of the responses of the three slaves and their conversation with their master concerning how they negotiated the responsibility of such wealth?
  • 5 talents
  • 3 talents
  • 1 talent
• Consider that this is a parable about talents (skills or abilities), as we use the word today. Does that change your interpretation of the parable?
• The Preaching Notes for November 15 say,
  • “Enter into the joy of your master” (25:21) begs the question, “Who is the master?” And what is that joy? If the master is the harsh taskmaster who drives us to produce, to increase, to make, to have more and more, and to take from those who have little, then the joy is an economy that favors the “haves” and punishes or dismisses the “have-nots.” But if the master is the one who says, “Come to me all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,” then that joy is something very different indeed. Maybe the hard thing we are called to do is to risk being cast out of the systems within which we live and stand against a cruel and oppressive economy that values profit over people. Maybe, like the third slave, we can protect what we’ve been given but not use it to oppress others. Maybe the joy of the master can be found in smaller, relational, and less expensive ways.
  • How does knowing the character/heart of the master determine the “joy of the master”?
• Read back through the scripture passage. Is there a question, a word, or a phrase that stands out?  Write it down for consideration in the week ahead.
• Just One Thing: What is one action you might take because of our conversation/study today?
• Going Deeper on Your Own: This week, consider studying one of the other lectionary texts in the following pattern:
• Prayerfully ask God to open your eyes to the scripture. (Psalm 119:18)
• Read the selected text [Judges 4:1-7 and Psalm 123, Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 and Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11) out loud.
• What do you notice about the text?
• What questions arise?
• What do you think God might be saying to you in this text?

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer:

God of all that is good, we confess that there are times when we do not trust the right one with our hearts, efforts, attention, or money. Forgive us, we pray, from burying our talents or wasting our time on that which does not bring honor to you. Free us for joyful obedience, that we might awaken to your purposes in our lives, bringing you glory and honor. In Christ’s name, whose return we await, we pray, Amen.

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Rev. Dr. Ashlee Alley Crawford, Director of Adult Discipleship, an elder in the Great Plains Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, served in campus ministry for twelve years and in leadership with the Great Plains Conference for over a decade. She has a passion for connecting people with resources and encouraging them to nurture their faith and walk in step with Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. She has a D.Min. in spiritual direction from Asbury Theological Seminary. Ashlee also has a Certificate in Discipleship Coaching through Discipleship Ministries.