Where Justice and Joy Take Root

Begin with Communion.

As your group gathers together, begin by sharing communion as a meal. Feel free to use the following template as a way to structure and guide this time:

1. Pass out the elements. Make sure everyone has a cup of juice and bread. Consider just having one piece of bread that everyone can take a small piece from. If you don’t have bread and juice, that’s okay. Just make sure everyone has something to eat.
2. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Once everyone has the elements, have someone read this passage out loud.
3. Pray over the bread and juice. After the reading, have the Leader or Host bless the food and pray over your time together.
4. Share a meal. Share the rest of the meal like you normally would beginning with the communion elements.

Next, transition to the main discussion for the night by having someone read this summary of the teaching:

In Mark 4, Jesus tells a series of parables back-to-back, and they all have to do with seeds. In one, the Kingdom is compared to a seed that’s planted and prepares the ground for a harvest. In the second, the Kingdom is compared to a tiny mustard seed that grows into an enormous tree. Both of these reveal important aspects of the Kingdom: the Kingdom will prepare the world for both justice and flourishing. Jesus tells these parables as reminders to his disciples and to us that the Kingdom is coming, and it will fulfill the longings for justice and renewal we all carry, but it won’t come the way we’re expecting it to. It will start small, look unimpressive to the world, and will be ignored by those around us. And yet, participating in this subversive Kingdom is how we join God in bringing justice and flourishing to the lost world around us.

Now, discuss these questions together as a Group:

1. If you were able to attend the Sunday gathering or if you listened to the teaching online, what stood out to you?
2. Have someone read Mark 4:26-32 — What stands out from these two parables?
3. In your own words, why might Jesus have used these small seeds to explain how and why the Kingdom comes to the earth?
4. How does the Kingdom conflict with the expectations of the world around us? How does the Kingdom conflict with your own expectations of how God should work today?
5. In what ways have you seen God grow something in your life that started out small or hidden?
6. In what ways can you relate to the disciples’ longing for justice?
7. What “seeds” are you currently planting and nurturing in your life (habits and practices)? Which ones align with God’s Kingdom, and which ones might be crowding it out?
8. Where are you struggling with patience right now? Are there any prayers you’re waiting on God to answer that your Group can pray for right now?

Practice

This week, mark out some time to reflect on Mark 4:26-32. Use the following questions to help you reflect:

1. What seeds am I nurturing? Seeds of hurry, anger, or stress? Or seeds of love, joy, and peace?
2. What seeds has God planted that I’m neglecting?
3. Where am I growing impatient in waiting for God to move in my life?

Pray

Spend some time praying for and encouraging one another.