Adaptable Meeting Guide: The Parable of the Talents

For a free pdf download of this resource click here

THIS WEEK’S PASSAGE MATTHEW 25:14-30

PREPARATION

Have Bibles and pens ready. Make up your ‘pass the parcel’ parcel, and either make or gather some little gift boxes. You will also need a basket.

PASS THE GIFT

15 mins

Before the session, make up a ‘pass the parcel’ parcel. Place a forfeit between each layer. The forfeit should be a mixture of challenges that test abilities and ‘scruples’. For example, ‘How many keepy-uppies can you do in 30 seconds?’ or ‘If you were to inherit £1,000, how would you use it?’

WRAPPING THINGS UP

5 mins

Explain that the passage you are looking at comes at the end of Matthew’s Gospel and is part of a section that contains a series of warnings, prophecies and final encouragements from Jesus. He knew that he would be leaving his followers to return to his father and he wanted them to know that they still had an absolutely key role to play and he was handing the baton onto them..

THE PARABLE

5 mins

Use the video at this point in the session as a way of introducing the parable and creating an opportunity for discussion and conversation. The video is available at premieryouthwork.com/parablevideos

DISCUSSION

10 mins

Reread the passage and then split the young people into small groups. Ask them to discuss these questions before feeding back to the group:

• What hits you the hardest about this passage?

• Why do you think different amounts are given to the three servants?

• Do you think the master was unfair?

• If the third servant had doubled his talents do you think the master would have been just as pleased as he was with the other two?

• What point do you think Jesus was making?

KEY POINT

God has given each of us different talents, including our material possessions (in the story it was money), natural gifts and abilities. The issue really isn’t about how much we have but what we do with what we have. Our talents are not to be wasted, or hidden away but used so that others may know about the goodness of God. This is often known as stewardship, and God asks us to be good stewards.

TALENT SPOTTING

15 mins

Say: Sometimes it is difficult to know what our talents are. Talents are sometimes described as the things we can’t help but do. For example, if there is a piano in the room, some people are quite happy to just past and not really notice it, whereas others have to sit down and play something. Or maybe if you’re in a small group and no one is saying anything, you find it really hard to keep quiet. That’s a clue that their gift might be leadership.

Invite the group back into smaller groups to explore what they think their gifts are. Choose one person at a time and ask the others to tell that person what they think he or she brings to the group, both in personality and talents. Let them know that the group is richer when they are there because of the things they bring. Encourage them to write these things down so that when they doubt themselves they can remember them.

Once everyone has been the chosen person, ask the young people to spend a few minutes thinking about what they believe their own talents are. If they would like to, ask them to share their thoughts.

KEY POINT

In Ephesians 2:10, Paul says, ‘We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ It’s quite mind-blowing to think that God made us in a specific way knowing the things that he would like us to do; things that only we can do.

MINE TO SHARE

10 mins

If possible, share the story of someone known to your group; how they used their resources and abilities to make a difference for others. You may even like to invite this person along to share their story. If no one comes to mind, tell the story of someone like Jackie Pullinger.

God has left clues inside us about how he wants to involve us in his kingdom work. That will be different for each of us, according to our skills and the things we feel strongly about. Ask the group to reflect on these two questions:

• In which areas you would love to make a difference?

• How can you make a start on that now?

We can’t all pack up and go on a great campaign around the world, but God will use us to make a difference if we let him, and if we recognise that he has given us resources and abilities that can be used here and now.