With a friend, your family or in your small group, discuss the following questions. 

1. Have you heard any good stories lately? Do you know anyone who is a good storyteller? What makes a story good or memorable? 
2. Are you a good listener? When do you find it easy to listen? When is it a challenge? What do you think gets in the way of listening and understanding clearly when someone is talking? 
3. Jesus often taught in parables, which are short, fictional stories that are used to illustrate a point. Off the top of your head, can you easily think of a few examples of parables that Jesus taught? What do you think makes them memorable? 
4. Read the Parable of the Sower together (Matthew 13:1-23). Reflect together on the 4 examples given in the parable. Through this parable, we are invited to see ourselves in the story. What kind of seed do you think most reflects where you are at today? What would it take for you to be more like the example of the seed that fell on good soil? 
5. The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds describes how the wheat and the weeds are allowed to grow up together until it is harvest time. Underlying this is the question of why it seems that evil is allowed to continue to co-exist alongside us. As you reflect on your life, and on the world around you, in what ways does this question resonate for you today? 
6. Read the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Yeast (Matthew 13:31-33). From this week’s sermon, or from your own reading and studying, what do you know about the symbolism of these parables? What do you think their meaning is? What do they teach us about the Kingdom of God? 
7. As you reflect on the picture of God’s Kingdom that these parables provide, what hope can this offer us amidst the reality of the ‘now but not yet’ Kingdom of God? How can this teaching of Jesus help us as we live with the tension of the existence of evil in our world? 
8. Reflect on your own life’s journey. Can you think of any examples of God working in small or hidden ways to bring about something significant? Are there any small  beginnings that you are starting to perceive in this season that you think you should be attentive to? 
9. What steps can you take to be more open and intentional about pursuing the Kingdom, and stepping forward as God leads you? 

Prayer and Action Item 

Pray for one another out of the key points that were discussed. Invite Jesus to help you listen and understand his message about the Kingdom, and to step forward with courage and confidence to participate in God’s work of bringing his Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.