Small groups
This session is designed for a home group, cell group, youth or student group, prayer group or any other small meeting of Christians.
Welcome.
As people are arriving, invite them to jot down answers to one of the following questions on small pieces of paper.
- What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought in your life?
- What’s the best bargain you’ve ever found?
Mix up everyone’s answers and bring the group together. The group then has to guess which person bought which item.
We decide what an object is worth by the price we are willing to pay for it. But most of the time, we wouldn’t dream of putting a price on the value of a person’s life. We know that people are priceless, individuals of infinite worth in the eyes of God.
So why has slavery existed since biblical times, and why is it still prevalent in parts of the world today?
Word
Show the film on the DVD available with this pack.
Discuss. What did it make you think? How did it make you feel? Could you relate to any of the experiences or ideas in the film?
You could split the group into three to consider the following passages, and report back to the group gathered together. Or work through them in order, if you have time.
1) The ministry of freedom: Luke 4:16-20
Jesus began his ministry by reading this key prophesy from Isaiah: he placed freedom at the heart of his mission. But what did he mean by ‘freedom for the prisoners’ and ‘release the oppressed’?
In the West, we have often taken this solely to refer to spiritual freedom, but Jesus set people free from sickness, poverty and the oppression of religious legalism – as well as their own sin.
Discussion: what does Christ’s promise of freedom mean to the girl in the film, to all those who are economically poor and oppressed? Can someone who is dying of AIDS in a slum in India be truly free?
2) The cost of freedom: Galatians 4:4-7
To redeem someone – to buy something back, to set them free – often demands a price. Most of us don’t experience literal slavery in our everyday lives, but if you are in debt or have a mortgage, you will understand the cost of buying freedom. For Christ, the cost of buying back the world was the greatest sacrifice ever paid; for us our freedom comes without cost. That’s what’s so amazing about grace.
Discussion: What’s the highest price you have ever paid for something – an expensive item or house – or when you sacrificed yourself to achieve a goal you valued? Consider what it meant to Christ to be a ‘redeemer’.
3) The responsibility of freedom: Romans 6:18
If we were bought at a price, it means two things. First, that we are valuable in the eyes of God. Second, that we have a responsibility to act in a way worthy of our freedom – not out of duty or obligation, but out of gratitude.
Recall the stories of Wilberforce and Equiano from the film, or retell them using the information here.
Wilberforce’s story (1759-1833)
When William Wilberforce became a Christian, it changed his life. He was already an MP, but wanted to do more. His friend William Pitt, the Prime Minister, suggested a worthy cause for him to take up as an expression of his faith: passing a law in parliament to abolish slavery.
‘Never, never will we desist, until we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic,’ said Wilberforce, who was known for his powerful speeches. But his fighting talk was backed up by perseverance, faith and determination.
Wilberforce first tried to pass the Abolition Bill in 1789. He tried again 11 times and 11 times it was rejected.
But in 1807, the Bill was finally agreed in parliament – to a spontaneous eruption of three cheers. The Abolition Bill banned the slave trade in Britain, but it was another thirty years – three days before Wilberforce died – before slaves were set free throughout the British Empire.
Equiano’s story (1745-97)
Olaudah Equiano was only around ten years old when he was kidnapped from his home in West Africa and sold as a slave. He wrote of the slave ships: ‘The shrieks of the women and the groans of the dying rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable.’
It took Equiano 20 years to save enough money to by his freedom. Once he was free, he campaigned relentlessly in Britain for the end of slavery. His work turning the hearts and minds of the British people against slavery laid the foundation for Wilberforce’s Abolition Bill getting through parliament.
Equiano didn’t take his freedom for granted, sit back and say, ‘Thank God I’m free.’ He used his freedom – and his experiences of slavery – to ‘buy’ freedom for other people. Equiano and Wilberforce were heroes of the faith. Their actions influenced thousands, and brought an end to a terrible injustice.
Discussion: What does God set people free for? How can you be a modern-day Equiano or Wilberforce? Is it enough to give to charity? What power do we have to set others free, by praying or campaigning for an end to unjust practices?
Worship
Play How long?, the song on the CD included with the worship leader’s guide in this pack.
Invite the people in the group to draw a price tag on a piece of paper, and to consider the most precious thing in their life that they could offer as worship to God.
Witness
Group response: Brainstorm ways to respond as a group. Perhaps you could hold a ‘slave auction’ and offer your group’s skills – maybe cooking, baking, gardening or decorating – to the highest bidder. Donate the money to Tearfund!
This event is also a great way to build relationships, have fun and help each other out.
You need a lively, confident, fun auctioneer to host the event and make people laugh.
Then you need people in your church or group to offer their talents and skills so that others can bid to buy them. This could be anything from cooking, gardening, decorating or babysitting to more specialist skills such as painting a portrait, plumbing, teaching a few words of a language or writing a special poem.
The main things to remember are to advertise your event well, choose the right auctioneer and keep the first bids realistic so you can build them higher. People might end up paying £100 to have their car washed but they probably won’t be keen to do so straight away! Take the chance to serve refreshments and show the free film available here.