Day 1 (Monday)
Moses Returns to Egypt; Bricks without Straw
Last time, we saw God provide Moses with three miracles by which he was to demonstrate to the children of Israel that he had indeed been sent to deliver them by Yahweh, Ὁ ᾿ΩΝ, the One Who Is and Who Causes All Things to Be. These miracles were the changing of his staff into a snake, the giving and removal of leprosy to his hand, and the changing of the water of the Nile into blood. Despite these gifts, we saw Moses make every possible excuse to avoid taking up this task, and finally simply ask God to find someone else. The Lord insisted that it was to be Moses, but promised to send Moses’ brother Aaron to speak for him. We will continue the story from here. Note: parents/teachers with younger children may wish to skip the italicized section, as it speaks of circumcision and blood and some other troubling elements.
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me go back, I pray, to my kinsmen in Egypt and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses in Mid′ian, “Go back to Egypt; for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on an ass, and went back to the land of Egypt; and in his hand Moses took the rod of God.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 And you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my first-born son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me”; if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your first-born son.’”
24 At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zippo′rah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’ feet with it, and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. Then it was that she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went, and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him, and all the signs which he had charged him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Bricks without Straw
5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us; let us go, we pray, a three days’ journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get to your burdens.”
5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many and you make them rest from their burdens!” 6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks which they made heretofore you shall lay upon them, you shall by no means lessen it; for they are idle; therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid upon the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
Reading 5
639 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out two things. First, that the italicized portion of the text is challenging, and may be omitted if the Leader believes it is best to avoid the question of circumcision, and the more difficult questions which are raised by this. As for an explanation of this, it is perhaps notable that we have no indication that Moses himself had ever been circumcised, and the added neglect of circumcising his own son may be what is shown to be unacceptable here. In this reading, Zipporah’s circumcision of their son, and bringing of the foreskin near to Moses’ body, may explain her words; it is also worth noting that Jethro seems to have remained more faithful to the God of Abraham than did the children of Israel, as Zipporah knows what is wrong and is able to act, where Moses seems ignorant.
Regardless, what God says at the beginning of our reading, that Israel is His first-born son, establishes from the very beginning the warning of the consequences to the first-born of Egypt if Israel is not freed. God warns Pharaoh of the sin of Egypt, and its penalty if not made right, from the beginning…the nine plagues must therefore be seen as acts of mercy, of warning, of opportunities for repentance, opportunities to turn aside the ultimate consequence. We MUST see the entire sequence of the Exodus as a demonstration of God’s mercy in judgment, not of His anger or arbitrariness.
If we keep this in mind at the end of our reading, when Moses & Aaron actually speak to Pharaoh, it can help us understand. The English translation can make it seem like God is playing tricks with Pharaoh, asking him to just let the Israelites go for three days, and promising that they’ll come back later, when there is in fact no intent for them to return. This may be a problem of the translation; when it says, “Let my people go,” the clear meaning in the original is “free/release/let go completely of your power over my people.” The statement of the three day journey is not necessarily intended to promise a return afterward, but to express that the Israelites will go completely out of Egypt, a three day journey beyond the border. The point, then, may be that they are going to leave Egypt, and not come back…but it also may be that God is giving Pharaoh enough rope to hang himself. God has told Pharaoh that the people that he has enslaved belong to Him, to Yahweh, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists…and all that He has asked Pharaoh to do is to let His people go to worship Him. When Pharaoh refuses, saying that he doesn’t know Israel’s god, he is saying he doesn’t believe Yahweh exists, or has any power. He only believes in himself and his own divinity. In following this refusal with the command to require bricks to be made without providing straw, his intent is to discredit Moses & Aaron, to make the Israelites hate them. And thus, he brings judgment and condemnation upon his own head, as well as the complete and total loss of the people that had been enslaved to him.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
First Four Prayers of Orthros
There are twelve prayers that the Priest prays at the beginning of the Orthros service. In all of them, he prays for himself and for all the people, and gives thanks to God for the rest of sleep and for the opportunity to wake up and offer worship and thanksgiving and prayers to God. It is important to understand that the Orthros service is the service that the Church does at sunrise; it begins when it is still dark, and continues as the sun comes up. These twelve prayers, then, reflect what we can and should think and feel and say to God as we wake up and begin our day. These four prayers talks about the connection between prayer and worship and the living of the Christian life.
FIRST PRAYER
O Lord, compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and very merciful, give ear to our prayer and attend to the voice of our petition; accomplish a sign for good with us; lead us in Your way, that we may walk in Your truth; gladden our hearts that we may fear Your holy Name; for You are great, and work wonders; You alone are God, and there is none like to You among the gods, O Lord; mighty in mercy, and good in power, unto helping, and comforting, and saving all those who hope in Your holy Name.
For to You is due all glory, honor and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
SECOND PRAYER
Lord, convict us not in Your anger, nor chastise us in Your wrath, but deal with us according to Your clemency, You physician and healer of our souls: guide us unto the haven of Your will; enlighten the eyes of our hearts, unto the knowledge of Your truth; and grant us that the remainder of the present day may be peaceful and sinless, also all the time of life; at the intercessions of the holy Theotokos, and of all the Saints.
For Yours is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER
O Lord our God, be mindful of us sinners, Your unprofitable servants, when we call upon Your holy Name, and put none of us to shame in our expectation of Your mercy; but grant us, O Lord, all petitions unto salvation; and deign that we may love, and fear You with our whole heart, and do in all things Your will.
For a good God, and lover of mankind are You, and to You we send up glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
FOURTH PRAYER
You Who with never-silent hymns, and unceasing doxologies are hymned by the holy Powers; fill our mouth with Your praise, that we may ascribe majesty to Your holy Name; and grant us a portion and lot with all that fear You in truth, and keep Your commandments; at the intercessions of the holy Theotokos, and of all Your saints.
For to You is due all glory, honor and worship, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
440 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should make use of the additional questions below for any specific points, but should always begin with this question of what surprised or was memorable to the group.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Additional discussion questions:
1) What is the Orthros Service? (It is the morning service of the Church, done when the sun rises, as the day begins. On Sunday, it is the service that we do right before the Divine Liturgy, starting at 9 am or so, and finishing at 10 am).
2) How many prayers does the priest pray at the beginning of the Orthros Service? (Twelve. He reads half of them inside the Altar, and the other half outside in front of the icon of Jesus Christ on the Iconostasis/Icon Screen).
3) What do these prayers say? (They say quite a lot, but generally they emphasize three basic points: they talk about Who God Is, and the things God has done for us, and they talk about who we are and how much we need His help.)
4) Who does the priest pray for in these prayers? (For himself, and for all the people).
5) What sort of things do these prayer ask God for? (They ask Him to continue to do those things, and to grant us continuing grace and mercy, and strength and worthiness to sing to God with understanding and to pray all the time, and that God will hear the prayers of those who ask Him for help during the night)
6) What do these prayers say about our lives and relationship with God, especially in the morning? (Try to get especially the older kids to zoom in on the point that all of these prayers are specifically morning prayers, and that they acknowledge our weakness and need for help in the morning…but also that simply asking for help IS an action. The paradox of the Christian life is that we need God’s help to live, but also that we can’t just be passive and wait for Him to help us…we need to learn to ask for help, and to do so as the first action of the day.)
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 5:1-16 (Jesus Calls the First Disciples, Heals a Leper)
Last time, we saw Jesus return to Capernaum after being rejected in Nazareth, and while He was there, He healed many people, cast out many demons, and specifically He restored Simon Peter’s mother-in-law to health when she was sick and near death. We noticed especially that He hadn’t yet called any disciples to follow Him, and also that He was specifically forbidding the unclean spirits to identify Him as the Son of God, even as He cast them out and banished them from the world. This time, we will see Him actually begin to call His disciples to follow Him.
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
5 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, 7 they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
12 While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And he stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one; but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.” 15 But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
Reading 10
400 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should address the points noted in the additional questions below, but should also discuss how the leper here asks Jesus for help. He doesn’t say “if you CAN” but “if You WILL,” which is to say, he confesses that Jesus has the authority and power to heal him, and entrusts himself to the Lord’s will and mercy. It is interesting, too, that Jesus DOESN’T forbid him to tell about this healing, but rather commands him to go to the Temple and to the priests to be examined and certified as clean of leprosy, exactly as is required in the Torah. So perhaps the reason He forbade the unclean spirits was because they were not the ones that should be the heralds of His coming…but rather, the priests in the Temple ought to be.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Discussion Questions
1) What happened when Jesus was preaching on the seashore? (The crowd gathered close, and was pressing so close, they were pushing Him into the water)
2) What did Jesus do? Did He go stand on the water? (Not exactly – he asked Simon if He could preach from his boat while he was cleaning his fishing nets.)
3) Have we met this Simon before? (Sort of – Jesus went to his house and healed his mother-in-law in the reading we had last week. This Simon is the one that Jesus gave a nickname to – He told him he was like a rock, so we still call him Petros, or Peter).
4) What happened after Jesus finished preaching? (He told Simon to take the boat out into the deeper water and to let down the nets to fish).
5) What did Simon say about this? (He told Jesus that they had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything…but then he did what Jesus said even though he thought it sounded silly)
6) What happened? (They caught so many fish that the boat started to sink, and they had to get help from their partners)
7) What did Simon say to Jesus then? (He asked Him to go away, because he was a sinful man, he said – this means that Simon realized that Jesus was a holy man, or maybe even that He was God, since He had done such a miracle that only God could do, and he knew that he was unworthy to have the Lord God with him)
8) What did Jesus say to that? (He told him not to worry, but that He was going to give Simon a new job, to catch people instead of fish, and to bring them into the kingdom of Heaven).
9) What happened at the end of the story? (Simon, and his partners James and John, and his brother Andrew, although we don’t talk about him here by name, left their boats and their nets and their fish and their work and went to follow Jesus and be His disciples)
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