Day 1 (Monday)
Exodus 7:25, 8:1-19 (2nd and 3rd Plagues – Frogs & Gnats)
Last time, we saw the first of the plagues that the Lord brought upon Egypt as a warning lest worst things come about, when God turned the water of the Nile River into blood through Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh refused to repent, and the river water remained blood for seven days. We will see what happens next today.
The Second Plague: Frogs
25 Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.
8 1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs; 3 the Nile shall swarm with frogs which shall come up into your house, and into your bedchamber and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and of your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls; 4 the frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’”
5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to come upon the land of Egypt!’” 6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same by their secret arts, and brought frogs upon the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron, and said, “Entreat the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to entreat, for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” 10 And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs shall depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they shall be left only in the Nile.”
12 So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried to the Lord concerning the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; the frogs died out of the houses and courtyards and out of the fields. 14 And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not listen to them; as the Lord had said.
The Third Plague: Gnats
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there came gnats on man and beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt. 18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. 19 And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as the Lord had said.
Reading 8
555 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 that, with the staff becoming a snake and even the water becoming blood, these were not deadly plagues, ultimately, nor were they punishments, as such. Rather, they were signs and miracles which God used to show Pharaoh that He was truly the Most High God. They were also warnings that worse was to come if Pharaoh refused to let the people of Israel go. This time, God sends them to Pharaoh with an ultimatum and a consequence: let Israel go, or this will happen to you. God is systematically removing any room that Pharaoh has to deny His existence or His power; He is inviting Pharaoh to repent, but removing any other option besides repentance or intentional opposition. We should note, too, that Pharaoh gets this: in verse 8, for the first time, he actually acknowledges Yahweh’s existence, and asks Moses and Aaron to pray to Yahweh for him. Finally, we should note that Moses lets Pharaoh pick the time that the frogs will leave, lest there be any doubt that Moses has somehow pre-planned this plague as a trick. But nonetheless, with all of that, as soon as the frogs are dead and gone, Pharaoh goes back on his word and refuses to let the people go. And thus we have the subsequent plague of gnats…and with the gnats, for the first time, Pharaoh’s magicians are unable to imitate the plague, through whatever trickery or alliance with demons that they have been using up to this point. At this point even they acknowledge that this is the power of God – but with his back to the wall, and his attempt to trick the God of Israel a failure, Pharaoh refuses to back down and humble himself, so next time we will see things get still worse.)
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)
Dismissal Prayers of Vespers & Orthros
We’ve spent some time reading and discussing the prayers of the Church, whether from the Vespers, the Orthros, the Divine Liturgy, or even from the private prayer books for the Faithful in their homes. This week, we will read and discuss the end of the service, the Dismissal Prayers that conclude each of the major services, and what they say about the essential points of our Faith.
Dismissal Prayers
At the end of the services of Vespers and Orthros (the services of sunset and sunrise), as well as the Divine Liturgy, the service concludes in the same way. The Priest begins by turning and facing the people, and saying:
“Ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, πάντοτε· νῦν καὶ ἁεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.
Blessed is Christ our God, He Who Is, Ο ΩΝ, always; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.”
Then the Chanter says: “Amen. May the Lord God strengthen the holy and pure faith of devout and orthodox Christians, with his holy Church and this city, unto the ages of ages.
Then the Priest says:
“Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”
And the People say in response: “More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, you without corruption gave birth to God the Word, we magnify you, the true Theotokos.”
And then the Priest says the final Dismissal:
“Glory to You, O God, our hope, glory to You.
Christ our true God – through the intercessions of His most pure and holy Mother; by the power of the precious and life giving Cross; through the protection of the honorable, Bodiless Powers of heaven; through the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy Apostles; of the holy, glorious and triumphant Martyrs; of our righteous and God-bearing Fathers; of our Father among the Saints John, Archbishop of Constantinople, the Golden-mouthed; of the holy and righteous ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, (of the Saint of the day) and of all the Saints – may He have mercy on us and save us, as a good and merciful God Who loves mankind.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, our God, have mercy on us and save us.
The Deacon: Amen.
Discussion questions:
1) At the very beginning, how does the Priest speak about Jesus Christ? (He says that He is, or should be, blessed, and calls Him “He Who Is,” or, in Greek, ὁ ὤν)
2) What do you think it means for God to be blessed? (It doesn’t mean the same thing that it means for a human being to be blessed, right? What we are saying here is that it is right for human beings to speak well of God, to bless Him, to thank Him, to glorify Him. Literally the word that we translated as “blessed” means “well-spoken-of”).
3) Why do you think we call Jesus ὁ ὤν, He Who Is? (This is, in Greek and in English, the way that the Name that God gives to Moses is translated. In Hebrew, the Name is Yahweh, and means “The One Who Exists and Causes All That Exists to Exist,” and it is therefore unique. Only one god can claim this name: the God Who brought all things into being out of nothing, and Who alone exists Himself absolutely, without any qualification or dependence.)
4) Why do you think we talk so much about the Saints in the Dismissal? (This is an open question – one good answer is that we are drawing a picture of the reality of the world. Jesus Christ, The Lord, Yahweh, the Creator of all things, is at the center of all – we look to Him and call Him blessed. And surrounding Him are all those who have lived lives of obedience and repentance from all the ages, and they, and we, all look to Him for mercy, salvation, and love. So the picture we are painting is of the entire creation gathered around the Lord in worship and in thanksgiving for His wonderful deeds for the children of men.)
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 6:17-36 (Jesus Teaches & Heals, Blessings and Woes, Love for Enemies)
Last time Jesus addressed the Pharisees about the Sabbath when they criticized Him for His disciples’ behavior, and then He selected the Twelve Apostles. This time, we see Him preaching to the people, and what sort of things He was saying to them. Let’s listen in!
Jesus Teaches and Heals
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Blessings and Woes
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Love for Enemies
27 “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should discuss the additional questions below.)
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 do you notice about the people that Jesus calls blessed here. (Hopefully everyone will notice that the people that Jesus calls blessed aren’t usually the ones we would think of as being blessed)
2) Why does Jesus call them blessed? (He gives a reason for each group He calls blessed – mostly it is because God intends good for those who suffer for His sake)
3) What do you notice about the people that Jesus says “woe” to? (He pretty much says that whatever good they have received is the only good they will ever get. Woe comes to them because they chose the wrong good)
4) What does Jesus say we should do when people mistreat us? (He tells us to love them, to pray for them, to serve them, and to treat them as we would like them to treat us)
5) What is the last reason that Jesus gives for treating people well when they treat us badly? (Because that is how God is Himself – he is kind and merciful to those who have rebelled against Him…which is to say, to all of us! So we should be like Him in how we treat other people)
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