Day 1 (Monday)
Burning Busy 2 – Prophecy of the Plagues and the Exodus
Last time, Moses saw the Burning Bush, and went to see why it wasn’t burning up. He encountered the Angel of the Lord, the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity, there, and when he asked what His name was, God told him that His name was Yahweh, He Who Is, Ὁ Ὤν, and told him to tell the children of Israel in Egypt that He Who Is, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had sent him, Moses, to lead them out of slavery. Let’s see what happens next!
Prophecy of the Plagues and the Exodus
18 And they will hearken to your voice; and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, we pray you, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.[d] 20 So I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all the wonders which I will do in it; after that he will let you go.
21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who sojourns in her house, jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters; thus you shall despoil the Egyptians.”
Moses’ Miraculous Power
4 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.” 3 And he said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand, and take it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand into your bosom.” And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.” So he put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or heed the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or heed your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it upon the dry ground; and the water which you shall take from the Nile will become blood upon the dry ground.”
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person.”
14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well; and behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. 15 And you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people; and he shall be a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take in your hand this rod, with which you shall do the signs.”
Reading 4
673 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 Moses does all but refuse the call of the Lord; and yet we know that, by the end of his life, Moses had walked in the presence of the Lord for many years, and stands as one of two people in the tradition of the Church who have, to the best of our knowledge, already been resurrected and taken up into heaven after death (the other one being the Mother of God). This should be, for all of us, an encouragement and a reminder of the actual path to which the Lord calls us: not perfection, but repentance and faithfulness. It would also be good to attend to the other discussion questions below, from the last time we read this passage.)
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 was Moses worried about? What signs did God give him to do? (He was worried that the children of Israel wouldn’t believe that God had sent him, so God gave him three miracles for proof. He was first to cast his staff onto the ground, and it would become a snake, then he was to put his hand inside his robe, and it would be leprous when he took it out, and would become whole again after he put it back inside his robe, and finally he was to pour some water on the ground, and it would become blood.)
2) What was Moses’ next excuse? (He said that he wasn’t any good at talking).
3) What did God say to that? (He reminded Moses that He was the one who gave speech to human beings, and promised that He would teach Moses what to say. When Moses still complained, God told him to bring his brother Aaron with him, and Aaron would speak for him.
4) When Moses went back to Pharaoh, what did God tell him to say to him? (He told him to tell Pharaoh that Israel was God’s firstborn son, and that if Pharaoh didn’t release the children of Israel, God would kill Pharaoh’s firstborn son.
5) What do you think of all the excuses that Moses made? Why do you think he didn’t want to do what God told him to do? (This is an open question – good for conversation).
Day 2 (Wednesday)
A Brief Life of St. Demetrios the Myrrh-streamer
On October 26th, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast-day of St. Demetrios the Great-Martyr and Myrrh-streamer. We therefore take the occasion of the week following his feast-day to reflect on his life, and on the hymns with which the Church celebrates him and asks for his intercessions.
Life of St. Demetrios
“This glorious and wonderworking saint was born in Thessalonica of noble and devout parents. Implored of God by childless parents, Demetrius was their only son, and so was raised and educated with great care. Demetrius’s father was a commander in Thessalonica.
When his father died, Emperor Maximian appointed Demetrius as commander in his place. As he appointed him, Maximian, an opponent of Christ, particularly recommended that he persecute and exterminate the Christians in Thessalonica. Demetrius not only disobeyed the emperor but openly confessed and preached the Lord Jesus Christ in the city of Thessalonica. When the emperor heard of this he became furious with Demetrius. Then, when he was returning from battle against the Sarmatians, Maximian stopped at Thessalonica to investigate the matter.
The emperor summoned Demetrius and questioned him about his faith. Demetrius openly acknowledged his Christian Faith to the emperor and also denounced the emperor’s idolatry. Maximian cast Demetrius into prison. Knowing what was awaiting him, Demetrius gave all his goods to his faithful servant Louppos to distribute to the poor, and joyfully awaited his imminent suffering for Christ the Lord.
An angel of God appeared to him in prison, saying: “Peace be to you, O sufferer of Christ; be brave and be strong!” After several days, the emperor sent soldiers to the prison to kill Demetrius. The soldiers found the saint of God at prayer and ran him through with lances. Christians secretly took his body and honorably buried it. Healing myrrh flowed from the body of the martyr of Christ, curing many of the sick. Soon, a small church was built over his relics.
An Illyrian nobleman, Leontius, was afflicted with an incurable illness. He hastened, with prayer to the relics of St. Demetrius and was completely healed. In thanksgiving, Leontius erected a much larger church on the site of the old church. The saint appeared to him on two occasions.
When Emperor Justinian wanted to translate the relics of the saint from Thessalonica to Constantinople, flaming sparks sprang from the tomb and a voice was heard: “Stop, and do not touch!” And thus, the relics of St. Demetrius have remained for all time in Thessalonica.
As the protector of Thessalonica, St. Demetrius has appeared many times, and on many occasions has saved Thessalonica from great calamity. His miracles are without number.
This is a brief life of St. Demetrios from https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/10/holy-great-martyr-demetrios-of.html
Apolytikion of St. Demetrios
All the world has you, its mighty champion, * fortifying us in times of danger, * and defeating our foes, O Victorious One. * So, as you humbled Lyaios’s arrogance * by giving courage to Nestor in the stadium, * thus, O holy Great-martyr Demetrios, * to Christ our God pray fervently, * beseeching Him to grant us His great mercy.
Doxastikon of the Orthros
Let us honor the man who by lances inherited the grace from the Savior’s side that was pierced by the lance, and from which the Savior pours out for us streams of life and incorruption; Demetrios, who was most wise in his teachings, and with the Martyrs wears a wreath of victory. He finished the course of his contest through blood, and through miracles he became illustrious throughout the world. He was zealous for the Master, and a compassionate lover of the poor; many a time the defender of the people of Thessalonika in many a dread danger. As we celebrate his yearly memorial, we glorify Christ God, who through him works healings for all.
(From dcs.goarch.org)
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 the way in which the Church understands the role of the saints, as reflected in the final hymn we read. The saints participate in the Lord’s suffering, and participate too in His glorious resurrection, becoming instruments of His mercy, vessels of His grace, and even fellow-laborers in the Lord’s great work of salvation. Nothing in their proper veneration should ever take us away from true worship of the Lord, for it is the Lord Who is active and powerful in them to accomplish all things for the salvation of all. It is also worthwhile to reflect on the answers to the other discussion 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?
Discussion questions:
1) Were Demetrios’ parents Christians? How can you tell? (It says they were devout, and that they “implored God” for him)
2) What job did Demetrios’ father have? (He was a commander, we can assume in the army)
3) How did Demetrios become the commander? (The emperor appointed him commander when his father died)
4) What job did the emperor tell him to do as commander? (He told him to find and to kill the Christians in Thessalonica)
5) What did Demetrios do? (He confessed and preached Christ, which means he said in public that he trusted in Jesus Christ, and told the people about him)
6) What did the emperor do then? (He came back, and questioned Demetrios, and when Demetrios refused to renounce Christ, and instead condemned the emperor and his worship of idols, the emperor threw him in prison).
7) What happened after the emperor had Demetrios killed? (The Christians came and took his body and buried it with honor; after some time a Church was built over his relics. Myrrh from God flowed from his body, and many people were healed, both then, and over the centuries until now. The myrrh is still flowing, and has a sweet and heavenly fragrance, and God still works miracles through the prayers of St. Demetrios).
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 4:31-44 (Jesus in Capernaum)
Last week we saw Jesus go to Nazareth, where He proclaimed Himself in the synagogue by reading the great Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 61, but was rejected by the people of the village, who could not see Him as other than the child they had seen grow up. When He persisted in His self-proclamation, they grew angry and tried to kill Him, and at that point He departed from them. This time we will see where He goes next; we should note that, as of yet, we have not yet seen Him call any disciples, so He is alone when He arrives in Capernaum.
The Man with an Unclean Spirit
31 And he went down to Caper′na-um, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath; 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
Healings at Simon’s House
38 And he arose and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she rose and served them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
Jesus Preaches in the Synagogues
42 And when it was day he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them; 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Reading 9
368 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader can point out some of the observations from the discussion questions last round as he guides the conversation.)
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) Where did Jesus go when He left Nazareth? (He went to Capernaum, which was a city nearby. It was Peter and Andrew’s home town)
2) What did He do there? (He preached in the synagogue there)
3) Was He able to preach without being interrupted? (No – a man possessed by a demon interrupted Him and started yelling at Him.)
4) What did Jesus do? (He commanded the demon to be quiet and to leave the man)
5) What did the people who saw this happen think about it? (They were impressed – they saw that Jesus had authority over the evil spirits).
6) What else did Jesus do in Capernaum? (He healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and a lot of other people, and then he left to go to other cities to preach)
7) What else did you notice? (This is an open question – they may ask about demon-possession. If they do, it is worth reminding them that God protects Christian people from demons when we remain in relationship with Him. This is one reason it is important to pray, to repent when we sin, to receive Holy Communion, and to remember the Lord throughout our daily lives. They might also ask why Jesus didn’t let the demons tell everyone that He was the Son of God. I would suggest that you ask them what they think about this. Afterward, you can mention that Jesus might be waiting to proclaim Himself publicly, or He might simply be unwilling to have the evil spirits be the heralds of His divinity. They will proclaim it as bad news, but in truth His coming is good news for everyone except for them)
Leave a Reply