Day 1 (Monday)
Exodus 20:1-26
Last week we saw the children of Israel arrive at Mount Sinai, and saw God command them to cleanse and prepare themselves, and that He came down upon the mountain on the third day in smoke and thunder, with the sound of trumpets. Once they had all gathered at the foot of the mountain to hear Him, He spoke to them. Let us hear what He says!
Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.” 21 Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
22 The Lord said to Moses: Thus you shall say to the Israelites: “You have seen for yourselves that I spoke with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make gods of silver alongside me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 You need make for me only an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25 But if you make for me an altar of stone, do not build it of hewn stones; for if you use a chisel upon it you profane it. 26 You shall not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out that it is different seeing the Ten Commandments in context, and note the response of the people to hearing the voice of God, and the specific requirements for how to worship God. Some of the requirements for the altar are surprising and worth discussing)
2) What do we learn about God in this story? (We learn what is most important for us to do, the core of the Law, and that He must be worshipped in a particular way.)
3) What do we learn about human beings in this story? (We learn that human beings need laws to restrain them from sin, and we see what the natural human response is to seeing and hearing the glory of God).
4) What do you find difficult about this story? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question – the leader can mention anything that he/she finds difficult. It’s a good thing to show that it isn’t necessary to immediately understand or be able to explain the Scripture. Sometimes, we need to acknowledge that it makes us uncomfortable, or doesn’t make sense to us, and learn to sit with those questions and think about them, perhaps for days or weeks, but sometimes even for years.).
5) Does this story make you think that you need to change anything in your life? (It is good to reflect on the Ten Commandments – when Orthodox Christians examine themselves in preparation for Confession, we do so by reflecting on the Ten Commandments and considering how we have violated them. It is essential, however, that we remember that God calls us to repentance when we break these commandments. He does not condemn us absolutely if and when we sin, but provides a way for us to be reconciled to Him, if we will only take it and repent and return to Him.)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
St. Gregory Palamas on Encountering God
St. Gregory Palamas was a saint of the 14th century, and the Archbishop of Thessaloniki. In his writings, he speaks a great deal about the practical reality of the Christian life. In this passage, he sums up how a Christian should respond to Jesus Christ’s coming into the world. Since we are celebrating the Feast of Ypapanti, the Meeting of the Lord with those who were waiting for Him in the Temple, it is good for us to consider this, how it is that we should behave ourselves as we encounter God.
Since the Logos & Word of God, through his descent to us, has brought the kingdom of heaven close to us, let us not distance ourselves from it by leading an unrepentant life…. Let us acquire the fruits of repentance: a humble disposition, compunction and spiritual grief, a gentle and merciful heart that loves righteousness and pursues purity, peaceful, peacemaking, patient in toil, glad to endure persecution, loss, outrage, slander, and suffering for the sake of truth and righteousness. For the kingdom of heaven or, rather, the King of Heaven—ineffable in his generosity—is within us (Luke 17:21); and to Him we should cleave through acts of repentance and patient endurance, loving as much as we can him who so dearly has loved us.
St. Gregory Palamas
IV, Topics of Natural and Theological Science, sec. 57
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out that St. Gregory both thinks that repentance is the most essential way we should respond to God’s grace, AND that he sees many other virtues flowing from repentance as its natural fruit. That means these virtues can help us discern whether or not we are actually living in repentance.)
2) What do we learn about God in this passage? (We learn that He is with us and within us – and He calls us to be with Him.)
3) What do we learn about human beings in this story? (We learn what the Christian life should look like, in very basic terms, and therefore what the blessed life, the fulfilled life, looks like.).
4) What do you find difficult about this story? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (In this case, it may be a good idea simply to define some of the words St. Gregory uses. Disposition means mood/character, compunction means regret for sin, ineffable means beyond knowledge or definition, cleave means hold tight).
5) Does this story make you think that you need to change anything in your life? (The list of virtues and habits that St. Gregory mentions is a good “measuring stick” for us to apply to our own lives. Not just once, but always.)
Day 3 (Friday)
Luke 8:40-56
Last week we read about Jesus & the disciples crossing the lake and how the Lord delivered the man who was possessed by many demons. After He had done so, they crossed back over the lake. Let’s see what happens next.
40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying.
As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. 43 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45 Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” 47 When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.” 50 When Jesus heard this, he replied, “Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.” 51 When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 They were all weeping and wailing for her; but he said, “Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.
Discussion Questions
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should point out the two miracles contained here, and how the woman was healed just by touching Jesus, which is different from what we normally see. Also, this is the second time Jesus raises someone from the dead. The first was the son of the widow of Nain, in Luke 7)
2) What do we learn about God in this story? (We learn that He is compassionate, and comforting, and how power over sickness and even death.).
3) What do we learn about human beings in this story? (We see the sort of problems that we tend to have: chronic sickness, death, and grief.).
4) What do you find difficult about this story? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. Some of the kids may wonder why the woman was healed without actually asking, or why Jesus told the parents not to tell anyone what happened with the girl who was dead. The Scripture doesn’t provide clear answers, so these are a good opportunity for discussion, to see what kind of answers the group comes up with.).
5) Does this story make you think that you need to change anything in your life? (The woman who was healed came to Jesus with purpose and intent – too often we just go through the motions when we pray or come to Church. We would do much better if we imitate this woman at those times, and always, and approach Christ with purpose and intent, desiring greatly that He make us whole).