Day 1 (Monday)
Exodus 9:1-12 (Livestock/Boils)
Last time, we saw Pharaoh continue to resist Yahweh’s command to release the people of Israel, and God sent two more plagues, the gnats and the flies, upon Pharaoh and his people. This time, Pharaoh’s magicians were unable to duplicate the miracle, and they confessed that it was the hand of God that was against them. Despite this, Pharaoh persisted, and brought further evils upon himself and his people. With these plagues, and those that come after, we will see God make a distinction between the people of Egypt and the children of Israel, and the land where the Israelites live is kept safe from the plagues. This week’s reading will be shorter, because these two plagues lead up to another and greater plague next time, and the reading next week will be longer.
The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, 3 the hand of the Lord will strike with a deadly pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites.’”
5 The Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 And on the next day the Lord did so; all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but of the livestock of the Israelites not one died. 7 Pharaoh inquired and found that not one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he would not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw it in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust all over the land of Egypt, and shall cause festering boils on humans and animals throughout the whole land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses threw it in the air, and it caused festering boils on humans and animals.
11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils afflicted the magicians as well as all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
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 the plagues are getting worse, and are striking the gods of Egypt and the people themselves, even in their own bodies. AS far as the gods of Egypt, the note from the Net Bible (netbible.org) provides the connection between the livestock and the gods: “This plague demonstrates that Yahweh has power over the livestock of Egypt. He is able to strike the animals with disease and death, thus delivering a blow to the economic as well as the religious life of the land. By the former plagues many of the Egyptian religious ceremonies would have been interrupted and objects of veneration defiled or destroyed. Now some of the important deities will be attacked. In Goshen, where the cattle are merely cattle, no disease hits, but in the rest of Egypt it is a different matter. Osiris, the savior, cannot even save the brute in which his own soul is supposed to reside. Apis and Mnevis, the ram of Ammon, the sheep of Sais, and the goat of Mendes, perish together. Hence, Moses reminds Israel afterward, “On their gods also Yahweh executed judgments” (Num 33:4). When Jethro heard of all these events, he said, “Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods” (Exod 18:11).” As for the boils, it is worth noting that at this point, it is not just the land that is festering with death, but even the flesh of the Egyptians themselves is diseased.)
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)
Preparation for Holy Communion
When we are approaching the Lord, it is very important that we do what we can to prepare ourselves, to confess that we are unworthy, but to seek the mercy and grace and presence of the Lord anyway. The Church gives us many prayers that we can use to prepare to receive Holy Communion; in some prayer books, you can even find an entire Canon with hymns and prayers of preparation. However, there are seven prayers in particular that the clergy say before they receive Communion in the Liturgy, and the people can and should use these prayers as well. We read the first three prayers last year in week 21; we will read the remaining four today. These are especially appropriate since we have just read the parable of the Publican and the Pharisee in Church this past Sunday, and have seen the importance of repentance and humility in approaching God. We might say that these prayers are an expansion upon the prayer of the Publican: “Oh God, be gracious on me, the sinner, and have mercy on me!”
Prayers before Communion
You have smitten me with yearning, O Christ, and with Your Divine love, You have changed me; but burn away with spiritual fire my sins, and make me worthy to be filled with the joy of You; that rejoicing in Your goodness, I may magnify Your two Presences.
How shall I, who am unworthy, enter into the splendor of Your saints? If I dare to enter into the bridal chamber, my clothing will accuse me, since it is not a wedding garment; and being bound up, I shall be cast out by the angels. In Your love, Lord, cleanse my soul and save me.
Loving Master, Lord Jesus Christ, my God, let not these holy Gifts be to my condemnation because of my unworthiness, but for the cleansing and sanctification of soul and body and the pledge of the future life and kingdom. It is good for me to cling to God and to place in Him the hope of my salvation.
Receive me today, Son of God, as a partaker of Your mystical Supper. I will not reveal Your mystery to Your adversaries. Nor will I give You a kiss as did Judas. But as the thief I confess to You: Lord, remember me in Your kingdom. Master, remember me in Your kingdom. Holy One, remember me in Your kingdom.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (For these prayers, I suggest that the Leader urge the group to identify and to sum up the point of each of these prayers, and how they express our true relationship to the Lord as we approach Him in the Eucharist. The Leader may wish to note that the Greek word that is translated as “yearning” in the first of these prayers is a word that means fervent and burning desire; we are saying that we know that we should and therefore that we are committed to seeking the Lord above every other thing that we might desire or crave, because we cannot find any lasting peace or joy in any created thing, but only in Him. As St. Augustine says: “My heart is restless until it rests in You.”
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 3 (Friday)
Mark 8:1-21 (Feeding the 4000, Leaven of the Pharisees)
Last week, we saw the Lord go to Tyre and heal the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman when she came to Him in humility and persistence, and then He healed a deaf man on His way back to Galilee. He has been urging those that He heals to keep quiet and not spread the word, in order, as it seems, to not invite another confrontation with the Pharisees, but this week, both the crowds and the Pharisees will catch up with Him. Let’s see what happens.
Feeding the Four Thousand
8 In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, 2 “I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4 His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”
6 Then he ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them to the crowd. 7 They had also a few small fish; and after blessing them, he ordered that these too should be distributed. 8 They ate and were filled; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 Now there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. 10 And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.
The Demand for a Sign
11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.
The Yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod
14 Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They said to one another, “It is because we have no bread.”
17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 Then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
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 this is the second time Jesus feeds a crowd with a small amount of food. The last time was just a few weeks ago, when He fed 5000 at the end of Mark 6. The point here seems to be that Jesus has shown Who He is and what He has come to do very clearly to both His disciples and to the Pharisees, and yet both groups seem to be entirely missing the point. The Pharisees are challenging Him and demanding a miracle IMMEDIATELY after He has done one that should leave no question in their minds; and even His disciples, when He warns them about the leaven of the Pharisees, are convinced that He is criticizing them for forgetting to bring bread. What He is warning them against is this obsession on earthly things that blinds the Pharisees to the truth that is plain for them to see, that makes them unable to see or receive God Himself in their midst.)
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?