Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 24:33-67 (Rebekah Agrees to the Marriage)
Last time, we saw Abraham send his servant back to Mesopotamia, probably Haran, in northern Mesopotamia, to find a wife for Isaac among the descendants of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The servant had prayed to the Lord for guidance, and then encountered Rebecca, the granddaughter of Nahor, who fulfilled every detail of what he had asked God to provide as a sign. She then brought the servant home, where her father and brother welcomed him and showed him hospitality. We return to the story as they are about to give him food to eat.
Abraham’s Servant Arranges the Marriage
33 Then food was set before him to eat; but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my errand.” He said, “Speak on.”
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has.
37 My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; 38 but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ 39 I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40 But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and make your way successful. You shall get a wife for my son from my kindred, from my father’s house. 41 Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my kindred; even if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’
42 “I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! 43 I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” 44 and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45 “Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ 46 She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. 47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms.
48 Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 49 Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.”
Rebekah’s Family Delays, Rebekah Agrees to the Marriage
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you anything bad or good. 51 Look, Rebekah is before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord. 53 And the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave to her brother and to her mother costly ornaments. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they rose in the morning, he said, “Send me back to my master.” 55 Her brother and her mother said, “Let the girl remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” 56 But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has made my journey successful; let me go that I may go to my master.” 57 They said, “We will call the girl, and ask her.”
58 And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” 59 So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,
“May you, our sister, become
thousands of myriads;
may your offspring gain possession
of the gates of their foes.”
61 Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. 63 Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. 64 And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, 65 and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
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, although we see here all the elements of an ancient marriage, with the men making the arrangements, exchanging property, eating and drinking, etc, the story makes very clear that Rebekah is not forced, but is asked if she is willing to go. She is an agent throughout in this story, and it is not for nothing that she is praised along with her husband, father-in-law, and son throughout the Scripture. It is also worth noting that there is never any indication that her marriage with Isaac is anything less than happy and pious. She, like her father-in-law, chooses to leave her father’s house, and the place of comfort and civilization, and join the Isaac, the child of promise, in his life of faith, entrusting herself to the care of the Lord. She therefore functions both as a beautiful picture of active womanhood, and as an image of the Church as well, both in her Faith, and in her proactive hospitality.)
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)
Hymns for the Feast of the Meeting
On February 2nd, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Meeting, or ῾Υπαπαντή in Greek. This feast commemorates what happened on the 40th day after the birth of Jesus, when the Virgin Mary and Joseph the Betrothed brought Him to the Temple as an infant to present Him to the Lord, and to make the sacrifice to redeem Him back, in accordance with the Law of Moses. This event can be found in Luke chapter 2, verses 22 through 39. In the narrative, we see two elderly people come to meet the Lord in the Temple, the first, a righteous man named Simeon, who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he met the Messiah, and the second, a prophetess named Anna, who recognized Him as the Messiah as well, and told everyone who was faithful in Jerusalem that He had come. We will therefore read several of the hymns from the Feast, to see how the Church celebrates this event.
Meeting Hymns
1st Hymn of the Kekragaria
Tell us, Symeon. Whom are you holding in your arms, in the temple rejoicing? Whom are you speaking to and saying, "Now I am set free, for I have seen my Savior. He is the One born of a Virgin; He is God, the Word of God, who became incarnate for us and saved humanity. Let us worship Him."
Doxastikon of the Kekragaria
Let the gate of heaven open today. For the Father's beginningless Logos, having taken a beginning in time and not separated from His divinity, is willingly offered as a forty-day old infant, in the Temple of the Law, by His virgin Mother. And the Elder receives Him in his arms. "Let me depart," cries the servant to the Master. "For my eyes have seen Your salvation." O Lord, who came to the world to save the human race, glory to You!
Idiomelon 4 of the Liti
Today Simeon receives in his arms ⁄ the Lord of glory whom Moses saw of old on Sinai ⁄ when in the cloud and darkness he was given the tables of the law. ⁄ This is He Who has spoken through the prophets! ⁄ He is the Creator of the law! ⁄ This is He Whom David foretold: ⁄⁄ He is fearful to all, yet shows us great mercy!
Both Now Hymn of the Liti
The Ancient of Days became an infant in the flesh, and He is brought to the Temple by His Virgin Mother; and thus He fulfills the requirement of His own law. When Symeon received Him, he said, "Now You let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, O Lord."
Hymn 3 of the Aposticha
The Lord who rides the chariot of cherubim and is praised in song by the seraphim became incarnate of Mary the Theotokos without conjugal union. He is the giver of the Law, and He fulfilled the order of the Law. His Mother carried Him in her arms and handed Him to the Priest. And he, as he was holding life, asked to be released from life, saying, "Master, let me go now, to tell Adam that I have seen as an infant the immutable, pre-eternal God and Savior of the world."
Kathisma Hymn III of the Orthros
Now the Ancient of Days becomes an infant for me. * And the most pure God now shares purification with me, * to show that truly He assumed my flesh from the Virgin. * And Symeon was led to know the mystery * and recognized as God the one he saw in the flesh. * And he embraced and kissed Him as life itself, * and he rejoiced as an elder and cried aloud, * Let me depart now, for I have seen You, * O Lord, the life of all things.
Heirmos of Ode 4 of the Canon
The heavens were covered by Your virtue, O Christ. * For coming forth from the Ark of Your holiness, Your Mother who sustained no corruption, * You appeared today in Your glorious Temple, as an infant held in arms. * And the entire creation was filled with Your praise.
Both Now Hymn of Ode 4 of the Canon
When Symeon saw the unoriginate Logos, * the very cause of the existence of all things, * now incarnate, as a babe being carried by the Virgin as if on a cherubic throne, * astonished, he cried out to Him, * "The entire creation is filled with Your praise."
Hymn 3 of the Ainoi
Never separated from the Father's bosom in divinity,* and incarnated as You willed,* and held in the holy arms * of the Ever-Virgin,* You who hold all things in Your hand were given to the hands* of the divine God-receiver Symeon.* And therefore full of joy he cried to You, O Master, With my own eyes,* I Your servant have seen You, Lord;* now You let me depart in peace.
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 hymns emphasize time and again that Jesus is Yahweh, the Most High God Himself, by saying that He comes into the Temple in obedience to the Law that He had Himself given, and therefore shows His humility, and how He has united Himself with us, in order to save us. Second, several of the hymns talk about the Symeon the elder receiving the Lord in his arms, standing in for the Creation itself, which receives its Creator as our Lord comes to us to save and transform us.)
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)
Matthew 11:2-19 (Messengers From and Praise of John the Baptist)
Last week we saw the Lord send out His disciples as apostles to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom throughout the towns and cities of Galilee, having instructed them in what to do, and warned them of the difficulties they would encounter. This week, we will see that one person in particular has been following what the Lord is doing from a distance, and has questions that he wants answered when the Lord sends out the Apostles.
Messengers from John the Baptist
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
Jesus Praises John the Baptist
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 Let anyone with ears listen!
16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader can point that, when John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask if Jesus is the one who is to come, or if they are waiting for another, there are two things that may be happening. The first is that he may be trying to send his disciples to join Jesus, when He proclaims Himself to be the one they are waiting for. The fact that they go away again indicates against this, however. The other possibility is that John is truly asking; he knows that Jesus is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world, because he proclaimed Him to be so, but nonetheless, there was a standing question of whether there was one Messiah coming, or two, to do all the things prophesied in the Scripture; and Jesus has not yet brought judgment and justice to Herod, who is imprisoning John, and the other enemies of God. The Lord’s response, referencing the prophesies about the Messiah and connecting them to what He is doing, is saying clearly that He Himself will fulfill all things that have been prophesied. The final line: “blessed is he who takes no offense at me” may be read, then, to say, “blessed is the one who is patient and waits for the justice that I am coming to bring,” or something along these lines.)
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?