Day 1 (Monday)
Joshua 24:1-15 (Summary of the History of the Covenant)
Last time we saw Isaac marry his wife Rebekah, as the promises that God had made to Abraham were passed on to the next generation. God had called Abraham to leave his homeland and his father’s house, and to go to the land that God would show him, with the promise that God would give his descendants that land as a sign for the greater promise, and would ultimately make him the father of many nations, and a blessing to all the nations of the earth. We are going to leave the story of Abraham here, and will return to the story of Isaac and his sons next year. For the present, we are going to skip ahead to the end of the book of Joshua, after the descendants of Abraham, and specifically the children of Israel, had entered the Promised Land. This reading provides us with a summary of what had happened from Abraham’s calling until that point, and a sense of what the consistent struggles of God’s people have been, and will continue to be.
The Tribes Renew the Covenant
24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac; 4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.
5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst; and afterwards I brought you out. 6 When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 When they cried out to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt.
Afterwards you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan; they fought with you, and I handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. 9 Then King Balak son of Zippor of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent and invited Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I rescued you out of his hand.
11 When you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I handed them over to you. 12 I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove out before you the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and towns that you had not built, and you live in them; you eat the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards that you did not plant.
14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
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 this passage shows us how God has fulfilled His promise to Abraham; He has brought His descendants, not just the Israelites, but the descendants of Esau as well, as is mentioned in verse 4, into the land that He had promised to Abraham. It is important to note, however, that this is not the fullness of what God had promised to Abraham, because God promised that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in Abraham’s descendants. That promise is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the ongoing life of the Church, but this inheritance of the Promised Land by the children of Israel is the short-term sign that God is faithful, and the assurance that He will be faithful to fulfill the longer term promise as well.)
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)
Elder Aimilianos on Martyrdom and Sufferings
This is a saying from Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, a recently reposed elder and spiritual father. He was born in 1934, and became a monastic in 1960, in a monastery in northern Greece; as his piety and wisdom became evident, he was appointed as the abbot in Meteora, and then in 1983 he and his monastics were invited to repopulate the ancient monastery of Simonopetra on the Holy Mountain. He fell asleep in the Lord in 2019.
On Martyrdom and Sufferings
"Every day, everyone around you is undergoing a kind of martyrdom. It's impossible to find someone who is not experiencing some form of affliction. You and I may be close, we may know each other well, yet I may be completely unaware that you are suffering; I may have no idea that every day you undergo a kind of martyrdom. And this works both ways, for neither do you know about my sufferings. Each soul has its mysteries that no one else can ever know.
The truth is that afflictions are not the signs of God's absence or abandonment, but rather of His Presence. Afflictions are like the kneading of the dough in the making of the bread. They are the preparations for the mystical marriage, and without them the soul is left unformed, cold, and alone. It is affliction alone that can tear us away from our isolated, individual existence and transform it into something much more whole and open."
– Elder Aimilianos, Psalms and the Life of Faith, pp. 307-8
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should invite a discussion of this point, that afflictions are not a sign of God’s absence, but rather of His presence. This is a difficult word, but one that has proven true in the lives of the Saints time and again throughout the history of the Church. It is good for us to reflect on it, and to consider how afflictions provide us an opportunity to turn away from selfishness and toward one another, and above all toward the Lord.)
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: 20-30 (Woe to Unrepentant Cities)
Last week, we saw John the Baptist send his disciples to Jesus to ask if the Lord was the one they were waiting for, or if another Messiah was coming after Him. Jesus answered by telling John’s disciples to tell him what Jesus was doing, since these works were precisely those that had been prophesied that the Messiah would do. He also praised John as the greatest of the prophets, and reproached those who had criticized John for being an ascetic, but were also criticizing Him Himself for NOT being an ascetic, pointing out that they were simply being critical, and not paying any attention to the witness and the Gospel. He will continue this week with further reproaches to all those who have rejected Him.
Woes to Unrepentant Cities
20 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to heaven?
No, you will be brought down to Hades.
For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.”
Jesus Thanks His Father
25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
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 what a strong statement it is, that it will be better for Sodom and for Tyre & Sidon than for the cities that have rejected Him. Sodom’s sins and judgment are well known to us, as we read them in the life of Abraham in week 12, and Tyre and Sidon are the ancient homeland of Baal worship…and Baal was identified by the children of Israel as Satan himself. What I think the Lord is saying is that, for all their sins, Sodom and Sidon did not encounter God Himself in their midst…but the cities of Galilee have, and in far too many cases have nonetheless rejected Him. With that said, the final verses of this, from verse 25 to 30, speak to the Father about those who have received His word, not those who have rejected Him, and of the blessedness that comes to them…that is, to us, if we are Faithful to Him.)
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?