Day 1 (Monday)
Joshua 24:16-33 (The People Promise to Serve the Lord)
Last time we saw Joshua summarize the history of God’s people, from the time that Yahweh the God of Israel first called Terah and Abraham to leave Mesopotamia and to follow Him, through the birth of Isaac and then of Jacob and his twelve sons, and their long sojourn in Egypt, their slavery and their deliverance by God through Moses, until their long wandering in the desert, their victory over the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan, and finally their entrance into the Promised Land under his own leadership, receiving the long-promised inheritance themselves. He urged them to leave behind forever the gods that their ancestors had served, whether in Mesopotamia or in Egypt, and to be faithful to the Lord forever, and concluded speaking for himself, saying: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We will see what the people say in response, and how the book of Joshua concludes.
The People Promise to Serve the Lord
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.”
25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. 26 Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak in the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “See, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God.” 28 So Joshua sent the people away to their inheritances.
Death of Joshua and Eleazar
29 After these things Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred ten years old. 30 They buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.
32 The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the portion of ground that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money; it became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
33 Eleazar son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of his son Phinehas, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.
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 Joshua foresees the problems that will come to Israel, that they, or at least their descendants, will not in fact remain faithful to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and will bring judgment upon themselves. We see, however, that the people at this time are indeed faithful to the Lord, and serve him even after Joshua’s death, and as long as Joshua’s generation lives; but even these words which affirm the faithfulness of the people at this time are foreboding, because they imply that things are going to change. Next time, we will begin the book of Judges, and see what happens to Israel in the Promised Land as time begins to pass them by.)
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)
First, Second & Third Prayers at Orthros
There are twelve prayers that the Priest prays at the beginning of the Orthros service. In all of them, he prays for himself and for all the people, and gives thanks to God for the rest of sleep and for the opportunity to wake up and offer worship and thanksgiving and prayers to God. It is important to understand that the Orthros service is the service that the Church does at sunrise; it begins when it is still dark, and continues as the sun comes up. These twelve prayers, then, reflect what we can and should think and feel and say to God as we wake up and begin our day. These first three prayers talks about rising from our beds and moving directly into thanksgiving and worship, seeking help, strength, blessing and understanding from the Lord in Whom we live, and move, and have our being.
FIRST PRAYER
We thank You, Lord our God, who have roused us from our beds and placed in our mouth a word of praise, to worship and call upon your Holy Name, and we beseech you by your acts of pity, with which you have always treated our life. And now send forth your help on those who stand before the presence of your holy glory and who await the rich mercy which comes from you, and grant that they may always serve, praise, hymn and worship your inexpressible loving-kindness.
For to you belong all glory, honour and worship, to the Father, the Son and the holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
SECOND PRAYER
At night our spirit rises early to you, our God, for your commandments are light upon the earth. Teach us justice and sanctification in fear of you; for we glorify you who are our God, the One who truly exists. Incline your ear and hear us; and remember, Lord, by name all those who are present and who pray with us, and save them by your power. Bless your people and sanctify your inheritance. Give peace to your world, to the churches, to the priests, to our rulers and to all your people.
For blessed and glorified is your all-honoured and majestic name, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
THIRD PRAYER
At night our spirit rises early to you, O God, for your commandments are light. Teach us your justice, O God, your commands and your statutes. Enlighten the eyes of our understanding, lest we ever sleep unto death in sins. Drive away all gloomy darkness from our hearts. Give us the grace of the sun of justice and by the seal of your Holy Spirit keep our life free from harm. Direct our steps in the way of peace. Grant that we may see the dawn and the day in joy, that we may offer your our morning prayers.
For yours is the might and yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should urge the group to notice what sort of picture or model of human life we see described in these prayers that speak of waking from sleep and rising from our beds, not to work or play, leisure or entertainment, but to communion with the Lord, to righteousness and holiness in the fear of God.)
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 12:1-21 (Grain on the Sabbath, Man with Withered Hand, God's Chosen Servant)
Last week, we saw the Lord speak to the strange reality that the cities in which He has been preaching and doing miracles have not welcomed Him and obeyed His word, and warn them that they will be judged in the end for this, because His coming is the salvation that they have been awaiting, and no other deliverance than God Himself become flesh is coming to them, only the consequence of their rejection of Him. He ended by speaking comfort to all those who did follow Him, assuring them that they would find peace and rest for their souls in taking up His yoke. We will see today what follows after, as He continues on with His disciples, and continues to encounter resistance and criticism from the Pharisees.
Plucking Grain on the Sabbath
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
The Man with a Withered Hand
9 He left that place and entered their synagogue; 10 a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?” so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
God’s Chosen Servant
15 When Jesus became aware of this, he departed. Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, 16 and he ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,
my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed
or quench a smoldering wick
until he brings justice to victory.
21 And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
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 the Lord makes clear in these encounters with the Pharisees that they have entirely misunderstood the Law, and the character of God Who gave the Law, in seeing the Law as arbitrary rules that turn to the judgment of those who inadvertently break them. The Sabbath Day, the Lord says, is for the sake of humanity, not a rule to justify and excuse ignoring or rejecting those in need, or refusing help to them. We may understand as well that it is precisely on the Sabbath Day, when He was resting in the tomb bodily, that the Lord does His great work of delivering from bondage all those righteous in Hades, as we see in the icon of the Anastasis.)
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?