Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 16:1-16 (Birth of Ishmael)
Last week we saw God make His covenant with Abram, promising him once again that his descendants would inherit the land, and foretelling to Abram that they would first be slaves in Egypt for 400 years. God sealed this promise with a sign, revealing Himself to Abram in the darkness as a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, passing between the halves of the divided animals, condescending to use the manners of human oaths to make His promise to Abram certain. This time, we will see Abram and Sarai take measures into their own hands, and what comes of that action.
The Birth of Ishmael
16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, 2 and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife.
4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my slave-girl to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Your slave-girl is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she ran away from her.
7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,
“Now you have conceived and shall bear a son;
you shall call him Ishmael,
for the Lord has given heed to your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild ass of a man,
with his hand against everyone,
and everyone’s hand against him;
and he shall live at odds with all his kin.”
13 So she named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El-roi”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.
15 Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
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 first that in this reading, we see the Angel of the Lord come to Hagar, and understand that she sees Him, and understands that He is God Himself. This is one of the passages in which we see that the Angel of the Lord is one of the names for the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, as He is active in the Old Testament. In coming to Hagar, we see Him extend a promise to her as well; the Messiah will not be descended from her, but nonetheless, her descendants will also be children of Abraham, and partake in the covenant that God makes with them. We should also note that this is, once again, a place where Abram does something, but just because he does it doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do, and at the same time, just because it was the wrong thing to do doesn’t mean that God can’t bless it and turn it to good. Notwithstanding the rise of Islam, the descendants of Ishmael nonetheless have had a longstanding and active role in the life of the Church.)
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)
Prayer of St. Philaret of Moscow
St. Philaret was the metropolitan bishop of Moscow, the highest ranking hierarch in the Russian Church, in the early 1800’s, in a period when the Russian Tsar exerted an extreme level of control over the Church. He was known and respected as a faithful and pious man, and played a significant role in the translation of the Bible into the Russian language. This prayer of his has become a frequent element of regular morning prayer rules for Orthodox Christians.
Prayer of St. Philaret of Moscow
O Lord, grant me to greet the coming day in peace, help me in all things to rely upon your holy will.
In every hour of the day reveal your will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that your will governs all.
In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by you.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will, teach me to pray.
And you, yourself, pray in me.
Amen.
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 the great theme of this prayer is the willing submission of one’s self to God, in mind, will, thoughts, words, actions, and above all in prayer. This is precisely what we are seeking to do when we say our prayers; we are turning our hearts and minds and lives to the Lord, and entrusting our entire self to Him. It is worth noting, as well, that it is precisely this of submission and trust that we see Abram struggling, and it seems to us, failing to achieve in the Day 1 reading. On the same token, it should be comforting to us that, even in our failures, the Lord does not abandon us, and remains faithful His promises to us, that He will never leave or forsake us. We have only to get up when we have fallen, and continue to walk in repentance and obedience 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?
Day 3 (Friday)
Matthew 5:1-20 (Beatitudes, Sermon on Mount)
Last week we saw the Lord call His first four disciples and begin to preach in Galilee. This time, we will see what He is saying. This chapter 5, and chapters 6 and 7, comprise what is usually called the Sermon on the Mount; they are entirely made up of a single continuous speech of the Lord. This is one of the major points that distingues Matthew from Mark; Mark shows us Who Jesus is, but Matthew tells us what Jesus says, in great and precise detail.
The Beatitudes
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
The Law and the Prophets
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
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 what the Lord says in the “Beatitudes,” which is to say, the sayings about who is blessed, is a complete upending of normal assumptions about human life. Normal people think that it is good to be wealthy, happy, elevated above others, and free of hunger and thirst, but the Lord tells us that it is those who “suffer” from the opposites of these things that are truly blessed. He is telling His disciples, and anyone willing to listen to Him, that their way in the world is to be almost the complete opposite of the values they have been taught.)
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?