Day 1 (Monday)
Psalms of Repentance (Psalms 31, 37, & 50 – Septuagint Numbering)
Since January, we have been reading the life of King David. As the “man after God’s own heart,” and the Anointed One of the Lord (or the Messiah of Yahweh, as it would have read in the original language), David is a figure of critical importance. But the trajectory of his life is not what we would expect from a “normal” saint’s life. As he grew in power, he also declined in holiness and faithfulness, and after his great and sin, everything seemed to go wrong for him all the rest of his life. But all of that is the external perspective, the “historical” story of a king and his rise and fall. What we are missing are David’s own words, the expression of that heart that yearned for the Lord. So this time, to close out our time with King David, we will read some of his prayers of repentance, so that we may understand that he is not a saint because of or despite his sins, but rather because of his repentance.
Psalm 31
Of David, for understanding
Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, and in whose mouth there is no guile. Because I kept silence, my bones grew old from my crying out all the day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; I was turned to misery while the thorn stuck fast in me.
I acknowledged my sin, and did not hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my iniquity to the Lord against myself; and you forgave the ungodliness of my heart. For this shall everyone who is holy pray to you in a seasonable time: Only that in the flood of great waters, they should not come near him. You are my refuge from the trouble that besets me, and my joy; deliver me from those who surround me.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will fix my eyes upon you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, Whose cheeks you must constrain with bit and bridle, or they will not come near you. Many are the scourges of the sinner; but mercy shall surround the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O you righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Psalm 37
A psalm of David, for remembrance concerning the Sabbath
O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor chasten me in your wrath. For your arrows are fixed in me, and your hand presses heavily upon me. There is no health in my flesh because of your anger, nor is there peace in my bones because of my sins. For my transgressions have risen over my head; they have weighed upon me like a heavy burden.
My wounds have grown foul and corrupt because of my folly. I am altogether wretched and bowed down; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with mockery, and there is no health in my flesh. I am feeble, and am brought exceedingly low; I have roared because of the groaning of my heart.
Lord, all my desire is before you, and my groaning is not hidden from you. My heart is troubled, my strength has failed me, and even the light of my eyes is gone from me. My friends and my neighbors drew up across from me and stood, and my kin stood far off. And those who sought my life used violence; and those who sought my hurt spoke vain things, and talked deceitfully all the day long.
But I, as if deaf, did not hear, and I was like a mute who does not open his mouth; And I was like a man who cannot hear, and in whose mouth are no reproofs. For in you, O Lord, have I hoped; you will hear, O Lord my God. For I said, Let never my enemies rejoice over me; when my feet slipped, they spoke boastfully against me. For I am ready for scourges, and my grief is continually before me. For I will declare my transgression, and be sorry for my sin.
But my enemies live, and are stronger than I, and those who hate me wrongfully are multiplied. Those who render me evil for good have slandered me, because I pursue goodness. Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord of my salvation.
Psalm 50
For the end, a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba the wife of Uriah
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy, and according to the multitude of your compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against you only have I sinned, and done this evil before you, that you might be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.
For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bring me forth. For behold, you have loved truth; you have revealed to me the hidden and secret things of your wisdom. You shall sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; you shall wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. You shall make me hear joy and gladness; the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and establish me with a governing Spirit. I will teach transgressors your ways, and the ungodly shall return to you. Deliver me from blood-guilt, O God, the God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in your righteousness. O Lord, you will open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For had you desired sacrifice, I would have given it; you will not be pleased with whole-burnt offerings. A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, to Zion in your good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then shall you be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offering; then shall they offer bullocks upon your altar.
Roumas, Nicholas. The Psalter of David the Prophet and King with the Nine Odes (pp. 185-186). Great Light Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.
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 how we hear these words in the Church, and often read them metaphorically, as though they are the prayers of a perfect and holy saint. But in fact, these prayers are talking about exactly what we might think they are talking about, and the most important thing to learn from King David’s prayers is how he did not give himself over to despair in his sins, but even when he felt that he was drowning in guilt and loss, he offered even that to the Lord, and in repentance he found grace and salvation. It is vital that we should imitate him in this hope and trust, and turn our own lives to the Lord whatever we have done; and it is equally vital that we follow that prayer with a true and genuine effort to forsake our sinful desires and hold fast to the Lord above all.)
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)
Irenaeus – Against Heresies 4
Last time we read some additional excerpts from Book 3 of 5 from “Against Heresies,” in which Irenaeus discussed the history of the four Gospels and of the Church itself, noting how stable and consistent are the Church’s beliefs and practices. This time, we will see him discussing the full divinity and full humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are drawing these selections from a recent condensation of this very substantial work by an academic named James Payton; anyone who would like to purchase this book can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Irenaeus-Christian-Faith-Condensation-Heresies/dp/1608996247/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
St. Irenaeus of Lyons – Against Heresies – Book 3 (excerpts 2)
Neither the Lord, nor the Holy Spirit, nor the apostles would ever have called him God who was not God definitely and absolutely, unless he was truly God; nor would they have called anyone Lord except God the Father, who rules over all, and his Son, who has received dominion from his Father over all creation, as this passage has it: “The LORD says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’ ” [Ps 110:1]. Here the Scripture presents the Father addressing the Son: he gave him the inheritance of the nations and subjected all his enemies to him. Since the Father is truly Lord and the Son truly Lord, the Holy Spirit has fitly designated them by the title of Lord.… (3:6,1)
No other is named as God or is called Lord except the one who is God and Lord of all, who also said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you’ ” [Exod 3:14]; and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who makes those who believe in his name the children of God [John 1:12]. Further, the Son spoke to Moses and said, “I have come down to deliver them” [Exod 3:8], for he was the one who descended and ascended for the salvation of humanity [Eph 4:9, 10]. God has been declared through the Son, who is in the Father and has the Father—the one who is—in himself. So, the Father bears witness to the Son, and the Son announces the Father. Isaiah also says, “You are my witnesses, says the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he” [Isa 43:10]. (3:6,2)
Therefore I also call upon you, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of Israel, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in the abundance of your mercy have had favor towards us, that we may know you who made heaven and earth, who rules over all, who are the only and the true God, above whom there is no other God. By our Lord Jesus Christ, pour out the governing power of the Holy Spirit; grant to every reader of this book to know you, that you alone are God, to be strengthened in you, and to avoid every heretical, godless, and unfaithful teaching. (3:6,4)
… Nothing created can ever be compared to the Word of God by whom all things were made, who is our Lord Jesus Christ. (3:8,2)
John declared that all things—whether angels, archangels, thrones, or dominions—were both established and created by the one who is God over all, through his Word. When he had spoken of the Word of God as having been in the Father, he added, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” [John 1:3]. David also, when he had enumerated his praises, specifically included all that I have mentioned, both the heavens and all the powers in them: “He commanded and they were created; he spoke, and it came to be” [Pss 148:5; 33:9]. Whom did he thus command? The Word, no doubt: “By the word of the LORD, the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth” [Ps. 33:6]. But David indicates that God himself made all things freely, just as he pleased: “Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases” [Ps 115:3]. The things established are distinct from the one who established them, and what has been made from the one who made it. He himself is uncreated, without beginning or end, and needs nothing. He is sufficient for himself, but he gives being to everything else. The things he made received their beginnings; whatever has a beginning, though, is also liable to dissolution, so it always needs the care of him who made all things.… (3:8,3)
He became the Son of man for this purpose, that humans also might become the children of God.… With his incarnation everything entered a new phase. The Word arranged his coming in the flesh in a unique way, so that he might win back to God that human nature which had departed from God.… (3:10,2)
… But none of the heretics believe that the Word of God became flesh. If anyone carefully examines all their systems, that person will find that all of them teach that the Word of God did not become incarnate.… Some teach that “Christ” seemed to be human, but that he was not really born and did not become flesh. Some others hold that he did not assume a human form at all, but that, like a dove, he descended upon that Jesus who was born from Mary. But the Lord’s disciple exposed them all as false witnesses when he said, “The Word became flesh and lived among us” [John 1:14]. (3:11,3)
… The heretics wander from the truth, because their teaching departs from the one who is the true God. They do not believe that his only-begotten Word—who is always present with the human race, who was united to and mingled with his own creation, according to the Father’s pleasure, and became flesh—is himself Jesus Christ our Lord, who suffered for us and rose again on our behalf, and who will come again in his Father’s glory to resurrect all who have lived, to show his salvation, and to judge with consummate justice everything he has made.… In every respect, he is human, the formation of God: he took humanity into himself, the invisible becoming visible, the incomprehensible being made comprehensible, the impassible becoming capable of suffering, and the Word being made human, thus summing up all things in himself. So, just as in super-celestial, spiritual, and invisible things, the Word of God is supreme, so also in things visible and corporeal he possesses the supremacy. He has taken to himself the pre-eminence and has constituted himself head of the Church, in order to draw all things to himself at the proper time [Col 1:15–20]. (3:16,6)
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how clear is St. Irenaeus’ concern that his readers should recognize the importance of affirming the full divinity and full humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. This truth has been attacked and undermined from the very beginning, because it is so impossible, and because it is such a powerful attack upon the powers that otherwise would enslave us; but the Church has, from the beginning, and not merely from the time of the 4th or 5th or 6th or 7th centuries, recognized that this truth is at the heart of the Gospel. God has become Man, and has called Humanity to become like Him and one with 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)
John 12:20-36a (Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus, Jesus Speaks about His Death)
Last time we saw Jesus enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, after Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had anointed his feet with perfume, and Judas had begun to plot his betrayal, and the religious leaders in Jerusalem had determined to have both Jesus and Lazarus killed, lest the entire people of Judaea follow after Jesus. Everything is speeding up, with everyone moving towards a collision point in the Garden of Gethsemane. But for the present, we see something of an interlude, as Jesus has arrived in the city, and is preaching and ministering to the crowd. We will see what happens.
Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
Jesus Speaks about His Death
27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of 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 that Jesus doesn’t actually answer the Greeks who come to Him, or at least, He doesn’t appear to. What He says seems to have nothing to do with their simple request to speak with Him. It is, however, worth noting that, when we reflect on the entire history of Greek-speaking people with the Gospel of the Lord over the past two millennia, the Lord’s words actually are profoundly apropos, and not only for Hellenes, but for every nation and people and family of humanity that receives the Gospel. If we take the Lord’s words and love as an occasion to build up for ourselves a safe and stable life according to the standards of the world, we will find that we have established houses of sand on foundations of straw; but if we can learn to trust in the Lord in all things, even if our lives according to the standards of the world are always falling to pieces, we will find that His peace and glory sustain and comfort us no matter what happens.)
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?