Day 1 (Monday)
Genesis 37:1-28 (Joseph’s Dreams, Is Sold by his Brothers)
As we begin this fifth year of the Religious Education Initiative, we are continuing from where we left off last year in the book of Genesis (week 10) as Jacob returned to Bethel, where God had appeared to him and given to him the promises of Abraham and Isaac his fathers. He worshipped God there, and then continued back to Mamre (Hebron) to see his father, but along the way, Rachel died while giving birth to Jacob’s youngest son Benjamin. We should remember that Jacob had twelve sons by four wives: six sons from Leah (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar & Zebulun) as well as a daughter, Dinah, two sons by Rachel’s maid Bilhah (Dan & Naphtali), two sons by Leah’s maid Zilpah (Gad & Asher), and then finally two sons by Rachel herself, Joseph the older and Benjamin the younger. This does not conclude the story of Jacob, but from this point on, the main characters in the story are his sons.
We remember, too, that the narrative of Genesis so far has shown us God’s creation of the world, the rebellion of humanity through the deception of the serpent, the growth of wickedness until the Flood wipes out all of humanity except Noah and his family, and the repopulation of the earth until they rebel against God once again at the Tower of Babel, and so God divides the nations and their languages, and establishes a distance between Himself and humanity. At this point, however, God also begins to prepare a means of reconciliation between Himself and rebellious humanity, and calls Abraham to leave the land of Babel, and promises him that he will be the father of many nations, and blessing to all the nations of the earth, although he and his wife are old and have no children. Abraham and Sarah received their son Isaac when Abraham was 100, and Sarah was 90, and then Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. With the twelve sons of Jacob, then, we are at the brink of the swift growth of the descendants of Abraham, and are approaching the covenant that God will make with Jacob’s descendants at Mt. Sinai. But we are not there yet; first, they have to go to Egypt, and be enslaved there, and then God will send Moses to lead them out of slavery into the Land of Promise, as His own priestly people, a nation set apart to reconcile all humanity to Himself. The story of Jacob’s sons, and especially the story of Joseph, is the account of how they came to be in Egypt in the first place.
Joseph Dreams of Greatness
37 Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is the history of the family of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought an ill report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers, and with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 And a man found him wandering in the fields; and the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said, “tell me, I pray you, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. 18 They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.”
21 But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; 24 and they took him and cast him into a pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ish′maelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ish′maelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers heeded him. 28 Then Mid′ianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ish′maelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.
Reading 1 – 765 words
700 goal
+65
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leaders should point out first of all that the consequences of Jacob’s many wives, and his preference for Rachel, are playing out in a profound enmity amongst the brothers. If anyone ever says that the Old Testament has no problem with polygamy, this passage in particular refutes that. Jacob certainly did have many wives, but this is manifestly NOT a good thing. Nonetheless, God turns even this evil toward good, as we will see. Second, the dreams that Joseph has, especially the first one, is an indication of the high calling of Jacob’s family; they are the sun, the moon, and the stars, as Abraham was promised that his descendants would be like the stars in the heavens. Finally, the selling of Joseph into bondage for a certain number of pieces of silver is often connected to Judas’ betrayal of the Lord for a certain amount of silver. In this, and in a number of other points, Joseph becomes a type of Christ, and we should watch for more as his story unfolds.)
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 from the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross
Today for our selection from Church Tradition, we’ll be looking at some of the hymns from the great Feast of the Church that we celebrate on September 14th, the Elevation of the Precious and Holy Cross. This feast commemorates both the finding of the Cross by St. Helen, and its recovery and return to Jerusalem in 627, after its seizure by the Persians a decade before. The feast of the Cross is a Strict Fast, and functions almost like mini celebration of the themes of Holy Week, all distilled into a single feast day, here in the fall, at the beginning of the new Church Year.
2nd Hymn of the Kekragaria
Moses once prefigured you * when he extended his arms up * and he routed utterly * Amalek the tyrant king, * O most precious Cross; * the believers' pride and joy, * Martyr-athletes' support, * the Apostles' badge and ornament, * defender of the Just * and the preservation of the Devout. * And all creation seeing you * lifted high is therefore rejoicing now, * and is celebrating * and glorifying Christ who has through you * united those that were separate, * in His extreme benevolence.
Doxastikon of the Liti
Portraying in advance the action of the precious Cross, Moses routed the adversary Amalek in the wilderness of Sinai, O Christ. For when he spread out his arms, in the form of the Cross, the people became strong. And now the outcome of those events has been fulfilled in us. Today the Cross is exalted, and the demons are banished. Today the entire creation is liberated from corruption. For it is through the Cross that all the gifts of grace have shined on us. Therefore, rejoicing, we all bow down before You and say, "How magnified are Your works, O Lord. Glory to You!"
From the Canon
Ode 1
Moses prefigured the Cross. * Lifting up the rod, he stretched out his hand and split the Sea for Israel to cross on land. * Then he stretched it out again, * and the sea returned and covered Pharaoh's chariots. * The Cross was thus portrayed as our invincible armor. * So let us sing to the Lord, * Christ our God, for He is greatly glorified.
The Prophet Moses of old * in himself prefigured the undefiled Passion, when he stood between those men of God. * With hands held up in the form * of the Cross, he raised a monument of victory, * defeating the destroyer Amalek and his forces. * So let us sing to the Lord, * Christ our God, for He is greatly glorified.
The antidote was set up * on a pole by Moses of old to save the people from the poisonous and deadly bite. * He horizontally fixed * to the wood, symbolic of the Cross, the snake of bronze * and vanquished the affliction of the slithering serpent. * So let us sing to the Lord, * Christ our God, for He is greatly glorified.
The Cross appeared in the sky * to the godly-minded and pious Emperor to be the emblem of victory. * The raging of hostile foes * now has been struck down by it; deceit has been overthrown; * and faith in God has spread to the four corners of the earth. * So let us sing to the Lord, * Christ our God, for He is greatly glorified.
Ode 9
Theotokos, you are mystical Paradise, * for without husbandry you have blossomed Christ, * by whom on earth the Cross, as a life-bearing tree, has been planted and watered. * As it is now exalted, * we adore Him and worship Him and magnify you.
Let all the trees of the forest greatly rejoice, * because their nature was sanctified when Christ, * by whom they were originally planted on earth, * was crucified upon one. * As it is now exalted, * we adore Him and worship Him and magnify Him.
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 many of the hymns talk about the typologies and prefigurements of the Cross as the weapon of salvation and victory in the Exodus from Egypt. The reference to Moses and Amalek refers to the event in Exodus 17, when the Amalekites attacked Israel as they were arriving at Mt. Sinai. During the battle, when Moses raised his arms, imitating the form of Christ on the Cross, Israel was winning, but when his hands lowered in weariness, Israel was losing. His two assistants ended up holding his hands aloft, and this event entered deeply into the memory of the people of God, especially after the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Lord revealed the reason for the significance of the shape of the Cross.)
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)
Acts 2:1-13 (Coming of the Holy Spirit)
Last time we read the first chapter of Acts, in which we saw the Lord’s Ascension depicted once again by St. Luke, and then saw the Lord’s Disciples (the 11, together with the 70 and other close disciples, including the Lord’s Mother, and probably His brothers, that is to say, the sons of Joseph) gathering in prayer in the Upper Room, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. We also saw them cast lots to select a replacement for Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed the Lord, and choose Matthias to be counted as one of the Twelve. This time, we will see what happens on the Day of Pentecost itself.
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
Reading 2 -232 words
481 goal
-57
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (Leader should note that the Feast of Pentecost was a feast of the Old Covenant, Shavuot in Hebrew, and was one of the three festivals on which the people of God were commanded to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It was celebrated on the 50th day after the Passover, and thus was called “Fiftieth,” or in Greek, Πεντεκοστή, from which we get the English borrowing “Pentecost.” The feast celebrated the receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai and the Covenant that God made with His people there, as the culmination of the exodus from Egypt. It also coincided with the harvest of the wheat, so in the Descent of the Holy Spirit on this day, we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament Pentecost, in which the people of God were anointed as His priestly people at Mt. Sinai; now, on Mt. Zion, the renewed Israel, delivered not just from earthly bondage, but from slavery to death and sin, are anointed with the Holy Spirit Himself, and empowered to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord throughout the entire world. This feast also is connected with the separation of the languages of the nations at the Tower of Babel, for here, what had separated the nations is now made the instrument for their reconciliation with God, as the Apostles are granted speech in the language of every people under heaven to proclaim the glorious works 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?