"O Lord Save Thy People" for the Exaltation of the Cross
For Sunday, September 20, 2020
Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross
So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt.
Video:
Troparion for the Exaltation of the Cross:
Apolytikion: “O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance, granting to Thy people victory over all their enemies, and by the power of Thy Cross preserving Thy commonwealth.”
Discussion Questions:
- What is bitter water? Why can't you drink it?
- Why did the Israelites need water?
- How is the tree Moses threw in the water like the cross?
- How is Christ's resurrection like sweet water?
- How did God describe himself? "I am the Lord who_____."
- The troparion of the cross says, "O Lord save thy people!" How did God heal and save the Israelites?
- How does God heal and save us?
Lesson:
We read this passage on feasts of the Precious and Life-giving cross, because the tree Moses threw in the water is a type of the Cross. That means it's like the cross and tells us something about it. The water of Marah was bitter and not good for drinking, but the tree made the water sweet, so they could drink and would not die of thirst. In the same way, the cross changed the bitterness of death into something sweet, because now we find life itself through death. We see this when Christ rises from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to all those who have died! When we are baptized, we go into the water like the tree, and we are joined to Christ’s death so that we can also be joined to his resurrection. Now we look forward to our own eternal life through Christ’s death on the precious and life-giving cross!
Online Activity:
Crossword Puzzle: complete on webpage
Print at Home Activity:
- Printable Crossword
- Coloring Page of Moses with Water
In Home Craft:
Discuss in class, then have students draw or write how things change
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