I am an emeritus professor from Cornell University and was a Commissioned Lay Preacher in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For many years I have followed the Daily Lectionary as printed in the Mission Yearbook of my church. For each day of a two-year cycle, the lectionary lists four psalms and three other scriptural passages--usually one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. My practice is to copy down a verse or two from one of the psalms and from each of the other three passages. After I have written out all four selections, I reflect upon them, rearrange their order, and incorporate them into a meditation. Sometimes I retain much of the original wording; sometimes all that remains of a selection is an idea that was stimulated when I read the original words. All selections are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. For the Daily Lectionary, see the link below.

Suffering Ones who Plead for Help--Sept. 16, 2014


Millions of the world's poor plead for help.
They have had more than their fill
of the contempt of the proud,
the scorn of those at ease.

Dare we suppose they
have made a covenant
to serve us forever?

Lord Jesus, you raised
Lazarus from the dead.
Put your Spirit within us,
that we may rescue from death
the suffering ones who plead for help.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 123; 146; 30; 86
Job 40:1, 41:1-11
Acts 16:6-15
John 12:9-19

Selected Verses
Ps. 123:4
 Our soul has had more than its fill
          of the scorn of those who are at ease,
          of the contempt of the proud.

Job 41:4
"…Will [Leviathan] make a covenant with you to be taken as your servant forever?  …"  [The LORD questioning Job] 

Acts 16:9
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

John 12:17
So the crowd that had been with [Jesus] when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to testify.
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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