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.

If Only--Oct. 8, 2015


If only we could touch the fringe
of your cloak and be made whole,

if only we could, like King Josiah,
turn to you with all our hearts;

if only we would recognize
the manifestation of the Spirit
for the common good, which you
have placed in each of us,
and let it lead our lives,

if only we could at all times
trust in you, and pour out
our hearts before you,
then what a refuge
you would be.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 97; 147:12-20; 16; 62
2 Kings 23:4-25
1 Cor. 12:1-11
Matt. 9:18-26

Selected Verses
Ps. 62:8
Trust in him at all times, O people;
          pour out your heart before him;
          God is a refuge for us.   Selah

2 Kings 23:25
Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.

1 Cor. 12:11
All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Matt. 9:20-21
Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind [Jesus] and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.”
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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