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.

Take Our Hand, Lift Us up


What profit is it, Lord,
to sin against others?

Through the abundance
of your steadfast love,
we will come before you--
in awe of you will bow down.

Take our hand, Jesus, lift us up,
that our faith in you might rest not
on human wisdom, but in your power;
that in faith and love, we may serve you.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 5; 147:1-11; 27; 51
Gen. 37:25-36
1 Cor. 2:1-13
Mark 1:29-45

Selected Verses
Ps. 5:7
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
          will enter your house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple
          in awe of you. 

Gen. 37:26
Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?  …"

1 Cor. 2:5
…so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Mark 1:31
[Jesus] came and took [Simon's mother-in--law] by the hand and lifted her up.  Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

No comments:

Post a Comment