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.

Vengeance and Punishment?--Sept. 24, 2016


Lord Jesus, help me reconcile--if you think
it is reconcilable--the good news of
the Kingdom of God with
all this desire for
vengeance.
I can understand
that people subjected
to wicked plots may want
to protect themselves, but is
this what you preached?

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 122, 149, 100, 63
Esth. 9:1-32
Acts 20:1-16
Luke 4:38-44
           
Selected Verses
Ps. 149:6-7
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
          and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
          and punishment on the peoples…

Esth. 9:16
Now the other Jews who were in the king's provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and gained relief from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but they laid no hands on the plunder.

Acts 20:3b
He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, and so he decided to return through Macedonia.

Luke 4:43
But [Jesus] said to [the crowds], "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose."
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)