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.

More than One Way to Testify--Dec. 26, 2016


Teach us to walk before you in the land of the living,
O Lord, and how to communicate your word
to people hardened against hearing it.
Remind us--feeding the needy can
serve as a statement of faith.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 116; 145; 119:1-24; 27
2 Chron. 24:17-22
Acts 6:1-7
Acts 7:59-8:8

Selected Verses
Ps. 116:9
I walk before the LORD
          in the land of the living. 

2 Chron. 24:19
Yet [God] sent prophets among [the king and officials of Judah] to bring them back to the LORD; they testified against them, but they would not listen.

Acts 6:2
And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.  …"

Acts 8:4
Now [members of the Jerusalem church] who were scattered [by persecution] went from place to place, proclaiming the word.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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