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.

Patient Waiting, in Hope--Dec. 12, 2016

Holy One, teach me to wait patiently for you,
even when you seem to be hiding your face.
Teach me patience as I wait, hoping in you.
Help me support my faith with goodness,
knowledge, self-control, endurance,
godliness, mutual affection, love.
And do not bring me to the time
of trial.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 122; 145; 40; 67
Isa. 8:16-9:1
2 Peter 1:1-11
Luke 22:39-53
           
Selected Verses
Ps. 40:1
 I waited patiently for the LORD;
          he inclined to me and heard my cry. 

Isa. 8:17
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. 

2 Peter 1:5-7
For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 

Luke 22:45-46
When [Jesus] got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, and he said to them, "Why are you sleeping?  Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial."

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