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.

How Much Force to Clean the Temple?--April 9, 2017


Gracious God, instruct us and teach us
the way we should go; counsel us
with your eye upon us.

You commanded peace to the nations;
dismissed chariot, war horse,
and battle bow.

So, to fight the good fight of the faith,
how much force should we use
to "clean out the temple"?

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 84; 150; 42; 32
Zech. 9:9-12
1 Tim. 6:12-16
Matt. 21:12-17
       
Selected Verses
Ps. 32:8
 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
          I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 

Zech. 9:10a
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
          and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
          and he shall command peace to the nations…

1 Tim. 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 

Matt. 21:12
Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

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