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.

Speechless?--July 9, 2017


O God of steadfast love higher than the heavens--
God of faithfulness that reaches to the clouds,
when we are wrong and you confront us,
we have no excuse; we are speechless,
but we need no great victories to justify
ourselves, or adoring crowds to ransom us.
We are justified by faith; through our Lord Jesus
we have peace with you.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 108; 150; 66; 23
1 Sam. 14:36-45
Rom. 5:1-11
Matt. 22:1-14

Selected Verses
Ps. 108:4
For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens,
          and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

1 Sam. 14:45
Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great victory in Israel?  Perish the thought!  As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground; for he has worked with God today.”  So the people ransomed Jonathan, and he did not die.

Rom. 5:1
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…

Matt. 22:11-12
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless.  …” 

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