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.

To Be Grounded in Love--May 26, 2020


Merciful God, most gracious,
you do not see as mortals see,
for you look into our hearts.

I am quick to make promises,
quick to say I will follow you,
but I am readily discouraged.

In my heart I cherish grievances,
blame others for my own faults,
do everything to protect my ego.

May the power of the Spirit
strengthen my inner being;
Christ, dwell in my heart
and ground me in love.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 98; 146; 66; 116
1 Sam. 16:1-13a
Eph. 3:14-21
Matt. 8:18-27

Selected Verses
Ps. 66:18
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
          the Lord would not have listened.

1 Sam. 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

Eph. 3:16-17
I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, [the Father] may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 

Matt. 8:19-20
A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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