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.

July 29, 2005

I. Readings
Psalms 6, 20, 88
2 Samuel 5:1-12
Acts 17:1-15
Mark 7:24-37

II. Selections
Ps. 6:7
My eyes waste away because of grief;
they grow weak because of all my foes.

2 Samuel 5:6
The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, "You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back"-thinking, "David cannot come in here."

Acts 17:6-7
When [ the mob] could not find [ Paul and Silas], they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, "These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus."

Mark 7:27-28
[ Jesus] said to [ the Syrophoenician woman], "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

III. Meditation: Assessing our adversaries
There are foes who grieve us until our eyes waste away, often because we misconstrue their intentions. The mob misunderstood the claims of Paul and Silas. But others who confront us we do not take seriously enough. The Jebusites ridiculed David and his troops for attacking Jerusalem. Apparently even Jesus underestimated the grit and wit of the Syrophoenician woman. Help us assess our real adversaries.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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