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.

August 12, 2005

I. Readings
Psalms 51, 65, 142
2 Samuel 15:19-37
Acts 21:37-22:16
Mark 10:46-52

II. Selections
Ps. 51:1
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.

2 Sam. 15:30
But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot; and all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.

Acts 22:7-8
" ...I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' Then he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.' ..."

Mark 10:46-47
They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

III. Meditation: Have mercy on me
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. When we are persecuting those who love you, we are persecuting you. When we ignore those in need, we ignore you. Give us the penitence of King David, who walked barefoot from Jerusalem, head covered and weeping as he went. Make us as persistent as the blind beggar Bartimaeus who kept shouting, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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