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 22, 2005

I. Readings
Psalms 47, 57, 85
1 Kings 1:1-31
Acts 26:1-23
Mark 13:14-27

II. Selections
Psalms 57:1
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
until the destroying storms pass by.

1 Kings 1:1-13
" ...Go in at once to King David, and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king?' ..." [ The prophet Nathan to Bathsheba]

Acts 26:16
But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.

Mark 13:22-23
False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be alert; I have already told you everything.

III. Meditation: Until the destroying storms pass by
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by. The destroying storms surround us. False messiahs and false prophets produce signs and omens to lead astray. Self-serving factions compete for human power, threatening the nation, putting in jeopardy the whole world. We are grateful for the refuge you provide in the shadow of your wings. But there is a time to get up and stand on our feet; for you call us to this purpose, to serve and testify to the things in which we see you. Make us alert to all that you have already told us. And merciful God, make us merciful.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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