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.

February 19, 2006

I. Readings
Psalms 46, 67, 93
Proverbs 1:20-33
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Mark 10:35-45

II. Selections
Psalm 67:1-2
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Selah
that your way may be known upon earth,
your saving power among all nations.

Proverbs 1:22
"How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? ..."

2 Corinthians 5:18
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation ...

Mark 10:35
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you."

III. Meditation: Reconciled and reconciling
We want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.
So said James and John; too often we say the same.

We love being simple, delight in our scoffing,
and hate knowledge that interferes with our biases.

Yet you reconciled us to yourself through Christ,
and you have given us the ministry of reconciliation.

Be gracious to us and bless us and make your face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)