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.

June 07, 2006

I. Readings
Psalms 65, 91, 125
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Galatians 2:11-21
Matthew 14:1-12

II. Selections
Psalm 65:3
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.

Ecclesiastes 3:7b
...a time to keep silence, and a time to speak ...

Galatians 2:20b
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Matthew 14:9-10
The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

III. Meditation: Stuck with bad choices
What bad decisions we make
about when to speak,
when to keep silence.

Past choices grieve us,
but we are stuck with them-
we fear what others will think if we admit error.

As for your opinion of us,
we stifle the concern-
a strange ordering of priority.

Eventually our deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
drive us to you,
and you forgive.

How many cycles of sin and forgiveness
before we wake up, and remember,
and begin to live by faith?

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)