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 06, 2006

I. Readings
Psalms 81, 116, 143
Numbers 23:11-26
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 22:1-14

II. Selections
Psalm 81:16
I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

Numbers 23:19a
God is not a human being, that he should lie,
or a mortal, that he should change his mind.

Romans 8:11
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Matthew 22:12
" ...and [ the king] said to [ the man who was not wearing a wedding robe], "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. ... "

III. Meditation: Fine wheat, sweet honey

How strange that we fail to take you at your word.
You are not a human being, that you should lie,
or a mortal, that you should change your mind.

Yet you have invited us to the wedding feast,
and we have come without a wedding robe,
naked before you and the guests.

You promise to feed us with the finest of the wheat
and satisfy us with honey from the rock,
but we prefer to remain hungry.

O God who raised Jesus from the dead,
let your Spirit dwell in us
and give life to our mortal bodies.

Then, dressed to celebrate our lives, we will live,
as we feast and are satisfied
with your fine wheat and sweet honey.

No comments:

Post a Comment