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 17, 2007

I. Readings
Psalms 42, 102, 133
1 Samuel 19:1-24
Acts 12:1-17
Mark 2:1-12

II. Selections
Psalm 133:3
[ For kindred to live together in unity] is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.

1 Samuel 19:1
Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul's son Jonathan took great delight in David.

Acts 12:2
[ King Herod] had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.

Mark 2:4
And when [ the carriers of the paralyzed man] could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.

III. Meditation: Life together

King Herod had James killed with the sword,
and King Saul tried to kill David, but failed.

The kings did not know how to live together in unity,
but Jonathan knew, and he took great delight in David.

Those who carried the paralyzed man knew, too;
they spared no effort to bring him before Jesus.

Let unity fall upon us like the dew of Hermon,
and let your blessing rest upon our life together.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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