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.

November 14, 2007

I. Readings
Psalms 4, 15, 48
Nehemiah 5:1-19
Revelation 18:21-24
Matthew 15:29-39

II. Selections
Psalm 4:8
I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.

Nehemiah 5:9
So I said, "The thing that you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? ... " [ Nehemiah to the nobles and the officials]

Revelation 18:23c-d
" ...for your merchants were the magnates of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. ... " [ The mighty angel who threw the great stone into the sea, to "Babylon," i.e., Rome]

Matthew 15:30
Great crowds came to [ Jesus], bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them ...

III. Meditation: Peace and the fear of God?

What prevents us from lying down to sleep in peace?
Or from coming to your feet to be healed?
Perhaps it is because we have played merchant to the world,
deceiving all nations with our sorcery.
Or is it because we do not walk in the fear of you?
Strange thought, that fear might foster a sense of peace ...

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)