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.

January 21, 2008

I. Readings
Psalms 97, 112, 135, 145
Genesis 8:6-22
Hebrews 4:14-5:6
John 2:23-3:15

II. Selections
Psalms 112:4
They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Genesis 8: 22
" ...As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night,
shall not cease."
[ said the LORD in his heart, after the flood]

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

John 3:3
Jesus answered [ Nicodemus], "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."

III. Meditation: Born into your light

To see your kingdom we must be born from above.
In our darkness you serve as a light for the upright,
with power to make us gracious, merciful, righteous.

We approach your throne of grace with boldness;
for as long as earth endures, we can depend on
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and
winter, day and night, and your mercy and grace.

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