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.

March 19, 2008

I. Readings
Psalms 5, 27, 51
Lamentations 2:1-9
2 Corinthians 1:23-2:11
Mark 12:1-11

II. Selections
Psalm 5:7
But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in awe of you.

Lamentations 2:6
[ The LORD] has broken down his booth like a garden,
he has destroyed his tabernacle;
the LORD has abolished in Zion
festival and sabbath,
and in his fierce indignation has spurned
king and priest.

2 Corinthians 2:4
For I wrote you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love I have for you.

Mark 12:9
What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

III. Meditation: Out of much distress

Through the abundance of your steadfast love,
you have given us the earth, this beautiful vineyard;
it is our place to live, where we can bow in awe of you.

We have not been good tenants of the vineyard;
greed and war, hubris and selfishness, hate and anger,
neglect and shortsightedness, threaten its very existence.

Not to cause us pain, but in your abundant love,
you have sent messengers to warn us of our failings;
but we persecute or ignore them and continue to despoil.

What then will you do? What do we deserve? ;
In fierce indignation will you spurn piety and law?
Will you come in wrath to break down, destroy, abolish? ;

Or will you simply leave us to destroy ourselves?

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