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.

May 18, 2008

I. Readings
Psalms 103, 117, 139
Job 38:1-11, 42:1-5
Revelation 19:4-16
John 1:29-34


II. Selections
Psalm 103:14
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.

Job 38:2
"Who is this that darkens
counsel by words without
knowledge? ... " [ The LORD to Job]

Revelation 19:16
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, "King of kings and Lord of lords."

John 1:29
The next day [ John] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ... "

III. Meditation: The known and the unknown

You know all about us,
how we are made of dust;
but our attempts to question
who you are come up empty-
words spoken without knowledge.
Still, we know something about Jesus.
Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords;
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away
the sin of the world. That is enough to know.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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