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.

October 04, 2008

I. Readings
Psalms 63, 90, 125
Hosea 5:1-7
Acts 22:17-29
Luke 6:27-38

II. Selections
Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Hosea 5:1-2
Hear this, O priests!
Give heed, O house of Israel!
Listen, O house of the king!
For the judgment pertains to you;
for you have been a snare at Mizpah,
and a net spread upon Tabor,
and a pit dug deep in Shittim;
but I will punish all of them.

Acts 22:22
Up to this point [ the crowd] listened to [ Paul], but then they shouted, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."

Luke 6:35-36
" ...But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. ... " [ Jesus preaching on the plain to a crowd of his disciples]

III. Meditation: That we may rejoice and be glad in you

God Most High, you show us your steadfast love and give us every reason to rejoice in you and to be glad all our days. You are kind to all, including the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful to us, for we, our religious leaders, and those who govern us all stand under your judgment. We have been subject to a mob mentality of justice, we have set traps and snares, we have dug pits for others to fall into. We have not shown mercy even to those who have meant us no harm, let alone to our enemies. Forgive us, and make us forgiving, that we may be more like Jesus, in whose name we ask your mercy.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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