October 15, 2008

I. Readings
Psalms 4, 15, 48, 147:1-11
Hosea 13:1-3
Acts 27:9-26
Luke 9:1-17

II. Selections
Psalm 147:1
Praise the LORD!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.

Hosea 13:3
Therefore they shall be like the morning mist
or like the dew that goes away early,
like chaff that swirls from the threshing floor
or like smoke from a window.

Acts 27:11
But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.

Luke 9:7-8
Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen.

III. Meditation: When we are perplexed

How good it is to sing praises to you, for you
are gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.

In your compassion, teach us whose advice
we should heed, and whose we should ignore,
for we are perplexed.

Some say one thing, and some say another,
until we have no more substance than the
morning mist, or dew that goes away early,
or chaff that swirls from the threshing floor,
or smoke from a window.

A mere passenger on a ship may be wiser
than its pilot or its owner, if the passenger
is led by you.