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.

February 26, 2010

Fresh Wineskins

I. Readings
Psalms 22, 148, 15, 130
Genesis 40:1-23
1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Mark 2:13-22

II. Selections
Psalm 130:7
O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.

Genesis 40:8
[Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker] said to [Joseph], “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Mark 2:22
“…And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” [Jesus to those who questioned why his disciples did not fast]

III. Meditations

God of steadfast love,
our hope is in you.

Make us your temple;
let your Spirit dwell in us;

that your dream for us
may be our dream, too,

and that we may be fresh wineskins,
receptacles for your new wine.
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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