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 19, 2010


We Seek to Understand

I. Readings
Psalms 99, 147:1-11, 9, 118
Isaiah 4:2-6
Ephesians 4:1-16
Matthew 8:28-34

II. Selections
Psalm 9:18
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

Isaiah 4:5b-6
Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy. It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Matthew 8:34
The demons begged [Jesus], “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.

III. Meditation

How are we to understand the request of the “demons”
to be sent into swine, and Jesus granting their request?
Superstition of the times? Weightier meanings elude me.

And what about the promise of a canopy over the glory?
Is it a promise of your protecting presence in our future,
akin to your promise to care for the needy and the poor?

Your call to lead a life worthy of our calling is not
so difficult to understand…but very difficult to do.
Keep us in the unity of the Spirit, the bond of peace.
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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