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.

The Authority to Lead--July 4, 2010


I. Readings
Psalms 108, 150, 66, 23
Numbers 27:12-23
Acts 19:11-20
Mark 1:14-20

II. Selections
Psalm 23:3b
He leads me in right paths
      for his name's sake.

Numbers 27:15-18
Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep without a shepherd.” So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him…”

Acts 19:13-15
Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

Mark 1:14
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God…

III. Meditation

Without you to lead us in right paths
we are like sheep without a shepherd.

Moses, about to die, could lead no longer;
you transferred his authority to Joshua.

After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus—
with a different kind of authority—took over.

The seven sons of Sceva tried to appropriate
the authority of Jesus and Paul, and failed miserably.

True authority to lead is a gift from you,
a gift only to be used for your good purposes.
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)