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.

With the Same Mouth--Sept. 26, 2010


I. Readings
Psalms 108, 150, 66, 23
Hosea 1:1-2:1
James 3:1-13
Matthew 13:44-52

II. Selections
Psalm 66:5
Come and see what God has done:
      he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.

Hosea 1:2
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.”

James 3:9-10
With [the tongue] we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

Matthew 13:51
[Jesus said to his disciples,] “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.”

III. Meditation

God, when I see
your awesome deeds,
I want to bless your name.

Why then with the same mouth
do I say mean things about those
you have made in your likeness?

Is this not forsaking you?
If I am guilty of this, have I
truly understood your teaching?
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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