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.

Do Not Preach--Oct. 18, 2010


I. Readings
Psalms 57, 145, 85, 47
Micah 2:1-13
Revelation 7:1-8
Luke 9:51-62

II. Selections
Psalm 47:3-4
      [The LORD] subdued peoples under us,
      and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
      the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

Micah 2:6
“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
      “one should not preach of such things;
      disgrace will not overtake us.”

Revelation 7:1
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or against any tree.

Luke 9:57-58
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

III. Meditation

How many of your children
have no place to lay their heads…
the refugees from war,
the orphans from HIV-AIDS,
the homeless in every city of the world?

We do not want to hear more preaching
about what should be done to help them.

No, we want to hear about
how we are a favored people,
yes—divinely favored—
with a destiny of comfortable living,
and to hell with the rest of the world.

How long will you hold back
the winds of our destruction?
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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