Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision—
and I am one of a multitude. Out of my distress
I called on you in the past, dear God, and you set
me in a broad place. I remember; I call on you now.
You have chosen the poor of the world to be rich in faith;
compared to most in the world, I am rich—even so, I want
to say I love you. And I try to be faithful, if only in a little.
Make me faithful in much, God, and take away my dishonesty.
Lectionary Readings
Psalms 56, 149, 118, 111
Joel 3:9-17
James 2:1-13
Luke 16:10-18
Selected verses
Psalm 118:5
Out of my distress I called on the LORD;
the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
Joel 3:14
Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
James 2:5b
Has not God chosen the poor of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
Luke 16:10
“…Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. … ” [Jesus to his disciples]
Meditations inspired by readings from the Daily Lectionary as found in the Mission Yearbook of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
- Elmer E. Ewing
- 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.
"Elijah" - A bronze sculpture by a friend, the late Reverend Gurdon Brewster. Click on the image to see more of his sculptures.
Archives
Samples from the archives
- 3/19/18 Remedy for Hubris--A Child Could Do It
- 2/25/14 Unbind me, Jesus
- 10/26/13 Refreshing hearts, in Christ
- 8/9/13 When things I do displease you, God
- 2/7/13 Freed, saved, gathered in
- 1/1/13 For a joy that is complete
- 11/20/12 Though the fig tree does not blossom
- 11/19/12 Alas, my house is set on high
- 10/14/12 Held in your arms
- 9/14/12 The land cries out against us
- 8/29/12 The snare of false accusation
- 8/5/12 Tie up the strong man
- 4/5/12 We who dip bread
- 9/23/10 The right to be joyful
- 9/18/10 Chief cornerstone
- 7/27/10 Triumph over enemies
- 10/9/08 Our iniquity is great
- 5/14/08 When at night
- 2/17/08 The thin and ugly
- 1/17/07 We do not know you
- 1/3/07 Promises
- 1/2/07 For things not seen
- 10/3/06 Fear of you
- 10/2/06 Little we know
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