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.


In Praise of Companionship--July 13, 2011

Jonathan cherished David,
the wedding guests delight to be with the bridegroom,
and we take pleasure in your presence, O Christ.

Mark, Barnabas, and Saul found strength
in traveling together when they did your work;
and we find support in our companions in the faith.

Without them, and without you,
full of nothingness
we would blow away like chaff.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 89:1-18; 147:1-11; 1; 33
1 Sam. 20:1-23
Acts 12:18-25
Mark 2:13-22

Selected Verses
Ps. 1:4
The wicked are not so,
      but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

1 Sam. 20:17
Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him; for he loved him as he loved his own life.

Acts 12:25
Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark.

Mark 2:19
Jesus said to [to those who asked why his disciples did not fast], “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

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