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.


Teeth Like Spears and Arrows--Oct. 17, 2011



With teeth like spears and arrows,
with tongues as sharp as swords,
greedily we devour human prey.

Our words cut off the ones we love
and greatly harm ourselves--
no remnant left behind.

By your deeds of power
you call us to repent
and die every day.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 57; 145; 85; 47
Jer. 44:1-14
1 Cor. 15:30-41
Matt. 11:16-24

Selected Verses
Ps. 57:4
I lie down among lions
      that greedily devour human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
      their tongues sharp swords.

Jer. 44:7
And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves, to cut off man and woman, child and infant, from the midst of Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant?

1 Cor. 15:30-31a
And why are we putting ourselves in danger every hour? I die every day!

Matt. 11:20
Then [Jesus] began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent.
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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