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.

Our Source of Favor and Unity--Nov. 27, 2012


 Jesus, Good Shepherd of your flock,
in you we find favor; in you
resides our unity.

If the blind man regained his sight
and followed you, will you not
restore our ability to see--
we who flatter ourselves
in our own eyes?

Inspire us to see, O Christ, how all things
belong to us, and we belong to you,
and you belong to God.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 12; 146; 36; 7

Zech. 11:4-17
1 Cor. 3:10-23
Luke 18:31-43

Selected Verses

Ps. 36:2

For [the wicked] flatter themselves in their own eyes
          that their iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

Zech. 11:7
So, on behalf of the sheep merchants, I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter.  I took two staffs; one I named Favor, the other I named Unity, and I tended the sheep.

1 Cor. 3:21b-23
For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Luke 18:43
Immediately [the blind man] regained his sight and followed [Jesus], glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.

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