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.

Astonish Us, O God--Jan. 20, 2013


 O God, the heavens tell your glory;
the firmament proclaims your handiwork.

As Jesus astonished his disciples, astonish us.
Chase us out of our refuge, our hiding place from you,

that we may perceive the new things your handiwork creates--
may, without obstructive questions, seize the hope you set before us.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 19; 150; 81; 113
Isa. 43:14-44:5
Heb. 6:17-7:10
John 4:27-42

Selected Verses

Ps. 19:1
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
          and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Isa. 43:19a
 I am about to do a new thing;
          now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

Heb. 6:18
…so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us.

John 4:27
Just then [Jesus'] disciples came.  They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?”

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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