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.

Fitting that He Suffer?--Feb. 12, 2013


God of our life, it is remarkable--
by day you command your
steadfast love, and at
night your song
is with us.

It is remarkable, and perhaps fitting,
that you bring us out of slavery
to bring us in to goodness.

But though remarkable, it does not seem fitting
that the pioneer of our salvation, one who
stands unknown among us, should
suffer to bring us to glory.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 42; 146; 102; 133
Deut. 6:16-25
Heb. 2:1-10
John 1:19-28

Selected Verses

Ps. 42:8
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
          and at night his song is with me,
          a prayer to the God of my life.

Deut. 6:23
[The LORD] brought us out from [Egypt] in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors.

Heb. 2:10
It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

John 1:26
John answered [the priests and Levites from Jerusalem], “I baptize with water.  Among you stands one whom you do not know…"

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)