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.

The Pain of Separation--Feb. 5, 2013


 There is a pain of parting from the ones we love.
Jesus had compassion for the four thousand,
and they must have reciprocated his love,
but he fed them and sent them away.

Paul was anxious and perplexed about his
separation from the church in Galatia;
he said he felt the pain of childbirth
until Christ was formed in them.

Sooner or later, we will all be taken away,
O God; but you will go before us, will
be our rear guard, and will keep us
in the safety for which we long.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 12; 146; 36; 7
Isa. 52:1-12
Gal. 4:12-20
Mark 8:1-10

Selected Verses

Ps. 12:5
 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan,
          I will now rise up,” says the LORD;
          “I will place them in the safety for which they long.”

Isa. 52:12
For you shall not go out in haste,
          and you shall not go in flight;
for the LORD will go before you,
          and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Gal. 4:19-20
My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, I wish I were present with you now and could change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Mark 8:2-3
“I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.  If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way — and some of them have come from a great distance.”  [Jesus to his disciples]

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)