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.

Turned Away, to Satisfy the Crowd--Sept. 5, 2013


 Your wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle;
it is full of mercy and good fruits,
without a trace of hypocrisy.

You want to redeem us
from all our iniquities.

But our hearts are not true;
we have turned our hearts away
from you so we can satisfy the crowd.

Lord, have mercy upon us;
Christ have mercy!

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 116; 147:12-20; 26; 130
1 Kings 11:1-13
James 3:13-4:12
Mark 15:12-21

Selected Verses

Ps. 130:8
It is he who will redeem Israel
          from all its iniquities.

1 Kings 11:4
For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.

James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.

Mark 15:15
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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