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.

Does Our Hardness of Heart Grieve You, Jesus?--March 15, 2014


[from Feb. 16, 2008 archive]

The thin ears swallow up the plump ears,
Jesus; and not only in our dreams.
We look to you for refuge,
but it seems you cast us off.

We wonder why; we are not aware
of anything against ourselves—
yet we are not thereby acquitted.

You show your compassion to others,
Jesus; does our hardness of heart grieve you?

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 43; 149; 31; 143
Gen. 41:1-13
1 Cor. 4:1-7
Mark 2:23-3:6

Selected Verses
Psalm 43:2a
For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
            why have you cast me off?

Genesis 41:7
The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears.  Pharaoh awoke, and it was a dream.

1 Corinthians 4:4
I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted.  It is the Lord who judges me.

Mark 3:5
[Jesus] looked around at [the people in the synagogue] with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.


Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)