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.

Not on Myself, Lord Jesus--June 13, 2014


Lord Jesus, may my prayer not center on myself,
beseeching your mercy to keep me safe
or to grant my every desire;

let me pray for the willingness to bear the burdens
of others, to lose my life for your sake,
and so to fulfill your law.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 84; 148; 25; 40
Eccl. 11:9-12:14
Gal. 5:25-6:10
Matt. 16:21-28

Selected Verses
Ps. 40:11
Do not, O LORD, withhold
          your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
          keep me safe forever. 

Eccl. 11:9b
Follow the inclination of your heart and the desire of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Gal. 6:2
Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Matt. 16:25
"…For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.  …"  [Jesus to his disciples]
Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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