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.

Expected Justice; Saw Bloodshed--Dec. 7, 2014


To you, gracious God, I lift up my soul.
You expected justice, but saw bloodshed;
you expected righteousness, but heard a cry;
then you gave us Jesus to be a friend of sinners.
Teach us to grow in grace and in knowledge of him.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 24; 150; 25; 110
Isa. 5:1-7
2 Peter 3:11-18
Luke 7:28-35

Selected Verses
Ps. 25:1
To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 

Isa. 5:7b
…[the LORD of hosts] expected justice,
            but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
            but heard a cry!

2 Peter 3:18a
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Luke 7:34
"…the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  …"  [Jesus to the people]

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)