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.

Lord, Quiet the Tumult--Aug. 30, 2017


Holy God, you silence
the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of the waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
Our lives are full of tumult--
quiet us.

We are tempted to abandon hope,
for there are those who want to kill us.
We do not ask you for long life or riches,
or for the lives of those who want to kill us,
but grant us understanding to do what is right,
according to your gracious will.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 65; 147:1-11; 125; 91
1 Kings 3:1-15
Acts 27:9-26
Mark 14:1-11

Selected Verses
Ps. 65:7
You silence the roaring of the seas,
          the roaring of their waves,
          the tumult of the peoples. 

1 Kings 3:11-12a
God said to [Solomon], "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word.  …" 

Acts 27:20
When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

Mark 14:1b
The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him…

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