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.

To Do Your Bidding, Lord--Sept. 10, 2017


O God, the angels do your bidding,
and Jesus did your works.
Like Jesus, Peter and Paul had courage;
they preached about his works,
even when authorities warned them not to. 
Help us discern and heed your word,
 with courage and wisdom to share it with others.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 103; 150; 117; 139
1 Kings 12:21-33
Acts 4:18-31
John 10:31-42

Selected Verses
Ps. 103:20
Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
          you mighty ones who do his bidding,
          obedient to his spoken word. 

1 Kings 12:22-24
But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, "Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your kindred the people of Israel.  Let everyone go home, for this thing is from me." So they heeded the word of the LORD and went home again, according to the word of the LORD.

Acts 4:18-19
So [the religious authorities] called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."

John 10:37
"…If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me.  But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."  [Jesus to those who wanted to stone him] 

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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