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.

Precious in Your Sight, O Lord--Feb. 1, 2018


Jesus, your words are spirit and life;
they help us persevere in the race
that you have set before us,
laying aside every weight
and sin that clings so closely,
as we look to you, the pioneer
 and perfecter of our faith.

You have surrounded us with
 a great cloud of witnesses,
and when a loved one dies
to join that faithful cloud,
we mourn and we weep,
but as we weep we know
they are precious in your sight.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 116; 147:12-20; 26; 130
Gen. 23:1-20
Heb. 11:32-12:2
John 6:60-71

Selected Verses
Ps. 116:15
Precious in the sight of the LORD
          is the death of his faithful ones. 

Gen. 23:2
And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Heb. 12:1-2a
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…

John 6:63
"…It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.  The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.  …"  [Jesus to many of his disciples--not just the twelve]

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