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.

Three Questions, O God, as We Lament--March 28, 2018



Have we sunk so deep into the ground
that our defenses are broken,
our rulers have failed,
our way is lost,
and we have no vision
of your will for us?

Shall we view our misfortune
as your punishment
for our sins?

Out of distress
and anguish of heart,
can we better appreciate
your abundant love?

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 5; 147:1-11; 27; 51
Lam. 2:1-9
2 Cor. 1:23-2:11
Mark 12:1-11

Selected Verses
Ps. 51:4
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
          and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
          and blameless when you pass judgment. 

Lam. 2:9
[Daughter Zion's] gates have sunk into the ground; [the LORD] has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; guidance is no more, and her prophets obtain no vision from the LORD.

2 Cor. 2:4
For I wrote you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Mark 12:8-9a
"…So [the tenants of the vineyard seized [the owner's son], killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.  What then will the owner of the vineyard do? …"  [Jesus  to his critics]

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