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.

Secrets of the Kingdom--May 7, 2018



Lord Jesus, you taught us secrets of the Kingdom.
I don't know all of them, but one is that surely
God is good to all, and God's compassion
is over all that God has made.

Related to the first secret, God is near
to all who call on God in truth.

To rescue us from the power of darkness
God has transferred us into your
kingdom, O Beloved Son,
in whom we have
redemption,
forgiveness
of sins.

O Suffering Servant, teach us to follow
you, and be God's servants,
as we attempt to make
these secrets known
to everyone.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 97; 145; 124; 115
Lev. 25:35-55
Col. 1:9-14
Matt. 13:1-16

Selected Verses
Ps. 145:9, 18
The LORD is good to all,
          and his compassion is over all that he has made. 
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
          to all who call on him in truth. 

Lev. 25:55
For to me the people of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.  [The LORD to Moses, for the Israelites]

Col. 1:13-14
He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Matt. 13:11
[Jesus] answered [his disciples], "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  …"

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