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.

God, Did You Hear His Groaning?--July 31, 2018

[From July 29, 2008 archive]

In the time of the judges you delivered the Israelites from
the hand of their enemies, when you heard their groaning.

Ironic, God—you saved others, but could not save Jesus.
He called to you; did you refuse to hear him?  Were you
silent to him; was he like those who go down to the Pit?

He was wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.
He was obedient to you; surely you rejoiced over him.
And surely you heard him, in your own way saved him.
We believe, though he did not come down from the cross.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 54; 146; 28; 99
Judges 2:1-5, 11-23
Rom. 16:17-27
Matt. 27:32-44

Selected Verses
Ps. 28:1
To you, O LORD, I call;
            my rock, do not refuse to hear me.
for if you are silent to me,
            I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.

Judges 2:18
Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD would be moved to pity by their groaning because of those who persecuted and oppressed them.

Rom. 16:19
For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.

Matt. 27:41-42
In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking [Jesus], saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.  He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.  …  ”

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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