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.

Praying for Those We Love--May 11, 2019


Jesus, it seems right and proper to pray
for the good health of those we love,
for their deliverance from danger, 
and to pray you to follow them
always with goodness and mercy.

May we also remember to pray that
it will be well with their souls,
and remember that you came
 to call sinners--not the righteous.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 92; 149; 23; 114
Dan. 6:16-28
3 John 1-15
Luke 5:27-39

Selected Verses
Ps. 23:6a
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
          all the days of my life…

Dan. 6:16b
The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you [from the lions]!"

3 John 2
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.

Luke 5:30-32
The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus answered, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance."

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

2 comments:

  1. Mea SententiaMay 11, 2019 at 1:30 PM

    3 John could also be called Gaius, since letters were often titled by who they are addressed to.

    In v 3, I opted for 'follow the truth' (RSV) instead of 'walk in the truth' (NRSV). To walk in the truth makes it sound like truth is a thing I possess, but to follow the truth opens up distance between me and the truth. I am simply following the truth, like someone following a trail of clues or footprints.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Elmer E. EwingMay 11, 2019 at 5:28 PM

    "Following" seems preferable to me, too.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)