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.

“Come Closer to Me”--Sept. 13, 2019



Your kingdom is near, O God.
You invite us to come closer,
to change our ways, and
to rejoice in you.

Restore in me the joy
of your salvation;
sustain in me a
willing spirit.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 51; 148; 142; 65
1 Kings 18:20-40
Phil. 3:1-16
Matt. 3:1-12

Selected Verses
Ps. 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
          and sustain in me a willing spirit.

1 Kings 18:30a
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. 

Phil. 3:1a
Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.

Matt. 3:1-2
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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