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, Help Us Take Care--July 1, 2020


God, help us take care of what you put in our minds.
When we read Jesus’ parables, make us realize
he is speaking about us; that very often
we do not do the good we want;
the evil we do not want
is what we do.

When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
who will rescue us?  Thanks be to you,
O God; you forgive our transgressions,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lectionary Readings
Ps. 65; 147:1-11; 125; 91
Num. 22:41-23:12
Rom. 7:13-25
Matt. 21:33-46

Selected Verses
Ps. 65:3
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
          you forgive our transgressions.

Num. 23:12
[Balaam] answered, “Must I not take care to say what the LORD puts into my mouth?”

Rom. 7:19, 24-25
For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. … Wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Matt. 21:45
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard [Jesus’] parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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