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.

Pour Your Love into Our Hearts--July 4, 2021

[From July 7, 2019  archive]

 

We bless you, gracious God--you have 

accomplished a great victory for us; 

you have kept us among the living

and invited us to your banquet.

 

Through your Holy Spirit, 

pour your love into our hearts, 

and our hope will not disappoint us. 

Everything is ready; we shall not die.

 

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 108; 150; 66; 23

1 Sam. 14:36-45

Rom. 5:1-11

Matt. 22:1-14

 

Selected Verses 

Ps. 66:8-9

Bless our God, O peoples, 
          let the sound of his praise be heard, 
who has kept us among the living, 
          and has not let our feet slip. 

 

1 Sam. 14:45

Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great victory in Israel?  Perish the thought!  As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground; for he has worked with God today.”  So the people ransomed Jonathan, and he did not die.

 

Rom. 5:5

…and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

 

Matt. 22:4

“… Again [the king] sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’  …”  [from Jesus’ parable]

 

Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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