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.

Hands of Blessing--July 9, 2022

[From July 11, 2022 archive]

 

Lord God, let your favor rest upon us.

 

We thank you for hands held out to us in welcome,

and for hands laid upon us in blessing

to bestow a spirit of wisdom.

 

Forbid that we in contrariness

should insolently reject the blessing—

prosper the work of our hands to serve others. 

 

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 63; 149; 125; 90

Deut. 34:1-12

Rom. 10:14-21

Matt. 24:32-51

 

Selected Verses 

Ps. 90:17

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
          and prosper for us the work of our hands—
          O prosper the work of our hands!

 

Deut. 34:9

Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.

 

Rom. 10:21

But of Israel [Moses] says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

 

Matt. 24:45

“…Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time?  …”


Posted by Elmer E. Ewing

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