Celebration of Discipline:
The Discipline of Meditation

• MEANING:
  o Listening to God's word
  o Reflecting on God's works stress -> changed behavior; repentance and obedience
  o Rehearsing God's deeds
  o Ruminating on God's law
  
  
• PURPOSE:
  o To develop the practice and ability to hear God's voice and obey his word
  o To grow into "a familiar friendship with Jesus" (Thomas a Kempis): a living, uninterrupted fellowship with God, a lifestyle of intimate relationship and communion.
  o Transformation of the inner personality - our desires and aspirations will become more and more conformed to the heart, mind and will of Jesus.
  
  
• MISCONCEPTIONS:
  o Christian meditation is the same thing as meditation of Eastern religions:
  Eastern religions emphasize detachment; Christianity emphasizes detachment from the things of the world followed by attachment to God.
  o Too difficult, too complicated:
  "Meditation is really very simple and there is not much need of elaborate techniques to teach us how to go about it." (Thomas Merton)
  o Impractical and out of touch with the 21st century:
  Meditation can help refocus our lives so that we can manage our lives more successfully.
  o Results in feelings of ecstasy and an emotional high:
  Not likely, but possible; more likely to receive guidance in helping deal with everyday problems.
  oMeditation is a religious form of psychological manipulation:
  The inner reality of the spiritual world is available to all who are willing to search for it.
  
  
• METHODOLOGY: "We learn to meditate by meditating."
  o Mechanics:
  When: any time, but best to set aside a specific time each day.
  Where: any place, but best to find a place quiet and free from interruptions
  Posture: of utmost importance - the body, the mind and the spirit are inseparable.
  o Forms:
  Meditation upon Scripture: different from the study of scripture.
  "Re-collection", often called "centering down": a time to become still/focused.
  exercise = "palms up - receiving, palms down - releasing"
  Meditation upon the creation: give your attention to the created order.
  Meditate upon the events of our time: seek to perceive their significance; not to gain power but to gain prophetic perspective (Bible & newspaper)
  o Hindrances - beware the enemy of "frantic activity";
  Meditation takes time and perseverance (i.e., discipline)
  o Sanctifying the Imagination - using the imagination to know, understand and teach about the unseen realities of God's kingdom.