Dear Friends at Outreach Canada:

 

Gratified by the positive response to the last memo, the department has once again decided to offer a foundation for meditation.

 

Our commentary this time comes from the well-known historic figure, John Calvin:

Undoubtedly, were one to attempt to speak in due terms of the inestimable wisdom, power, justice and goodness of God, in the formation of the world, no grace or splendor of diction could equal the greatness of the subject.  Still there can be no doubt that the Lord would have us constantly occupied with such holy meditation, in order that, while we contemplate the immense treasures of wisdom and goodness exhibited in the creatures, as in so many mirrors, we may not only run our eye over them with a hasty, and, as it were, evanescent glance, but dwell long upon them, seriously and faithfully turn them in our minds, and every now and then bring them to recollection.

                    Calvin, J.  Institutes of the Christian Religion, translated by

                           Henry  Beveridge (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans) 1989, page 156.

                           (Originally published in 1559; Book 1, Chapter 14,, Paragraph 21)

Even the greatest writers lack the "grace or splendor of diction" necessary to describe God.  We are left, therefore, to meditate upon the grandeur of God.

 

Our recommended scripture for meditation is Judges 6:24:  "so Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace."  (NIV)

 

Gideon built this altar after expressing doubts about his own ability to carry out God's plan (Judges 6:15).  He was then blessed by the visitation of an angel.  It is a very encouraging story.

 

The Lord is Peace".  Normally we do not care for any oversimplification of the character of God, but with the proper foundation laid, I believe we can happily meditate upon these four words: The Lord is Peace.

                                                  Blessings from the Department of

                                                  Contemplation and Meditation,

                                                  Pat