“It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man — the dogma is the drama.”- Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos? (1995)
Mark Batterson continues Chapter 5 of Primal as he observes that we read familiar Bible stories with old eyes. The fact that we’ve read them so many times blinds us to their beauty. Because we tend to see events recorded in Scripture as more predictable than they really are, we miss the drama in the Drama.
So how do we recapture and rediscover that the dogma is the drama? Through meditation, Pastor Batterson asserts:
“Reading without meditating is like taking one glance through the kaleidoscope without turning it. So many colorful and beautiful patterns of truth remain undiscovered simply because we think we’ve seen everything there is to see when we haven’t seen anything yet.”
However, Mark cautions, lots of connotations exist for the word meditation. For example, in some Eastern religions the word refers to the practice of emptying ones’ mind. Biblical meditation, though, conveys the opposite practice. It involves filling the mind with the Word of God. Therefore, Mark adds, “If the goal of reading is to get through the Bible, the goal of meditation is to get the Bible through us.”
In conclusion, Pastor Batterson notes that Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, repeats the word meditate eight times. Mark states there’s a rhyme and reason to this repetition. It’s as if the psalmist has highlighted the word eight times. Yet, our multitask culture rarely practices this misunderstood discipline. As a result, the author contends, our souls suffer.
Today’s question: What Bible verses, hymns, or Christian songs/books help you rediscover that the dogma is the drama? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the Easter Short Meditation, “And they believe in the Christ”
