Martin Luther once gave three rules for studying theology in the right way: “Oratio, meditatio, tentatio.”
For we Latin-illiterate people, he says “prayer, meditation, and trial” are three keys which unlock the depths of theology. What I want to briefly consider, and commend, today is the role meditation can play in your sermon preparation.
BEAT IMPORTUNATELY ON THE TEXT
Have you ever sat down to prepare a sermon on a given text and the unsearchable riches seem hidden behind an insurmountable wall? Luther definitely did.
In his Preface to the Complete Edition of Luther’s Latin Writings Luther recounted his great gospel discovery from the book of Romans. He wrote,
Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction. I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, “As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteous wrath!” Thus I raged with a fierce and trouble conscience. Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at that place, most ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted.
At last, by the mercy of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the words, namely, “In it righteousness of God is revealed, as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” There I began to understand [that] the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith.
The great apostle’s teaching was veiled to Luther and so he “beat importunately” by “meditating day and night”, which in turn led him “to understand.”
DON’T NEGLECT THIS KEY
Earlier this week I was preparing to preach on 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 and, wow, was I in a rut. It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand the point Paul is making about Christian generosity. Rather, I had yet to land into the deep end of his typically – and gloriously – dense logic. I needed to understand the relationship between certain words and phrases. I felt as though I wasn’t getting through.
Sure, the sermon outline and manuscript were workable, but something was missing. And it was a depth of understanding.
So, I set the manuscript aside, prayed, and then spent thirty minutes drilling the text into my mind through memorization. I normally make a point to memorize the text, but for whatever reason, I plowed right through the initial stages of preparation without saturating my soul in the passage. Oh, how I needed to remedy a surface level understanding of the text!
And so it was some time later in the morning, after extended meditatio, that the surface unfolded to the deeps. The key of memorization unlocked the door to inspired apostolic treasure.
Dear brother in ministry, don’t neglect this key of meditation through memorization. It just might be the weapon you need to round out your arsenal for sermon preparation.