My new Jedi Master

In the on campus Meditation Workshop here at BYU-I the instructor presented to us a quote in regards to Mormon Meditation.

"We pay too little attention to the value of meditation, a principle of devotion. In our worship there are two elements: One is spiritual communion arising from our own meditation; the other, instruction from others, particularly from those who have authority to guide and instruct us. Of the two, the more profitable introspectively is the meditation. Meditation is the language of the soul. It is defined as “a form of private devotion, or spiritual exercise, consisting in deep, continued reflection on some religious theme.” Meditation is a form of prayer."

This quote struck me as fascinating not only because of its concise explanation of what meditation ought to be for Latter-day Saints but also because of the source. It came from President David O. McKay.

"This guy"

So now, in addition to showing everyone up with his spectacular fashion sense, McKay has also become a mediation Jedi Master.

"And then he made friends with a Koala, or a 'furry Yoda' as he called it" source 

But, dapper duds and marsupials aside, I'd like to talk a little about his quote. The quote is from a 1946 April Conference talk he gave (if you're interested that's about nine years before the koala picture) Now I find it interesting that he talks about two elements of our worship in the Church.

1. Spiritual communion arising from our own meditation.
2. Instruction from others.

On my mission in Georgia we missionaries occasionally would "go churching" or visit the worship services of other denominations. Usually it was part of a deal to get an investigator to come to church 'We visit your's, you visit ours'. But sometimes we did it just for fun. (Don't give me that look, they had some pretty rockin' music.) Now, in all the churches I went to I saw a ton of the second element. No mater were I went there was always a preacher or pastor or whatever they chose to call them, but almost none of them had that first element actually woven into the service. Oh, sure the preacher would tell the congregation to go home and think on these things, but often there was little time to just sit and think about it.

Services in the Church are specifically designed to let you sit and think about things. Isn't that fantastic?  What? you don't think so? You think it's just boring time? Well let's take a look at the alternative. The alternative is a service that does not want you to think about what you are hearing. Why wouldn't they want you to think? Because thinking is dangerous. Thinkers think thoughts, and thoughts tumble the towers of terrible tyrants (8 points for alliteration, beat that!) The fact that Church leaders like president McKay actually want us to think means that they are not tyrants, they intend to be teachers. They want us to think and act for ourselves. They trust that we can learn proper principles and govern ourselves.

And how do you treat that trust?
Do you ponder the prelude music?
Do you meditate on the Savior during His Sacrament?
Or do you think about other things?
Do you talk and visit?

Those quiet moments in the sacrament service are meant to be a time when you can talk with God. It is meant to be a burning bush, a sacred grove.
And how often have we degraded it to 'free time'?

I'm terrible at this, I'll admit. I don't focus. often my brain is a million miles away, I'm as guilty as anyone reading this. But even so, don't you think we could spend a little more time just meditating on the things of heaven?

Namaste y'all
Michael