Morning Prayer, by John Calvin

What strikes me about these prayers is that they reflect a deep understanding of who God is. Much of the prayer posted here is Calvin telling God about Himself -- His nature, His character, His grace, and so forth. What came first? Deep prayers which lead to deep spirituality and knowledge of God, or deep spirituality and knowledge of God which lead to deep prayers? We enter God's courts with thanksgiving and praise. Focusing our prayers mainly on telling God what we know of Him, and praising Him for that, is probably the first step toward gaining more knowledge of Him.

Greg

Greg:

I think the answer is linked to their core curriculum. Everywhere you look, from the second century, through the Reformation, in Britain --- the Scots and the English Puritains and the Wesleyans, in America at least through the Civil War, you find the same core curriculum --- the Apostles Creed, the Lord's prayer and the Ten Commandments (See Luther's Little Instruction Book or Calvin's Geneva Catechism or the Heidelburg Catechism or the Westminster Catechism, etc.).

These people cut their teeth as Christians on the Creed, the Prayer and the Commandments --- they taught these documents in depth to the youngest children and to the newest converts --- they taught these documents in GREAT depth in their seminaries (see Ursinus' notes on the catechism taught at the university level)--- and they taught through the catechism every year in the German Calvinist churches in Ursinus' day.

I am planning to raise this issue in later posts --- how is it that in the past hundred years the Evangelical church has abandoned the foundational disciplemaking tool used by the church for at least sixteen hundred years?

Please send me your thoughts.

Dave