METAPHYSICAL MEETING, December 21, 2009

Topic

What our church is.

Call to the meeting

Our next metaphysical meeting will be held on Monday, December 21st, at 7:30 p.m. in the Reading Room study room. The topic is “What Our Church Is.” The format will be new and will include hymns, sharing prepared remarks, and discussion. The citations for the study readings, which will not be read at the meeting, follow:

The Bible

Ps. 84:1-4 (to 1st .), 5, 7, 8 (to 1st .), 10-12
Isa. 33:20, 21 (to ;), 22, 24
Isa. 35:3-8 (to ;), 9 the, 10
Isa. 12:4, 5
Isa. 28:16
Rev. 21:2-4, 5 I will, 22-26

Writings of Mary Baker Eddy

S&H 599:6-7
S&H 288:20
S&H 142:18
S&H 136:1-6
Pul. 2:16-1
Pul. 3:7-9, 11-12

To prepare for the meeting, please consider the following questions, which are based on the readings:

- What is the foundation for our church?

- How do we manifest spiritual strength?

- How have you proclaimed the “inspiration of church” as you prepared for this meeting?

If you would like to prepare a paragraph or two to help start the conversation on any of these questions, please do so. We’re looking forward to a lively and inspiring discussion!

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Member contribution A

What is the foundation for our church?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the city which came down from heaven in Revelation 21, which is possibly my favorite chapter in the Bible. Our church, too, is from heaven, and being from heaven, it is a blessing for all mankind. Is heaven our foundation? Perhaps. Mrs. Eddy’s definitions of “heaven” (587:25) and “kingdom of heaven” (590:1) certainly describe the absolute nature of our church. The foundation of the city is said to be made of precious stones and inscribed with the names of the apostles. These precious stones refract and reflect Christ, or the illumination of Science. Do we value these precious building blocks? They are attractive and draw people, whether through curiosity or honest search. Are the inscribed names limited to the Twelve Apostles? We have an apostolic role to care forth the message and demonstrate it. This makes us the foundation of our church, as expressed in Ephesians (2:19-22): “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord.” Every piece of the foundation is needed, fitted together to express strength, integrity, and durability. Our church’s foundation is intact and we are essential to it.

How do we manifest spiritual strength?

Recounting Jacob’s wrestling match with the angel, Mrs. Eddy says that understanding Truth gives us spiritual strength (308:22-23). Then, describing Michael, she says, “spiritual strength...prevails through the understanding of God” (567:5-6). This understanding of God brings us true peace, the complete assurance that our well-being as individuals and as a congregation is provided by and maintained by God. This gives us unanimity of purpose, reflecting the oneness of divine Mind.

How have you proclaimed the “inspiration of church” as you prepared for this meeting?

I reworded the question: How do we proclaim the “inspiration of church” to the world? We often say that if we healed more then more people would come to our church, more people would be interested in Christian Science. This is true, but it’s only a part of the answer. Also, I think we may be judging ourselves and others too harshly to say we need to heal more. How do we know that healing isn’t going on? Instead, maybe we need to let our lights shine. What does that mean? Well, I’ve gotten a tremendous amount of inspiration from the amplified edition of Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer. To me, letting my light shine means to live a life that is so remarkably in tune with the teachings of Christian Science that people see our lives and want to know why we are the way we are. Then, we need to be honest and tell them, giving the credit to Christian Science. We need to see the world and our daily activities through the lens of Christian Science - to go out with the mission and expectation of healing every unGodlike situation. Think of the benefit if your friends and colleagues realized that when you’re around they’re healed or more harmony is present! Wouldn’t that make them interested in your way of life?

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Member contribution B

Primitive Christian Healing by Roland Hall Sharp in the Christian Science Journal, Vol 55, 1937 - 38 page 37 is a very inspiring article that clearly states why “…spritiual healing…is a present possibility.”

It goes on to emphasize that we must rely on the power of God and trust in the power of God and not material means.  It exposes the falsity and needlessness of material remedies.  It points out that the call for prayer and fasting means not merely abstaining from food, but fasting from all erroneous belief.  Error does not belong to man but is a foreign impurity to be thrust out of the patient by spiritual means alone.  Healing is for them that believe in all time to come.  Healing is the indispensable proof of a Christian's purity and spiritual understanding.  The article refers one to study Science and Health page 38.

In my own study, prayer, and listening to God's directions in regard to our church, I was reminded of the fact that God did not lead the Hebrews out of Egypt to the promised land by the shortest and easiest route.  They had lessons to learn and needed to see proofs of God's constant care — the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds) parted for them to pass through, the daily supply of food and water, and their clothing that did not deteriorate.  This Bible story reaffirmed for me the everlasting love of God for all his children.

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Member contribution C

The joy of church is that physical location, bricks and mortar really don't matter. What does matter is healing — healing is our mission, healing is our way of living, healing is the best way we can follow the Christ example

As in teaching, which can be effective with a pupil and a teacher sitting on a log, so church is effective as long as we stick to our mission and goals. A line from Hymn #5 says “your mission is to heal.” And the opening verse of one of our new hymns (#450) reads:

O house of God, built on a firm foundation,
Standing secure amid the storms of life,
Where all may come to learn of true salvation
And find release from discord, pain, and strife.

Aren't we blessed that this structure of Truth and Love is available to all.

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Member contribution D

What is the foundation of our church?

As I asked what the foundation for church really is, I had to see that support of our church lay in my understanding of GOD’S DIVINE LAWS.

Love: loving God’s goodness and therefore reflecting only the healing grace of God. Seeing God’s goodness in all we do and say, and take in to consciousness. Life, Truth, Soul, Spirit, Principle, Mind, the All in All ! The foundation in our own thought, being revealed in our own consciousness spiritually, not materially.

Working or praying using the 7 synonyms that Mrs. Eddy has given us to study, we do rouse the understanding from material beliefs to spiritual unfoldment and better to demonstrate the divine Science as our leader has mandated. To heal the sick, raises the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons. When we understand and demonstrate these truths then we share this understanding with others, thus share our Science of Church.

How do we manifest spiritual strength?

I think we show our enlightened state of God’s power and support by first humbling ourselves and praying to see only God’s Allness: omnipresence, omnipotence, and omnipresence. By keeping our thought in tune to what really is and not letting in any false beliefs.

I pray and listen for God’s direction and let Him fill my thought full of Truth, Life and Love. Only then can we nullify any false belief that tries to enter our consciousness and we see the presence of what is true in God’s universe.

How have you proclaimed the “inspirationof church” as you prepared for this meeting?

I have declared the divine law of God as being “within us”, where “ us” is our church family and our bonding of thought in Christ’s name. Knowing that all reality is in God and His creation and He has made all. I love our church, our uniting in oneness of divine love. I pray each day for inspiration to do what God directs and governs. To be selfless, humble and on bended knee as to follow the Christ Truth. There is no reversal to this Truth as the foundation stones have been laid and are rock solid.

Life is God, and good is not evil.

Soul is sinless and not in the body.

Spirit is not material.

Life is not subject to death.

Spirit, the real man, has no birth, no material life and no death.

S&H page 288:20

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Member contribution E

In answer to the question, “How do we manifest spiritual strength?” it occurred to me that maintaining our spiritual consciousness is the only effective strength we have. When we are “prayed up” so to speak, we can more effectively know the truth about a situation as well has handle the impositions which an awakened consciousness can detect. So for me, the objective of finding ways to maintain and regain the spiritual altitude necessary to be an effective healer is a very important aspect of individual demonstration and for the strength of our collective outlook in church.

Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25) came to mind and in a 1929 article for the Sentinel, Adela La Page relates this story to two of the daily duties outlined in the Manual: “Daily Prayer” and “Alertness to Duty.” (See Sentinel 1929, Vol. 32, p. 25). It is noteworthy that there are many more “dailies” one could add to this list from the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s writings. Another Sentinel article (1934, Vol. 37 p. 246) discusses the request by Mrs. Eddy in her 1896 message to the Annual Meeting of the Mother Church, that “Christian Scientists, here and elsewhere, pray daily for themselves; not verbally, nor on bended knee, but mentally, meekly, and importunately.” (Mis. p. 127)

I believe that we grow into more resolute means of maintaining sufficient oil in our lamps and our sincere desire and recognition of the importance of doing this will bring progress. For me, there are some steps I can take in this regard:

1. Realize that there is no material substitute for finding relief and healing for what is troubling us. For instance, there are no healing benefits to television or comfort food. We need to get to the place where we see that Mind is in complete control.

2. Be humble and childlike enough to include God in the equation. There seems to be a tendency in thought to just let things take their course, to believe that chance or material determinism is inevitable. Under this belief, one feels that there is some legitimacy to the status quo and that this “dog eat dog” world demands “toughing it out” with animal courage and that eventually with time it will pass. What is needed is the humility to begin with God as the only cause and to translate the testimony of material sense into spiritual reality.

3. Take more time in the morning and during the day to pray to acknowledge that God has already done it and the expectancy to bear witness to His perfect creation.

4. Identify and commit to your own ministries. Select organizations or offices that you can support prayerfully. Plan out and address issues that need attention. Demonstration will lay down the paving stones for your highway of progress.

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Member contribution F

What is the foundation of our church?

In the run-up to this meeting, I have found myself directed to the definition of Church in the Glossary of Science and Health, in particular the first part, which presents a definition in the absolute. I found myself investigating this definition word by word.

Firstly, it is important to realize that the absolute answer is always the one that relates to spiritual truth. It is the absolute Truth that brings healing. If we understand and work with the absolute, then the other will follow.

The Glossary definition defines Church as, “Whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.” That is, our church rests upon its foundation, which is divine Principle, the unassailable laws of Spirit.

The Glossary has an entry for Principle, but it simply refers back to the question in the chapter Recapitulation, which is, “Is there more than one God, or Principle?” The answer is this: “There is not. Principle and its idea is one, and this one is God, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Being, and His reflection is man and the universe. Omni is adopted from the Latin adjective signifying all. Hence God combines all-power or potency, all-science or true knowledge, all-presence. The varied manifestations of Christian Science indicate Mind, never matter, and have one Principle.”

There is much more that could be said in considering the allness brought out in this statement. Church simply lacks nothing, has the all-knowledge of what to do next, and the all-presence of Mind’s ideas populating its inevitable manifestation.

How do we manifest spiritual strength?

The answer to this question can only be in the absolute. One answer would be: Through utilizing the superstructure of our real church, which, per the Glossary definition, is “The structure of Truth and Love.” We possess strength in proportion to our realization and manifestation of divine Love, in accordance with the precision of Truth. All of this is built, of course, on the foundation of divine Principle.

What other strength is there apart from the spiritual? None, if God is All. And do we need any other? No, there can be none other because God is omnipresent. Our church membership expresses strength and vitality because we reflect the stamina of the superstructure of Truth. We also possess the understanding, flexibility, and individuality of Soul. This strength is not arrogant or unforgiving, but is durable, prepared, able to support us all, and able to welcome and benefit seekers in our community. It is divine Love in action, unencumbered because it has the freedom and certainty of Truth.

How have you proclaimed the “inspirationof church” as you prepared for this meeting?

Yes, Church is an inspiration, a spontaneous outpouring of Truth and Love, from God, through the Christ speaking to each and all of us.

Our recipe for progress is to realize the absolute presence of the “structure of Truth and Love.” We can look around our membership and see that that is where each of us resides, and it’s what embraces other churches in our community, and what attracts and welcomes individuals because of their innate existence as ideas of God.

At one point last week, I found myself disturbed about various uncertainties regarding our church. I was depressed about certain possibilities. How would they be dealt with? What is the answer? And then, at a time when I was occupied with something completely different, not even thinking about these issues, my thought was overcome by a sudden influx of inspiration that this is God’s church, it is His manifestation, the reflection of His Allness, and my duty is to follow the Christ leading. Instantly my concerns evaporated, and I felt calm, satisfied, comfortable. At the same time, a physical discomfort I was experiencing, although completely unrelated, removed itself from my experience.

When we rest on the spiritual foundation and superstructure, we can rejoice within the church that is God’s manifestation.

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