METAPHYSICAL MEETING, June 21, 2010

Topic

Utilizing spiritual sense

Call to the meeting

On page 298 of Science and Health is the statement: “Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.” These words provide encouragement to stand back from human expectation, hopes, desires, and concerns, realizing the natural operation of the Christ in unfolding the freshness, renewal, receptivity, and present fulfillment that constitute “whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle,” that is, Church. (S&H 583:12-13)

At the meeting, let’s divide the discussion into four segments:

A. What specific claims of material sense must be overcome? The answers will be discussed metaphysically in the following sequence:
B. What guides intuition for each step of progress, - or, how does immortal Mind decide?
C. What is the role of hope, faith, and understanding in realizing spiritual assurance?
D. What constitutes fruition and reality, the kingdom of God manifest now and always?

As mentioned near the end of last month’s meeting, there are current issues that warrant attention, which can be addressed within the above topic. For example, the sale of the church property is by no means certain or concluded, and ongoing vigilance is required. Also, spiritual perspicacity and inspiration should take us forward now; rejuvenation is not triggered by a new location.

The meeting will not include readings, but will be essentially a discussion of metaphysical ideas, even treatments if you wish. We will also sing several hymns.

In Miscellaneous Writings, by Mary Baker Eddy, are these words: “The spiritualization of our sense of man opens the gates of paradise that the so-called material senses would close, and reveals man infinitely blessed.” (Mis. 185: 19-21)

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Readings

These citations may be of interest in preparing for the meeting:

(1) Isa 32:2-4 a man,16-18
(2) Ps 139:17,18
(3) Mark 12:28-31
(4) Song 8: 7 (to :)
(5) Jer 17: 7,8
(6) Lev 26:9 I will,12
(7) James 1:17,18

(1) S&H 128: 14-19
(2) Mis 218: 6-20
(3) Un 10: 11-20
(4) S&H 298: 4-15
(5) S&H 264: 7-19
(6) S&H 326: 20-21

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Member contribution A

At our last metaphysical meeting, it became so clear to me that we must act now as we would like the future to be and not wait around for some future event to make things better. Our actions show the quality of our thought. So, if we’re just sitting around, it kind of means our thought is not actively engaged. In line with the theme of tonight’s meeting, our spiritual sense is not engaged. We’re not seeing things as they really are. Maybe we have hope and even faith, but without action, we’re still at the “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26) phase.

A lot of good activity occurs, but is it truly productive action? Busyness is not spiritual action. True action is quality spiritual thinking about every aspect of our lives. In the readings for tonight, Mary Baker Eddy is quoted in Science and Health, “We must look where we would walk, and we must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we have our being.” In the preceding two sentences, she tells us where to look: “beyond fading, finite forms,” and in the “realm of Mind” (264:7). This call to act doesn’t give us license to be irresponsible. It expects us to act spiritually, to engage and use our spiritual senses to understand the truth about our church.

It’s easy to come up with a pretty good list of specific claims to be overcome:

- declining attendance and membership in church
- very few Sunday School pupils
- low sales in our Christian Science Reading Room
- church members too busy to share in the church’s upkeep
- church members overloaded by choice or a sense of duty in the church’s upkeep
- church members with aggressive material issues
- the “invisible” church and Christian Science Reading Room
- Christian Science seeming irrelevant in the age of advancing medical technology
- discouragement
- “We can’t afford it”

I’m sure each of you has your own list. But wait! Tonight’s readings give us hope: “The testimony of material sense in relation to existence is false...” (Mis 218:6-7). So these claims of material sense aren’t true. It may seem that we are experiencing declining attendance and membership in church, but what’s the truth? That all of God’s ideas are included and participate in the “structure of Truth and Love.” Not one is excluded. It’s impossible. That our church services heal and one doesn’t even have to be physically present to be healed by the spiritual sense of these services, although physical presence indicates a level of spiritual commitment to our branch church. Truth is attractive, destroying the competing influence of other activities or just the so-called “ease” of not getting to the service for whatever reason.

“It is erroneous to accept the evidence of the material senses...” (Mis 218:11-12). Am I going to accept the material sense evidence that we have very few Sunday School pupils and therefore participate in continuing this fallacy? Well, if it were my checkbook, I’d be finding the error and ensuring that the balance is correct. Why not with the Sunday School, too? Children are the “spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love” (582:28). Are spiritual thoughts ever absent or in short supply? If God is omnipresent, filling all space, can Life, Truth, and Love be poorly represented? The qualities of joy, spontaneity, and exuberance are continuously expressed without gaps, and if they don’t seem to be, I need to be vigorously affirming that they are.

“False realistic views sap the Science and Principle of idea...” (Mis 218:14-15). Wow! Here’s a false realistic view - that the display window in our Christian Science Reading Room is so dark that people can’t see in. Sure seems real to me! By accepting this, am I not limiting the light of the Christ to reach all seekers? Am I not admitting that what we have to offer really isn’t worth people pursuing it until they find it? I’d better start valuing every aspect of our Christian Science Reading Room, from the merchandise to its inspirational study environment to its loyal committee of attendants and I’d better start affirming that its light is visible and its role is vital to our community for a complete expression of church.

This passage from Miscellaneous Writings finishes with a promise: “...Truth comes to the rescue...and unfolds the real nature of God and the universe to spiritual sense...” (Mis 218:16-19). And that’s what I’ve been talking about in tackling the first three of my specific claims to be overcome with spiritual sense.

Finally, from Unity of Good, “The universe and man are the spiritual phenomena of this one infinite Mind” (Un 10:11-13). We can’t think of church as a separate entity from man and the universe. We can’t think of it as separate from ourselves, we’re representative of man but it’s an organization. Church exists in thought, or spiritual sense. It is a spiritual phenomenon. If we accept its deterioration, we are accepting deterioration for ourselves. Man is the complete expression of God and therefore includes the concept of church as part of his being. He cannot be without the full expression of church in his experience. We must defend to destruction our church from whatever assails it. By doing so, we are defending ourselves from aggressive mental suggestion. Do we work metaphysically as consistently and with as much ardor for our church as we would for our children or for a patient? Do we destroy fear through divine Love and affirm the Truth? Are we grateful to God for every evidence of progress, no matter how small, and with no excuses? Our church exists in all its spiritual glory and completeness because God exists. It’s our job to demonstrate this reality.

The topic for tonight was daunting at first, and I feel as though I’ve only scratched the surface. We are precious to God. Our church is precious to God. He needs us and our church. He loves us and our church. “...my people shall dwell...in sure dwellings...” (Isa. 32:18) “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people” (Lev. 26:12).

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Member contribution B

Here is an article that is very helpful in dealing with the topic of this meeting:

“The Ten Virgins: More Light for Our Lamps” by Genelle Austin-Lett, The Christian Science Journal, February 2010.

The writer shared how “she went to the chapter on ‘Marriage’ in Science and Health to see if she could exchange the words church membership for marriage and get some new inspiration about serving church.”

The Ten Virgins (see Matt. 25: 1-12) “resonated with the author on several levels.”

The author shared, “the obvious message of this parable is one of warning.  Are we spiritually alert, watchful, and prepared?  Is the parable also asking us if we are prayed up for our daily activities?  Do we only half-prepare for work, church, families, relationships? Or expect that others will do our work for us?”

She saw that the “wise maidens found a way to keep their spiritual lights burning.  How could I do that when it came to my thoughts of church?” and “Am I mentally locking anyone out of church?”

Jesus shared about how the kingdom of heaven is at hand, — see Matt. 4: 17.  The author shared “The kingdom was already here — not a far-off event, but a present reality.” (See also New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 3, p. 272), reference regarding, “The kingdom Jesus was talking about would arrive upon his return.”

This Journal article was very helpful in reminding us to keep our spiritual lights burning as we prepare for the marriage feast.  We should think of our expression of church as an expression of marriage, as we continue to demonstrate a “union of hearts.” (S&H 64:17)

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Member contribution C

A. What specific claims of material sense must be overcome?

- Church membership needs rejuvenation

B. What guides intuition for each step of progress, - or, how does immortal Mind decide?

Fundamentally, does immortal Mind decide between good and evil, right and wrong? No. Does immortal Mind know what is right? Yes. Immortal Mind already knows all things, and has ideas in place, in line with Principle’s inevitable laws of right, and Truth’s goodness.

Divine Mind already knows all. It is our task to understand that, and be the reflection of divine intelligence. Divine Mind is at every moment in complete agreement with its own infinite and all-knowing intelligence. Being all-knowing, divine Mind has both the question and the answer. Soul has infinite possibilities for expressing intelligence, filling every need, populating every place, and these are spiritual modes and ideas within its own grand existence.

Man reflects this knowing through the Christ, which is present to guide every thought process. Indeed, every true thought process is the expression of the Christ in man’s consciousness. There can be no blank minds, not apparent vacuum of ideas or initiatives, when we understand that the full population of God’s infinite supply of ideas is already accomplished, and we reflect that accomplishment.

Therefore, everything about our church is decided now, and always has been. The manifestation of divine Mind, Soul, can never be absent, waning, or difficult. It is established now, regardless of time.

C. What is the role of hope, faith, and understanding in realizing spiritual assurance?

Hope, faith, and understanding are all gradations of human thought as it grows and matures from the materially hopeful, to the spiritually hopeful, to the faithful acceptance that Mind will supply every need, to the understanding that Spirit is all and is governing our church now.
This entails a confidence that the very existence of our church, and its day-by-day working, as a facet of divine intelligence, and this includes the community of seekers and spiritually-minded individuals, who are fully God-directed in populating this church. They are already part of our church. It is not we who populate the church, it is God and His/Her ideas. The church is rightly a spiritual concept within divine intelligence, native to Soul, naturally accomplished.

Hope, faith, and understanding represent a naturally expanding consciousness that the seed is already sown in Soul, that the crop is well watered by Spirit’s nourishment, that the harvest is ready now by virtue of Principle’s unerring direction. They represent the growth of the human mind out of itself, away from worldly limitations to the evidence of Life that is Spirit, fully functional now.

It is important to realize that Church as a compound idea of Spirit is fully functional and populated now, that it is an element of community that really is a spiritual idea, God’s idea, God’s manifestation. As such, we have spiritual confidence that its needs are met.

Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. (S&H 490:10)

D. What constitutes fruition and reality, the kingdom of God manifest now and always?

At this point it may seem that fruition is something we are hoping for, are expecting. There is a church need that appears to require fulfillment. But as the question implies, “The kingdom of God is within you,” is already established. This is neatly represented in more than one line of the Lord’s prayer. But let’s look at this one, with it’s spiritual interpretation:

Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
Enable us to know, as in heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme.

This prompts me to look up the Glossary definitions of Earth and Heaven.

EARTH: A type of eternity and immortality, which are likewise without beginning or end. To material sense, earth is matter; to spiritual sense, it is a compound idea.
HEAVEN: The reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul.

We can think of that line in The Lord’s Prayer as being a petition, imploring our heavenly Father to bring heaven down to earth, and in this case to present a perfect church, with a beautiful location or building, lots of resources, a host of members, and a fulfilling and recognized role in our community. The Glossary definition of Heaven certainly implies that these things are in line with ever-present divine being and intelligence.

However, the Glossary definition of Earth, which in this case we might regard as analogous to our Church, makes it clear that the material definition is inadequate. Are we seeing the material definition, i.e. through material sense, or matter, which is wholly inadequate, unable to meet the community needs? That’s not what it is. Correctly interpreted, it is “a type of eternity and immortality, which are without beginning or end.” This is where it is right now.

We can be increasingly aware of this correct understanding and manifestation of church. Our church manifests, God’s omnipotence, His power, which is already in place, as per the spiritual interpretation of that line in the Lord’s Prayer.

We can thus go ahead confidently, knowing that we are led by the Christ as a team of individual ideas to be that reflection of Soul that constitutes Church in our community, a very live element of Life in Spirit.

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