METAPHYSICAL MEETING, March 15, 2010
Contents
| - Topic | |
| - Call to the meeting | |
| - Readings | |
| - Member contribution A | |
| - Member contribution B | |
| - Member contribution C | |
| - Member contribution D | |
| - Member contribution E |
Topic
Embracing our community
Call to the meeting
Our church embarked on a spiritual journey several months ago to gain a higher sense of church and to develop a concept of church that would guide our steps in the transition to a new physical home. Through monthly metaphysical meetings and our own individual study, we have made great strides in forming this new concept and adhering to Mrs. Eddy’s definition of Church: “The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.” (Science and Health 583:12-13)
As we look forward to reaching out into the community, we might take a minute to look at Mrs. Eddy’s prophesy in Pulpit and Press 22:9, “If the lives of Christian Scientists attest their fidelity to Truth, I predict that in the twentieth century every Christian church in our land, and a few in far-off lands, will approximate the understanding of Christian Science sufficiently to heal the sick in his name.” How will our new concept of church help to bring this about? In part, this leads us to the second half of the definition of Church which says, “The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick.”
Let’s consider these questions.
- How do we fulfill the saying of Jesus “ the kingdom of heaven is at hand...repent and believe the gospel”?
- How can we embrace our community so that everyone feels the love of Christ which heals?
- What attitude of thought recognizes and supports healing that is already going on everywhere - not just in Christian Science churches?
To find examples showing that the Mary Baker Eddy prophecy is actually being accomplished in small ways, see “Items of Interest” in any copy of the Christian Science Journal.
Readings
Mark 1: 14, 15
Mark 16: 15, 20
S&H 271: 7
S&H 315: 32 - 11
S&H 243: 4-13
Message for 1902 7: 23 - 3
Member contribution A
A. How do we fulfill the saying of Jesus, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand...repent and believe the gospel”?
| “...the kingdom of heaven...” | “The reign of harmony in divine Science; the realm of unerring, eternal, and omnipotent Mind; the atmosphere of Spirit, where Soul is supreme” (590:1) |
| “...is at hand...” | God is omnipresent, always available. |
| “...repent...” | Change your ways from materiality to spirituality, from matter-based systems to the calm assurance that God is governing everything! |
| “...and believe...” | Be firm and constant in your understanding, application, and demonstration of spiritual Truth. (See 582:1) |
| “...the gospel” | Jesus’ words and works. |
How do we prove that we believe the gospel? We prove it in the minutiae of our lives and people notice. It takes mental discipline to be constant and consistent about this, but this is what makes great healers.
B. How can we embrace our community so that everyone feels the love of Christ which heals?
To embrace our community, we need to define exactly who or what our community is and which community our church serves. It’s very tempting to mentally limit ourselves to a particular geographical area. After all, that’s how parish churches are defined. It’s interesting to note, however, that the Church Manual doesn’t include geographical limitations as a requirement for forming a branch church. With the realities of today’s transportation and communications, one’s community isn’t limited to city boundaries. Thus we find a branch like the San Juan Capistrano Christian Science Society serving a world-wide community. As Mrs. Eddy writes, “...all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited” (My. 210:10-11). This includes not only our physically close neighbors, but also those living on planets in other galaxies. Let’s be inclusive!
That being said, as a branch church, we can meet the specific needs of our geographical area, because they are made known to us daily through personal observation and the news media. Daily prayer to heal whatever comes to us in relationship to this geographical community ensures that we will meet the needs of the congregants who are drawn to our services, Sunday school, and Christian Science Reading Room, wherever they may live. Taking this approach ensures that we don’t compete with other branch churches for members. Each congregant is drawn to the congregation whose prayers are meeting his or her need.
C. What attitude of thought recognizes and supports healing that is already going on everywhere — not just in Christian Science churches?
It’s interesting to note that in the second half of the definition of Church, the “c” in “Church” is capitalized. I’ve often heard that this second half is the “relative” half of the definition, yet if the “c” is capitalized, it’s referring to the action of the “absolute” nature of Church.
- The Church — the structure of Truth and Love, that which rests on and proceeds from divine Principle — affords proof of its utility
- The Church — the structure of Truth and Love, that which rests on and proceeds from divine Principle — elevates the race
- The Church — the structure of Truth and Love, that which rests on and proceeds from divine Principle — rouses the dormant understanding...to the demonstration of divine Science. (paraphrased from 583:12-19)
Our branch church is a reflection of this absolute Church, an idea of God. By reflection, we prove our utility to the community, elevate the thought of the community, and rouse to demonstration.
I’m grateful for everybody who believes in God, whatever they call Him/Her; for everybody who calls him/herself a Christian, whether his/her understanding is the same as mine or not; for everybody who believes that Christian healing can occur and practices it in his/her daily life. Even if these people have misunderstandings about the true nature of God and Christianity, it’s a start. We must recognize that God is universal and that effective Christian healing isn’t confined to a particular human institution called the Church of Christ, Scientist.
On the other hand, it’s important to make a distinction between the Church of Christ, Scientist, and other Christian churches. We are the only church organized to “reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing” (Man. 17:12). This is our only purpose. The more we concentrate our energies toward this purpose, the more people will understand our importance in the community. They will recognize that our presence is essential.
This is not to say that we can’t have fun together! We mustn’t look at an emphasis on healing as a burden. Rather, our fellowship and everything it includes is a demonstration of God’s kingdom on earth and the good news of Jesus Christ. It, too, will bless the community.
Member contribution B
Recently I was interested in how Jesus began his healing mission, so I read a chapter or two in each of the four gospels, beginning at the end of the temptations. Mark and Luke tell of the healing of fever of Peter's wife's mother as the first physical healing mentioned. The disciples were with Jesus when the healing occurred in Peter's house. The next verses in Mark and Luke are:
1. The word of healing spread rapidly.
2. Those needing healing came to him expecting it.
That was Jesus' relationship with his community. This is the way we need to relate to our community.
Also, recently there was a need to reassure a couple of people close to me, who are not Christian Science, that I am OK. Since looking at the human me was not reassuring, I thought about how to do it. So I related healings. I told one person about a specific, recent healing. I gave the other an outline of a chain of healings through my lifetime. Both persons mentioned they were relieved.
When I considered this, I asked myself if I ever share healing with anyone who doesn't come to church of Wednesday night. Sometimes someone will notice a healing and ask, and I mention prayer as the source.
We need healing to be known in the community and be ready to do it.
Member contribution C
Regarding the citations in the "Science of Being" chapter in Science and Health: The marginal headings in the “Science of Being” chapter in Science and Health are helpful throughout the chapter; for example:
Spiritual law, the only law, p. 273
Identity not Lost, p. 302
Man's Entity- Spiritual, p. 303
Man Inseparable from Love, p. 304
Harmony Natural, p. 304
Higher Statutes, p. 307
Life Never Structural, p. 309
Soul Impeccable, p. 311
It's nice to re-read the different Science and Health chapters at different time intervals, also.
Member contribution D
A. How do we fulfill the saying of Jesus “ the kingdom of heaven is at hand...repent and believe the gospel”?
I feel that it is through our own continual repentance and the application of our own understanding that we inspire those around us to repent, or to entertain spiritual sense as sensible. By repentance, I mean to sincerely view injustices with such tender mercy for those perpetrated upon, knowing that God could not possibly sanction such things, and with such truthful conviction in what God has created, that thought will be lifted up and healing will occur. To me, repentance means to turn the tables on conventional thought. I’ve been thinking a lot about this passage in Science and Health:
Remember that man's perfection is real and unimpeachable, whereas imperfection is blameworthy, unreal, and is not brought about by divine Love.
Why would we defend imperfection? The only way we would do this is if we are drifting along with ordinary thought. The “mind of Christ” would not stand for it! And the way to align ourselves with this Mind is to so “come out from the material world and be separate,” that we act from a new standpoint with the love and boldness which honors God and His perfect creation. This state of mind is attainable time and time again, is worthy of our striving, and is so needed.
B. How can we embrace our community so that everyone feels the love of Christ which heals?
What comes to mind is to do just that, to embrace our community in thought and let spiritual evidence alone define what is true. This, in turn, brightens our expression, letting Love’s face shine forth, “rousing the dormant understanding.”
Forget self in laboring for mankind; then will you woo the weary wanderer to your door, win the pilgrim and stranger to your church, and find access to the heart of humanity. While pressing meekly on, be faithful, be valiant in the Christian's warfare, and peace will crown your joy.
(Mis 155: 7)
C. What attitude of thought recognizes and supports healing that is already going on everywhere - not just in Christian Science churches?
“One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations…” It is God’s prerogative to unify, not to divide, and so we have precedent to bridge over preconceived disparities with qualities such as those found in the second degree of the Scientific Translation of Mortal Mind (S&H 115): humanity, honesty, affection, compassion, hope, faith, meekness, temperance. We should expect to find that such qualities are universal and reciprocal and that their expression indicates the fabric of our oneness to the inevitable exclusion of what divides. Hymn 224 contains the words, “All good, where'er it may be found, Its source doth find in Thee.”
Our attitude, then, is the joy of discovering and proving, through healing, what is good among our fellow man. Job says, “Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.”
Member contribution E
A. How do we fulfill the saying of Jesus “ the kingdom of heaven is at hand...repent and believe the gospel”?
Jesus didn’t mince his words. He made it plan that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” is already established. It has a direct analogy in the First Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” with all of man as the image and likeness of God, not just you and me. Similarly, Mrs. Eddy gave us a daily prayer, which begins, “Thy kingdom come,” words taken the Lord’s Prayer, for which she gave the spiritual interpretation, “Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.” That is, as God is immortal Mind, all power, ever present, then there is no other governing influence. Because we are God’s likeness, in reality we are always dealing only with God, with immortal Mind, not with something separate that looks like God when viewed appropriately. All rationale starts and ends with God. Each healing is a fresh awakening to knowing God more intimately.
So often in Mrs. Eddy’s writings we see a parallel to the two great commandments of Jesus, and we see them here. In the previous paragraph I’ve already discussed the first of these. . In the next part of our quotation, “Repent and believe the gospel,” we see the equivalent of the second great commandment, putting off the false sense of man and advancing to put it into practice in human lives. In fact, we are urged to repent, to change the basis of thought, to put off mere human belief and replace it by spiritual understanding. Daily we go about our respective duties, and we have this challenge from Jesus to spiritualize everything we do. In Science and Health, page 495:20, we read: “Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being.” That’s a command, similar to that of Jesus. In the same sentence, it continues with the reward of obeying this command: “And this understanding will supplant error with truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony.” Applied this to our church, we see that our church is itself God’s business, and like everything else in existence, it is a spiritual idea, nurtured by immortal Mind, always expressing God’s Love. The discord or problem, whatever it may be, will be silenced, - it is just a noise.
It’s interesting, too, that the chapter Recapitulation in Science and Health includes the question, “You speak of belief. Who or what is it that believes?” Part of the answer is that the words in the Bible translated as the verb believe “have more the significance of faith, understanding, trust, constancy, firmness. Hence the Scriptures often appear in our common version to approve and endorse belief, when they mean to enforce the necessity of understanding.” (488:9-13)
B. How can we embrace our community so that everyone feels the love of Christ which heals?
Here Jesus’ two great commandments apply directly, loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. However, as discussed above regarding the first discussion point, this is truly meaningful only when we understand that man is God’s spiritual image and likeness. When we realize this, we also find ourselves eternally grateful, expressing gratitude that Love expresses itself endlessly. There is no “what if” about this statement. It is the absolute status of immortal Mind, Soul, loving and nurturing its own idea. This is our church in action, witnessed in healing works that embrace everyone.
We embrace our community as we embrace God, and increasingly know more about Him/Her. We must be careful, of course, that this is not a cold, theoretical approach that we espouse in words only, nor in reckless or unconsidered deeds. It is the grand realization that God truly governs His/Her entire creation, all of the ideas that are man. When we realize this, we cannot see any place where Love is not expressed. Then we go forward and expect to embrace all of those we encounter with the outflow of divine Love, seeing the healing work recognized and embraced everywhere.
C. What attitude of thought recognizes and supports healing that is already going on everywhere - not just in Christian Science churches?
It is noteworthy that nowhere does Science and Health proclaim that it is for our church only. It is the textbook of Christian Science, and this Science is the deep reality of the universe, not confined to any one human organization. There are some other churches that have organized healing ministries as part of their organization, and we support them fully in their mission to express the healing Christ
The way we go about this is the same as with other facets of healing, by increasing our grasp of God, Spirit, the All-in-all, and realizing that Love is expressed literally everywhere.
The relevance of this discussion point to our current church activity can be thought of as the inherent spirituality resident in the members of our community. People don’t necessarily need to be educated about spirituality. It is endemic to the being of each individual as a compound idea of God.. This spirituality increasingly finds a natural home as the community becomes more spiritual. This means that as we increasingly recognize the inevitable outflow and omniscience of divine Love, we support the inherent spirituality of our community members, and we can expect that spirituality to flow back to ourselves in one grand outpouring of the divine. We can expect this outpouring to be manifest both through the support of spiritual healing by other churches, the mutual support that churches provide to each other, and the interest of individual community members in our own organization. And this approach will dissolve seeming opposition or apathy.
So, we go forward with an ever increasing awareness of the constancy an inevitability of divine Love, which cannot fail to be expressed everywhere.