METAPHYSICAL MEETING, March 21, 2011
Topic
Unfolding good
Call to the meeting
The topic for March is "UNFOLDING GOOD". With our onward movement of selling our beloved church home, we are preparing for the good that will bless us all as we listen for our next step in placement.
It is suggested that we study “Choose Ye” from The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Part I, Chapter I which starts on page 3, “Message from Mary Baker Eddy on the Occasion of the Dedication of the Extension of the Mother Church of Christ, Scientist,
June 10, 1906.”
“What ever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.” S&H page 192:30.
Looking forward to seeing you soon and hearing your inspiration and unfoldment on church.
Readings
The Bible (NRSV):
Psalm 92: 1 - 5, 12 - 15
Isaiah 48: 17
Jeremiah 31: 2 (to :), 3 I have, 4 (to 2nd ,)
S&H 494: 10
Mis 206: 11-12 (to ;), 17-6
Mis 202: 2 the sweet
Member contribution A
The final paragraph in Mrs. Eddy’s article, “Choose Ye,” in The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany (My. 6:13), contains a lot of qualities to be considered with respect to church and church buildings, and the people tasked with the care thereof. I haven’t divided the list between the church, the buildings, and the people, because most of these qualities can be applied to any of the three. Here’s my list:
- Dexterous
- Wise
- Magnificent
- Temple
- A place to enter
- A place to pray
- Proof of progress, unity, love
- Begins with the cross, extends to the crown
- Room for our Leader
- Evidence of the praise of babes
- Evidence of the Word of God
- A mental monument
- Superstructure above human craft
- The outcome of hearts
- Material with a spiritual significance
- Speed, beauty, and the achievement of goodness
- Prefigures self-abnegation, hope, faith
- Love catching a glimpse of glory.
This is quite a list from one paragraph! It got me thinking about how I am really thinking about our current church building, my feelings of leaving it, and my feelings about a new location and its possible form. I realized that I am still “stuck” pretty much in a material view. But, this list comes to the rescue, and demands that my consciousness be raised.
I took a few of these qualities and looked at them from various points of view, starting with “dexterous”.
Dexterous
“Dexterous” implies “expertness with consequent facility and quickness in manipulation”. It’s pretty easy to understand this quality when it applies to manual dexterity in humans, but what about with respect to individual church members, the corporate membership, and the church itself. It seems that members and the building would be able to adapt to the needs of the moment as they reflect more dexterity, that we wouldn’t be mentally stuck in a rut nor would we be bound by society’s or the city’s idea of what a “church” should be. We are flexible, easily adjustable. We reflect the entire expertise of God, in carrying out the needed tasks for representing The Church of Christ, Scientist, in La Cañada. We don’t get stuck in what we used to call at JPL “analysis paralysis,” but are able to make decisions in a timely manner, as they are needed, without imposition on individual members. Joyously! Fearlessly! It seems that an improved sense of dexterity would also imply more and more rapid unfolding of God’s creation and the sense of discovery that goes along with new ideas being presented.
Room for our Leader
In the paragraph cited, Mrs. Eddy refers to the “Mother’s Room,” in the Original Edifice of The Mother Church, which was furnished by donations from Sunday School children. As I read the paragraph, I asked myself, “How are we making room for our Leader in our branch church?” It’s a question I’ve never asked, yet is very important.
It seems that this is a renewed reminder to recognize Mrs. Eddy as our Leader and not to assume a Christian Science leadership role even in our branch church duties. Many of us in the secular world would be considered strong leaders, but in our church we must remember that our one and only Leader is Mrs. Eddy. We look to the Church Manual and her other writings for her leadership and guidance, and we’re obedient to her.
As we fulfill our various church duties, we, of course, reflect various leadership qualities. It is important that we do so. But, we must always be sure that Mrs. Eddy’s Leadership is always before us.
I really like this new-to-me idea of making room for our Leader in our branch church.
The outcome of hearts
When the demonstration of “church” is the “outcome of hearts,” there can be no discord, not even the slightest sorrow or poignancy. It demonstrates a united purpose, with no human will. As Mrs. Eddy says earlier in the article, it is the spontaneous practice of the Golden Rule in which we are unselfishly serving our neighbor, whether it be fellow church members or our community, with the light of the Christ, truly meeting their need.
I’m at the bottom of my two page limit. There are many other qualities on the list that are relevant to our branch church’s unfolding expression. I’m grateful for the opportunity to consider this article with respect to our church.
Member contribution B
“Spiritual ideas unfold as we advance.” (S&H 361:22) That is the unfoldment we are dealing with. It’s truly not a human exercise, it’s not the accomplishment of a new reading room or church location. It’s not even new members joining our organization. But it is the rejoicing in our hearts about our existence as the image and likeness of God, divine Love in action. When we nurture this thought, we can expect the human solution to manifest itself, but the reality always remains with the spiritual idea. And it is permanent good.
The permanent good of spiritual inspiration embraces opportunity, gratitude, reaching out, appreciation, fellowship, resources, placement, recognition, comfort, satisfaction, receptivity, and whatever else characterizes spiritual progress. The good that is God is also the spiritual idea, the Christ inspiration, illumining our path and the place of our church. To quote the referenced article, “When, by losing his faith in matter and sin, one finds the spirit of Truth, then he practises the Golden Rule spontaneously; and obedience to this rule spiritualizes man, for the world’s nolens volens [willy-nilly] cannot enthrall it.” (My 4:1-4).
True unfoldment is the natural development of spiritual ideas, never the accumulation of material possessions, places, or circumstances. When we understand that all value, all good, is in Spirit and spiritual understanding, there is no room for a human emptiness, and no need for a humanly derived solution. The closer we think to the absolute reality of God’s spiritual likeness as our only being, as the structure and population that is our church, the more certainly we obtain the good that is naturally ours by divine reflection.
Our church is the grand inspiration of spiritual awakening within our community of spiritual ideas. Our church’s unfoldment is the natural development of those ideas through receptivity, eagerness, interest, reasoning, placement, and readiness. Infinite good cannot be absent, but remains for perpetual activity and manifestation. Our church is God’s inspiration, the reflection of divine good, and that can never be without its manifestation, awareness, and presence.
We can be specific in choosing the thoughts that we hold about church, about community, about home, about opportunity, about place. What isn’t in line with divine good isn’t even a true thought. “Scientific thoughts are true thoughts, passing from God [good] to man,” (S&H 104:1) Science and Health asks, “How are veritable ideas to be distinguished from illusions? By leaning the origin of each. Ideas are emanations from the divine Mind.” (S&H 88:6) When we hold our thought about church in conformance with the spiritual awakening of immortal Mind, we know that the good of God is present, available, active, and advancing.
“Blessed are they that do His commandments [keep the church of God’s good ever present in thought], that they may have right to the tree of life [perpetual unfolding good], and may enter in through the gates into the city [the structure of good]” Rev. 22:14.