METAPHYSICAL MEETING, August 15, 2011
Contents
| - Topic | |
| - Call to the meeting | |
| - Readings | |
| - Member contribution A | |
| - Member contribution B | |
| - Member contribution C | |
| - Member contribution D | |
| - Member contribution E | |
| - Member contribution F |
Topic
Valuing our church
Call to the meeting
Our next metaphysical meeting will be on Monday August 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Reading Room. Here are some suggestions for launching your spiritual study of the topic “Valuing our church.”
We may feel that we indeed value our church. We attend services and meetings, pray daily for our church, serve on committees, in turn teach Sunday School, read, serve on the Board, usher, count the collection, etc. But how do we value and cherish it even more?
Perhaps answering some of these questions might enhance our awareness of the great value our church has to each of us in varying ways.
1. How does our church help us to follow Jesus' command to love God and to love our fellow man?
2. Since Christian Science is available to all through self-study, why do we need a church?
3. Does our church promote our self-study and practice of Christian Science?
4. What would you do on a Sunday morning if there were no church to attend, and this includes no telephone or internet connections?
5. Does our church promote Christian fellowship, an enlarged sense of family, friendships, care for one another, Christian communication?
6. Does our church help us to be better Christians and Christian Scientists?
7. Does our church strengthen our individual practice of Christian Science?
8. Does our church help us "live in Christian fellowship" with each other? (Manual 51:10)
Perhaps in thinking about these aspects of our church, we will each gain new awareness of the value of our church and will share these new insights with us all.
Suggested study: "Christian Science" Mis. Writ. 232 - 235
Readings
Mis. 232:6-20; 234:6-12; 235:8-25
Member contribution A
Some of the definitions of value in the 1828 Webster's include:
From Latin valor meaning worth.
“Worth: that property or those properties of a thing which render it useful or estimable. The real value of a thing is its utility, its power or capacity of procuring or producing good.” Reminds one of the definition of church, doesn't it? (This dictionary then quotes Jesus (Mat. 10:31) “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”)
Another definition is “importance; efficacy in producing effects.” Our church certainly can be efficacious in producing effects. Who hasn't had a healing just from attending a church service or spending some time studying in the reading room!
Value as a verb: “To estimate the worth of; to rate at a certain price; to apprize, as to value lands or goods.
To rate at a high price; to have in high esteem;
To esteem; to hold in respect and estimation; as, to value one for his works or virtues.
To take account of. "The mind doth value every moment." Sir Francis Bacon
To consider with respect to importance.”
So what is the worth of our church to me? How do I place a value on it in metaphysical concepts? To treasure something, to cherish it, and nurture it, what must I do?
Obviously I can pray for church daily. I must pray for this branch church daily and pray for the whole movement, affirming the worth of Christian Science to the world. I must deny that this community is so materialistic minded that it cannot be receptive to Christian Science. God does indeed value each one of us. Church is of great importance to each one of us. It is blessing each one of us in many different ways. Would God take away these blessings? Of course not! So we need have no fear of loss.
Seeing the great value, worth, and blessings that come to us through our church membership, activities, services, and friendships, we appreciate our church even more and cherish it — holding it dear in our hearts.
Another definition to consider from the 1828 Webster's is cherish (verb):
“To treat with tenderness and affection; to give warmth, ease or comfort to.
To hold as dear; to embrace with affection; to foster, and encourage; as, to cherish the principles of virtue; to cherish religion in the heart.
To treat in a manner to encourage growth, by protection, aid, attendance, or supplying nourishment; as to cherish tender plants.”
I love the thought of treating church with tenderness and affection and to hold it dear, and especially to foster and encourage. And then the last one which says “to treat in a manner to encourage growth, by protection, aid, attendance, or supplying nourishment.”
Rather than “or” I substituted “and” since all 4 of those will “encourage growth.”
Protection — that comes about through our daily prayer for church.
Aid — we do that by activitely being involved with church work, not leaving it to a few to do.
Attendnace — not only at church services but also at business meetings, metaphysical meetings, and the reading room.
Suppplying nourishment — obviously our financial contributions are needed, but also throughJesus' and Paul's admonitions to love one another we are nourishing, cherishing, and valuing church.
Member contribution B
Applying more Principle makes everything perfect.
Member contribution C
Addressing in turn each of the eight questions in the call letter:
1) How does our church help us to follow Jesus; command to love God and to love our fellow man? In our church work, we are seeing each individual as an idea of God. Each one is the representation of God’s Love. We strive to keep our thought spiritualized about our fellowman. Church supports our spiritual efforts to keep our motives and acts spirit-ward. (Church Manual, A Rule for Motives and Acts, p. 40:4)
2) Since Christian Science is available to all through self-study, why do we need a church? Church allows us to participate in a community of fellow Christian Scientists where we can interact and grow together spiritually. As a unit, we can provide healing Christian Science church services, Sunday School, a Reading Room, and lectures. We can also provide outreach activities to the community and demonstrate our love for our fellowman, i.e., soup kitchen activity. We need to prove the works of Christ Jesus by following in the steps of this great Exemplar, and of our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. We need to continue to “heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons.” Our Christian Science hymn states: “Love one another, – word of revelation, Love frees from error’s thrall, – Love is liberation. Love’s way the Master trod; He that loves shall walk with God. Love is the royal way.” (Hymn 179, Christian Science Hymnal)
3) Does our church promote our self-study and practice of Christian Science? Yes, our Christian Science Wednesday evening testimony meetings provide us with opportunities to share our Christian Science healings and share our demonstrations of Christian Science. We learn by hearing others share their practical understanding of Christian Science in working through daily activities, family relations, work, career, etc. Our Christian Science Reading Room provides us with wonderful reference books and source materials to further our study of Christian Science. For example, it’s so interesting to hear others share about their favorite parts of the latest Mary Baker Eddy biographies. “This church is impartial. Its rules apply not to one member only, but to one and all equally. Of this I am sure, that each Rule and By-law in this Manual will increase the spirituality of him who obeys it, invigorate his capacity to heal the sick, to comfort such as mourn, and to awaken the sinner.” (My 230:9)
4) What would you do on a Sunday morning if there were no church to attend, and this includes no telephone or internet connections? I would read the Christian Science Bible Lesson, of course, and I would try to get together with other Christian Scientists to provide a Christian Science church service for the community. We could meet in a rented facility, a private home, or a park, perhaps. I would definitely want to continue to pray and heal.
5) Does our church promote Christian fellowship, an enlarged sense of family, friendships, care for one another, Christian communication? Yes, I feel the church relationships provide us with the opportunity to share our love, kindness, and joy with each other. We express an interest in one another and we spiritually progress in our church fellowship. We are God-like and sincere in our church family. We are expressing all of the seven synonyms for God as we go about our Father’s business. “The Constitution of the United States does not provide that material medica shall make laws to regulate man’s religion; rather does it imply that religion shall permeate our laws. Mankind will be God-governed in proportion as God’s government becomes apparent, the Golden Rule utilized, and the rights of man and the liberty of conscience held sacred. Meanwhile, they who name the name of Christian Science will assist in the holding of crime in check, will aid the ejection of error, will maintain law and order, and will cheerfully await the end – justice and judgment.” (My 222:22) We are upholding the Christian Science standard in our church and blessing all mankind.
6) Does our church help us to be better Christians and Christian Scientists? Yes, I feel every time, we know the Truth about our fellow-man, our church, our community, and our world, we are reaching out in prayer and healing to others. Being a true Christian/Christian Scientist is a selfless life. Being a Christian Scientist is a life long endeavor to keep one’s thought spiritually based and upright. The spiritual path we are following is straight and narrow. “You can never demonstrate spirituality until you declare yourself to be immortal and understand that you are so. Christian Science is absolute; it is neither behind the point of perfection nor advancing towards it; it is at this point and must be practiced therefrom. Unless you fully perceive that you are the child of God, hence perfect, you have no Principle to demonstrate and no rule of its demonstration. By this I do not mean that mortals are the children of God, — far from it. In practicing Christian Science you must state its Principle correctly, or you forfeit your ability to demonstrate it.” (My 242:3)
7) Does our church strengthen ouir individual practice of Christian Science? Yes, we are afforded the opportunity to share spiritual ideas with one another, support the family unit, heal one another and the community, grow spiritually together, and invite others to come and join us. Jesus said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9) “Christian Science is both demonstration and fruition, but how attenuated are our demonstration and realization of this Science! Truth, in divine Science, is the stepping stone to the understanding of God; but the broken and contrite heart soonest discerns this truth, even as the helpless sick are soonest healed by it.” (Unity of Good 61:23-28)
8) Does our church help us “live in Christian fellowship” with each other? (Manual 51:10) Yes, it takes discipline to be a disciple, a Christian friend shared with me. Each time we join together, we have the opportunity to be a part of this unfoldment of God’s Love for one another. Then, this spiritual joy and Love goes forth to bless mankind. “Charity is quite as rare as wisdom, but when charity does appear, it is by its patience and endurance.” (My 227:6-7)
Member contribution D
When I started thinking about this topic, it was easy to come up with a list, in no particular order, of things I value about our church:
★ Each member and his/her dedication to our branch and to Christian Science
★ Our readers, ushers, Sunday school teachers, counting committee, CSRR staff, clerk, executive board, musicians, lecture committee
★ Our services, especially our lively Wednesday evening testimony meetings
★ Our Sunday school students
★ Our comfortable Christian Science Reading Room
★ The new lighting, courtesy of Southern California Edison
★ Our gardener and cleaning service
★ The members who are available on a moment’s notice to take care of “emergencies”
★ These metaphysical meetings
★ The fact that we like each other and enjoy being with each other
★ Our central location
★ Our willingness to consider new approaches to church and our services
★ The success of our teleconferenced services and meetings
★ The behind the scenes work that each member does to contribute, but which may not be apparent to the others
★ Our heritage oak tree
★ The towing company
★ The deputy sheriffs and their citizen patrol
★ Being across the street from the post office, Chevron, Wells Fargo, and Vons
I could continue, but need to get to the point. If these people and things are what I value about church, then the value of church changes if one of these things changes. If we lose a member, the value of church decreases. If we change locations and have a retail-style reading room, the value of church decreases. If we aren’t centrally located, the value of church decreases. If I don’t quite fulfill my role this week, the value of church decreases.
Wait a minute!!!!!
The value of church is not dependent on mortals or on material circumstances. Church is valuable because it is a spiritual idea that is completely expressed at all times and in all circumstances. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). Then, after listing a whole bunch of things, like “evil concupiscence” [strong or ardent desire; a longing of the soul for what will delight or for what is agreeable especially to the senses – Webster’s Unabridged], which we shouldn’t indulge in, he wrote:
“...put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him...Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forebearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Col. 3:10 put, 12-14).
To me, this is telling me that I need to change my valuing of church from a material to a spiritual basis. Paul helps us by telling us how we should treat each other. But, it goes further than that. It means seeking and demonstrating the intrinsic spiritual value of church in all of my activities, a spiritual value that doesn’t change, but becomes more apparent. Each of the items on my list has, as its basis, spiritual qualities - the spiritual counterfact to the human situation. They are an expression of God’s goodness on the human scene.
I looked up the definition of “value” and found that its synonyms are “prize,” “esteem,” “appreciate,” “treasure,” and “cherish.” I particularly liked the breadth that “treasure” brings to the idea of valuing something. “Treasure” emphasizes “keeping something as being precious and irreplaceable.” Wow! Is that how I consider my church? Yes, it is very precious. How do I acknowledge that? Is it irreplaceable? In a spiritual sense, yes, and that’s the way we have to look at it. One of the reasons it is irreplaceable is because it is permanent and cannot be destroyed; therefore doesn’t need to be replaced.
Our church is not material. It is not made up of mortal minds, buildings, trees, physical location, and other material elements and activities. It is the “structure of Truth and Love,” everything that “rests upon and proceeds from divine Science”. Our church is complete and whole, including all right activity. It is untouched by so-called wrong activity (e.g., skateboarders). In fact, the skateboarders reflect divine Principle and are law-abiding, obedient citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, too. Our church is attractive. Nothing can distract from its mission and utility. Our church functions perfectly, being governed by divine Mind. Our church reflects abundance, beauty, design, location (in the Kingdom of Heaven), commitment, dedication, love, wisdom, intelligence, fellowship, compassion, comfort, cheer, astuteness, readiness, innovation, creativity, safety, shelter, health, holiness. These are the qualities I’m learning to treasure about our church.
Member contribution E
To put it bluntly, Church is “in your face.” It’s a persistent and necessary reminder to “come out from the material world and be separate,” to grow spiritually, to love and be loyal to Truth irrespective of popular opinion, to join and be responsible for a Christian fellowship. To value Church is to devalue the world. Church is comfortable only to those who are heavenly homesick.
Fellowship can be likened to a charter boat taking excursions near and far with the proverbial mission to be “fishers of men.” The vessel requires regular maintenance: encouragement, unselfish care, repair and forgiveness of misunderstandings, and the application of a protective varnish against ignorant or malicious corrosive elements. The “manifest” has been duly briefed beforehand about the challenges and joys of joint ventures and each has “signed on” knowing their responsibilities and expectations for progress and healing. They come to discover the bond of unity and integrity fashioned by the “adhesion, cohesion, and attraction” of one Mind which maintains buoyancy and progress.
At times the boat remains moored, undergoing extensive repairs. There is a preoccupation with “the cares of this world” on land, attempts to change slip locations, and a fear of leaving the comfort of the shore. During these times, higher aims are less nurtured and frequently forgotten in the rush of harbor traffic. On occasion, however, the crew catches glimpses of its purpose, and joy and expectation galvanize into concerted action. The fellowship, caressed by the assurance of sea breezes, ventures beyond the security of the harbor, contemplating greater adventures into open waters, and affording opportunities for individual and collective practice.
Regular attendance at church services and participation in activities reaffirms our commitment to place God’s righteousness ahead of the pursuit of human happiness and necessarily reawakens our spiritual sense to comprehend the overarching demands of Christian Science. Applying truth in our relationships, to daily issues, and to physical challenges keeps us honest and cements our faith in divine Mind’s prerogative to reign supremely.
Without church, we are inclined to make some illusory compromise with world thinking. We then define church on our own terms and migrate to material comforts. Challenges in church tend to be justification for our shift away from church, when it is precisely at these times that more love and patience is needed to demonstrate its utility. Our loyalties are tested and the resulting trials may awaken us to find the right path out of the bondage of materiality. “Either there is no omnipotence, or omnipotence is the only power.” (S&H 249:13-14)
Christian Scientists must live under the constant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate. They must renounce aggression, oppression and the pride of power. Christianity, with the crown of Love upon her brow, must be their queen of life. (S&H 451: 2)
Church is that constant pressure. We have the privilege of recognizing it as such and utilizing it to accelerate our growth spiritward in the company of others who share that vision. There is never any real contention between us as members! The conflict is always between mortal minds and immortal Mind. We are in the blessed company of the Christ, and we have all seen and experienced the divine hand in human affairs and know that this truth is universal and supreme.
Member contribution F
I’ve been thinking about how it is that this particular topic arose, and why. I see it as a signal to think specifically about what lies behind the real value of church to us and to our community, and what this means to how we act and what we can expect.
In thinking about church as “God’s business”, as the manifestation of divine enterprise in human affairs, it has a close parallel to the Christ in the sense that word is defined in Science and Health: “The divine manifestation of God.” That in turn makes clear how we need to approach church from the most spiritual aspect possible, the same way we need to approach our individual well-being. Adam Dickey wrote that, “The human concept of bodies is a mental product and is nothing more or less than the outward expression of thought. Therefore, to heal what seems to be a diseased condition of the body, we must drop all thought of the body as being material.” Here we can replace the word “body” with the word “church”. We progress most meaningfully when we see church as a spiritual idea that manifests only the qualities of God’s Allness and Oneness.
This approach has profound implications for what we regard as the value of church. Is it the human comfort of having a nice church to attend on Sundays, or a supportive bunch of individuals, or the opportunity to serve in ways that one finds deeply satisfying? It certainly includes those things, but in the higher sense those things are the products of the higher valuation of church, the human objectification of applying divine Science to our understanding of what church is.
The problem is that the human productivity can at times become non-productivity. If it can go up, it can go down. If it can be progressive, it can be non-progressive. Those worldly characteristics produce uncertainty, which can manifest itself as lack, or even fear. Don’t go there. We have the divine authority to maintain confidence in God as All, and man as His spiritual image and likeness.
When we realize that, we see there is no room for anything unlike the original. We don’t pray to change anything, but we to work to realize the permanent manifestation of divine Principle, which includes divine Love embracing it’s own ideas, Soul expressing its natural grandeur, Life possessing unlimited activity, Spirit that rests in divine goodness. This is true value. We can expect it to be manifest in the affairs of our branch church through joy, receptivity, presence, dominion, gratitude, satisfaction, appreciation, readiness, availability, willingness, resourcefulness, goodness, and many other qualities.
Seeing the spiritual reality is the true way to value what we have, and also to appreciate the many qualities expressed by our members in our daily interactions and activities.