METAPHYSICAL MEETING, June 17, 2013
Contents
| - Topic | |
| - Call to the meeting | |
| - Readings | |
| - Participant contribution A | |
| - Participant contribution B | |
| - Participant contribution C | |
| - Participant contribution D | |
| - Participant contribution E |
Topic
Supporting our church services
Call to the meeting
“Much good has been accomplished through Christian Science Sunday services” (Mis. 302:14-15). As you prayerfully prepare for our next metaphysical meeting to be held on Monday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Reading Room and on the telephone, consider the good that is accomplished for our congregants and our community as a result of the services held in our branch Church of Christ, Scientist.
In the Church Manual, Mrs. Eddy says that the prosperity of Christian Science largely depends upon our weekly Bible Lesson (Man. 31:8-9 a). In Message for 1901 she wrote, “The Word of God is a powerful preacher, and it is not too spiritual to be practical, nor too transcendental to be heard and understood” (’01 11:19-21). What message do our services convey to our congregants? To our community? How do we maintain the pure message of Christianity?
We look forward to sharing metaphysical insights gained from our collective study of this month’s metaphysical topic: Supporting Our Church Services.
“It is imperative, at all times and under every circumstance, to perpetuate no ceremonials except as types of these mental conditions, — remembrance and love; a real affection for Jesus’ character and example. Be it remembered, that all types employed in the service of Christian Science should represent the most spiritual forms of thought and worship that can be made visible” (Mis. 91:13).
Readings
Ex 23:20,25
Col 3:23-24 whatsoever (to :)
Ps 100:2
Heb 12:28 let
Rev 22:9 worship
SH 40:28-41:7
Mis. 91:10-20
My. 5:12,28-30
My. 209:3
Participant contribution A
Considering this topic caused me to ask more questions, starting with, “Why do people go to church?” After all, as Christian Scientists, we know how to study and grow spiritually. My list of why people go to church is not inspired. There are good reasons, but many seem to be more about “getting” rather than “giving.” Here it is:
- Worship God
- Perform a duty
- Pray
- Find healing
- Fill a seat
- Support a family member/friend
- Socialize
- Serve God
- It’s the right thing to do
- Nothing better to do
For me, the overarching reason for going to church is to serve God. Many of the other reasons are subsets of serving God, but the primary impetus must be to get out of ourselves and serve God by putting into practice what we believe. If we do that, our church services will be a reflection of our service to God.
A Concord search of “serv* worship*” returns passages that refer primarily to serving and worshiping other gods! I was surprised, but it made me ask, who/what do I worship when I come to church? Who/what am I serving through my church work? I like coming to church, because I like seeing and talking with all of you, but should that be my reason for coming to church? When I’m doing board duties, teaching Sunday School, or serving in the Reading Room, am I merely doing a worthwhile activity or being obedient to the Church Manual just because it’s there or am I seeing service to God as my primary purpose. It’s so easy to become immersed in the various activities without stopping to consider how each one is service to God.
I was thinking about this with respect to what I might call “votes of preference” at membership meetings. How do I change my approach voting so that it reflects service to God, rather than personal opinion or even a desire to do “what’s best” for our branch, but not considering service to God? This has made me start to think differently about how to approach the myriad of design decisions we will need to make when we rebuild. I admit that I haven’t totally thought this through. It seems to be a pretty big topic and a tall order to think about how church building design and layout is service to God. All I know is that approaching our decisions as service to God will make things more harmonious.
The topic of this meeting is “Supporting Our Sunday Services,” so maybe I should talk a little bit about that. I asked myself, “Is our Sunday service a once-a-week event, or is it daily worship and service?” We get a little hint from Eddy’s oft-quoted passage about the Sermon on the Mount: “To my sense the Sermon on the Mount, read each Sunday without comment and obeyed throughout the week, would be enough for Christian practice. The Word of God is a powerful preacher, and it is not too spiritual to be practical, nor too transcendental to be heard and understood” (’01 11:16-21). Add to this her comment in the Manual that the prosperity of Christian Science depends upon our weekly Bible Lesson, and we have our marching orders: study and put into practice the weekly Bible Lesson.
We can do all of this in our personal practice. So, why do we need to go to church? As much as I appreciate the convenience of our teleconferencing system and the good it has done for those who can’t physically come to church, I’m putting the emphasis here on physically being at church for our services. Why should we go to church? To me it is a public declaration that we worship and serve God. It is getting out of ourselves and unselfishly giving, being prepared to heal anybody who walks into our church. This thought is attractive. If our only motive for conducting services and coming to church is to serve God, healing will occur and we won’t have a spare seat in the house.
Participant contribution B
1. Our church services are comprised of the Sunday service and the Wednesday evening meeting. Both are included as services in the Manual (See Manual, Article III, Section 3 and the Appendix “Present Order of Services in The Mother Church and Branch Churches” – which covers both Sunday and Wednesday Evening Meetings). I was intrigued by the word service and wanted a fresh view of what that meant and how that view might better support what we do as a church for us and for our community.
The first definition of ‘service’ is: an act of helpful activity; help; aid: to do someone a service. So rather than thinking of our services as readings, hymns, etc., I have been thinking of them as a service to our community including our members—as helpful, providing aid and actively doing for others. How can we serve our community? Here are a few ideas:
- Having unconditional love for everyone that attends our church and for those who do not.
- Getting to know our community better—what are the issues our community faces these days—by reading the local papers with that in mind and addressing these issues in our services.
- Thinking about what would make others feel welcome and included when they come to our services.
2. To me, the weekly Bible Lesson and it’s importance to the prosperity of Christian Science is more about our practice of the lesson in our lives—how we practice the lessons we study all week long in our lives.
3. And I think that maintaining the purity of CS is mostly about following and doing what Jesus did: loving unconditionally—non-judgmental, open, accepting—and especially seeing others as perfect and whole (which results in healing). Also, being unconcerned about material circumstances and depending entirely on God for everything.
Participant contribution C
1. Our church services do convey what message to our congregants? I appreciate that here message is singular, for none other than the pure Christ is the message. It is our task to keep it so. Conventions of mortal thought, such as old theology, modernism, group think, sensory attraction, cannot obscure the Christ. The heart of humanity knows the voice of the Shepherd and will seek and find it.
2. What message is conveyed to our community? Again, the message is the Christ. Can there be anything lost in translation, in our living of the Christ in the community? We can pray that the Word “prosper in the thing whereto I sent it,” (Isaiah 55: 11) and that we cannot “be made to forget nor to neglect [our] duty to God, to [our] Leader, and to mankind.” (Church Manual p. 42)
3. How do we maintain the pure message of Christianity? We maintain the pure message of Christianity through honest striving to live our highest concept of the Christ. We can pray to realize that there is nothing lost in man’s expression. We are all forever who we are as God’s children, no less, no more. As rays of light, we are never eclipsed by earthly modes and false beliefs. They are never our thinking; they can never touch us scientifically. We are the continuous expressions of love, purity, childlikeness, integrity, peace, wisdom, and joy.
Participant contribution D
1. What message do our services convey to our congregants? The message that our church services convey is a divine message from God. The students of Christian Science study the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson during the week and come fully prepared to listen to the divine message from God as it is shared from the platform from our impersonal pastor. The Holy Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy are read from the desk and make up this impersonal pastor. Visitors and those new to Christian Science will unite in the inspiration and uplifted thought shared at our healing Christian Science services. We are listening to the divine Word of God and these angelic messages bless us, those attending the services, the Sunday School, the community, and the world. Mrs. Eddy reminds us in the Church Manual, (Art. XVII, Section 1) Continued throughout the Year, “The services of the Mother Church shall be continued twelve months each year. One meeting on Sunday during the month of July and August is sufficient. A Christian Scientist is not fatigued by prayer, by reading the Scriptures, or the Christian Science textbook. Amusement or idleness is weariness. Truth and Love rest the weary and heavy laden.”
2. What message do our services convey to our community? The Christian Science church stands as a testament that Christian Science heals. Every time we see the open doors to our church, we are welcoming others into this Christ-light of Truth that heals. As we hear the Word of God spoken from the platform on both Sundays and Wednesdays, the testimonies shared on Wednesdays, and participate in fellowship with others, we are witnessing God’s divine unfoldment of good for all. A beloved hymn states:
God’s will is done; His kingdom come;
The Potter’s work is plain.
The longing to be good and true
Has brought the light again.
And man does stand as God’s own child,
The image of His love.
Let gladness ring from every tongue,
And heaven and earth approve. (Hymn 51/52)
3. How do we maintain the pure message of Christianity? We maintain the pure message of Christianity by leading a truly Christian Science life, following the way our Master, Christ Jesus trod, learning more about our true selves, and seeing our fellowmen as God’s reflection. As followers, we read and study Mrs. Eddy’s works, along with the Christian Science periodicals, and maintain an active membership in this church. We share Christian Science with others and continue to develop more ways to outreach and share this precious Truth to the community.
Participant contribution E
Christian Science entails bringing forth into the world the practical Christ that is “the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness” (S&H 332:9-11). The Christ speaks to everyone, both churchgoers and non-churchgoers, Christian Scientists and non-Christian Scientists. It is the driving force behind ideas. It’s also incorporeal and spiritual, meaning that it isn’t constrained by social conditions, economic status, or educational opportunities. It’s the vitalizing element of intelligence motivating and driving mankind in its highest sense as the image and likeness of God, divine Mind.
Because the Christ speaks through our weekly Bible Lessons and through our church services, it provides opportunities for God’s goodness to be expressed. It’s impossible for the Christ to be silent.
Human rationalizing may claim that the Christ is overwhelmed by the pressures of daily demands and modern busyness. That is true, if it is true, only of the mortal, material populace. In divine Science, man is always “idea, the image, of Love” (S&H 475:13-14), the evidence of Soul’s nature.
Therefore, why would we think that our church services are ineffective, or that people today are not responsive to Spirit, and the spiritual laws that are Truth? In Science and Health we read, “It is no more Christianly scientific to see disease than it is to experience it” (S&H 421:25-26). We might interpret this in this way, that is not spiritually sound or progressive to conclude that our church services receive inadequate recognition and participation, or that they are ineffective in meeting the needs of those living in our town. We can put all that aside as the foundation of fear, a basis of ignorance and erroneous argument.
Does this mean that our services are perfect in their current form? Not necessarily, any more than the existing church building is necessarily the ideal for our activities. But it does mean that our services will be guided by divine Love (not by human rationale) to reflect the divine presentation of Spirit and to meet the needs of all those seeking a higher understanding. Actually, it means more than that, namely that our services are already governed by divine Love, and they already meet the needs and requirements of man as God’s image. In reality there is no other man.
We can rejoice that the Christ expressed through our church services is naturally unfolding all that is needed by divine Mind to express itself increasingly more, that the ideas of divine intelligence are manifest now as inspired thought and satisfied individuals benefitting from these services of Love. That’s where church services stand right now. They can’t be any other way. And it’s out privilege and duty to realize this in nurturing the idea of our church. The need is being met by Love’s provision, and Spirit’s ideas are gravitating towards the utilization of church. That’s true being and true community, to which we are guided continuously.