METAPHYSICAL MEETING, May 19, 2014
Contents
| - Topic | |
| - Call to the meeting | |
| - Readings | |
| - Participant contribution A | |
| - Participant contribution B | |
| - Participant contribution C | |
| - Participant contribution D |
Topic
Expectation speeds our progress
Call to the meeting
The next metaphysical meeting will take place on Monday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the reading room. The topic for the metaphysical meeting is: Expectation speeds our progress
This topic was chosen from Science and Health page 426: “When the destination is desirable, expectation speeds our progress.”
Some suggestions for your inspiration in preparing for the meeting:
Science and Health 426:509
Miscellaneous Writings 7:8-13
Miscellaneous Writings 223:24-224:32 (The article “Taking Offense”)
Revelation 21:1-27
Each week the Church Alive newsletter has wonderful demonstrations by Christian Science branch churches throughout the world that are exceedingly inspirational.
Attend in person or via the teleconference system. Your presence is whatever form is greatly appreciated.
Let us all continue our daily prayers for our church and expect only good progress in this endeavor.
Readings
Deut. 12:7 ye shall rejoice
Prov. 4:25-27 (to :)
Micah 7:7
S&H 261:4
S&H 263:7-10
S&H 264:3-19
S&H 426:5-9
Participant contribution A
“When the destination is desirable” – and so I asked myself just what is our destination? To human sense it is a renewed church. And Mrs. Eddy tells us that “no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires…”
Our lecturer last Saturday pointed out that Moses was led by God to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt and slavery. A good motive but they did not know where they were going, did not know their destination – whether it was desirable or not. Moses trusted God – but then they get to the Red Sea. Surely Moses said the Hebrew equivalent of “You have got to be kidding! There are thousands of people behind me followed by hoards of Egyptian military men and in front of me all I can see is the enormous Red Sea.” Moses had to trust God and so do we.
Throughout the Bible, as a few of the passages in tonight’s readings state, we have God’s promise of blessings (Deuteronomy 12:7 ye shall rejoice), guidance (Proverbs 4: 25 – 27 (to :)), and trust (Micah 7:7).
When we began this project in 2006, we started with metaphysical meetings just like this one, and we prayed diligently, trusting God completely to lead us to our “promised land”, our “destination.”
As Christian Scientists, we know we can expect only good in our experience. As we have in this week’s Bible Lesson, “Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts.” Our expectancy of only good in our experience, letting the one divine Mind, God, lead us, even if the Red Sea-like obstacles seem formidable, will without a doubt speed our progress.
Participant contribution B
Sometimes our expectation needs to be expanded because too often we limit it. Here's a useful reference: "Expansion", by Kate Swope, The Christian Science Journal, May 1900
Participant contribution C
A study of the paragraph in Science and Health in which our topic is found gave me much to ponder about our church's development goals. It is so easy to list the human footsteps that might bring things to fruition. These waypoints can be attended by fear and frustration. They may be outlined according to “mortal measurements,” length of time, physical size, number of people and organizations we have to please, amount of money involved, and so on.
One of the goals of these metaphysical meetings is to turn our thought from the mortal or human goals toward the spiritual destination. In fact, the marginal heading for the paragraph of our topic is “Our footsteps heavenward.” It seems to me that the goal of our project is for each of us to have a better understanding of the heavenly qualities of church and to see this more completely realized in our lives. Mrs. Eddy says that it's less difficult if we keep our eye on the goal, rather than getting bogged down in each step along the way.
So, I thought I'd do a little resolving of things into thoughts about some of my goals for our expected destination. As I started thinking about it, I realized that this goal isn't a date and time in the future, but is right now. I have to realize these qualities now because they are true now. I can't think that all our problems (whatever they are) will be solved with a new, modern building. If I'm accepting age and decay now, a new modern building won't help. If I'm accepting limited resources or participation, available funds won't be the solution to a belief in limited resources nor will a new building attract more members. Without healing these beliefs, a new building is the equivalent of exchanging one mortal belief for another.
Do you realize how much progress we've made? We have so much to be grateful for. At our last membership meeting, all but two members were present without having a major item on the agenda or a concerted effort to get out the vote. A member reported that one of her friends in another branch church sees a real turn around in us, from being on a going-out-of-business curve to being one of the most active churches in our area. We have become less rigid in our approach, while remaining true to the Church Manual.
A few years ago, we were waiting for something to happen. We sometimes delayed activity, waiting for our new church situation, whatever that was going to be. Then there was a change in thought. We realized that we have to live now the qualities we expected to have in the future. Our expectations improved. Maybe I should say that we put our expectations into practice. As a membership we started to progress. We realized that our destination is a more complete expression of the idea of church, and we are realizing it. It has indeed speeded our progress.
More work is needed. We still seem to have an aging, crumbling, underutilized building. We still seem to be invisible to the community. We still seem to lack attendees, Sunday School students, and Reading Room visitors. However, we mush on, with the goal of spiritual renewal before us. It can't help but bring results. Spiritual renewal brings healing, which the world and our community need so badly. As long as this is our goal, our progress will be steady and quick.
Participant contribution D
Christian Science presents a way of thinking different from the way the world works, different from what many well-meaning methods and teachings may indicate. We don’t work with the problem, but with the solution. We don’t pray to overcome the obstacle. We pray to know the existing completeness of divine Mind’s, God’s, workings and creations. The Mind that is God knows only it’s own perfection, which is already and permanently established. True expectation is realizing the current presence of God’s complete creation and action.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote in her book Retrospection and Introspection, “It is safe to leave with God the government of man.” Does this mean we can sit back and ignore the situation, knowing that God will do it for us? Not at all. We work to realize that presence of Mind’s completeness that forms our own consciousness. And we can realize that, because we are truly the expression of Mind itself. Our church is the collective expression of Mind in our community, and it’s place is for ever firm and established in Mind, where it always resides. In the expression of music, one doesn’t hear the music unless one listens. Likewise, our church expresses vitality, renewal, and substance as we tune thought to the constant sounding of Mind, the substance of Spirit, the activity of Life.
These characteristics of Deity cannot be absent because they are infinite and eternal. We can understand this and know that this completeness is present now and always. Knowing that is expectation that is realized, expectation that instills progress naturally as the outpouring of divine Mind, divine Love nurturing it’s own expressing and outcome. That’s where we are now, the place we never can leave. Fulfillment of divine Love’s provision for itself includes the harvest that is our church in action and progress. It’s present now, it’s always active. Knowing that is our expectation, and naturally embraces Soul’s ever-active progress.
As we realize this, we also facilitate the second of Jesus’ great commandments, loving our neighbor as ourselves. We understand that divine Love is always active, never lacking, in providing universally for its idea, man. We are part of the universal, spiritual production of Mind. That cannot be opposed, cannot lack activity anywhere in the community or the world.
“In Science there is no fallen state of being; for therein is no inverted image of God, no escape from the focal radiation of the infinite” (No. 17:17-19).