METAPHYSICAL MEETING, September 15, 2014
Contents
| - Topic | |
| - Call to the meeting | |
| - Readings | |
| - Participant contribution A | |
| - Participant contribution B |
Topic
Unobstructed progress
Call to the meeting
The topic at our metaphysical meeting on Monday, September 15, is Unobstructed Progress. It’s especially relevant at this time when we are expecting progress. Please give this topic your prayerful support. We invite you to share your inspiration at our meeting on the 15th, at 7:30 p.m., in our Reading Room.
What is it that obstructs? It’s never anything but an incorrect view of reality, an ignorance of Truth, and that’s a spiritual impossibility. Mrs. Eddy makes clear that “Whatever obstructs the way … divine Love will remove … Therefore, give up the earth-weights; and observe the apostle’s admonition, ‘Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those which are before.’” (Mis. 328:22-29). We have much to be grateful for!
You are welcome to join the metaphysical meeting in person or via teleconference.
Readings
Ps. 27:1
II Chron. 20:15 Be, 17 stand (to 3rd ,)
Isa. 55:12 ye (to 2nd ,)
II Thess. 2:15 stand (to 4th ,), 16, 17
Mis. 186:23-24 the
SH 494:10-11
My. 248:7-9, 14-21 (to ,), 26-28
My. 155:7
Hymns: 100, 64
Participant contribution A
Life is a synonym for God, and includes the completeness of Truth. Therefore, it does not includes cycles of ups and down, or downs and ups. Whatever guides man in line with divine Love and Truth must constitute concordant progress, enduring harmony. Mary Baker Eddy writes her Miscellaneous Writings, “If God is Mind and fills all space, is everywhere, matter is nowhere and sin is obsolete. If Mind, God, is all-power and all-presence, man is not met by another power and presence, that — obstructing his intelligence — pains, fetter, and befools him” (Mis. 173:20-24). Man’s progress is the expression of Mind’s progress.
Therefore, no unwarranted delay is possible in Spirit. No ignorant or accidental roadblock can hold up the advance of divine Love. Firstly, such occurrences are impossible in the omnipresent law of Principle. Secondly, if obstacles to legitimate progress are apparent, we realize that Truth is never absent or stopped, that divine Life fills every need with progressive action, thereby removing what may appear to be in the way.
Even delays or protracted waits may appear to be an obstacle that creates stress, or a difficulty in fulfilling one’s responsibilities. However, time is no part of the eternal nowness of Love; the fulfillment of Principle is fully established now. This is true in the unfoldment of our church development, in our individual experience, and in the wider world. Divine Love really does meet every need, in a timely and fulfilling manner.
Participant contribution B
“Infinite progression is concrete being” (Mis. 82:20). We're talking about the work of eternity. We have a right to expect infinite progress.
Participant contribution C
As I have contemplated tonight’s subject, this sentence from Science and Health has been coming to me: “In patient obedience to a patient God, let us labor to dissolve with the universal solvent of Love the adamant of error, — self-will, self-justification, and self-love, — which wars against spirituality and is the law of sin and death” (SH 242:15 In). Then, as I read the Bible Lesson this morning, I realized that this statement and our project go quite nicely with two Bible verses from the Lesson:
“...Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people” (Isa. 57:14 Cast). The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.” And,
“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:4, 5). The NRSV translates the “casting down imaginations” phrase as, “We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God...”
As I thought about this, I realized that we must dissolve the adamant universally. We don’t just look “out there” and realize that nothing “out there” can be an impediment to the expression of “church” in our community. We must also look within our hearts and be sure that we don’t harbor impediments to progress. It’s not “us versus them,” but we, the perfect expression of the perfect idea of church founded and maintained on the divine Principle, Love, casting out all error and every obstruction that would seem to get in the way of our church’s progress. This includes knowing that our expression of church is a blessing to this community and that the community recognizes it.
Note, here, that I’m talking about the qualities of church, not a physical building in a physical location. These qualities of our church are never destroyed or unvalued. They are seen and appreciated by all associated with our church. I’m using a very broad sense of the word “associated,” to include anybody who thinks about our church, drives by, walks by, is a neighbor, and so on. Everybody is blessed by church.
Let’s look at the trio that makes up the adamant of error, self-will, self-justification, and self-love. To me, they are all based on fear, — fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear that others won’t do it as well, fear of disruption and inconvenience. These are examples of possible adamants. Here’s another way we can help: There is nothing to fear. God is working out the details, which will bless all. These blessings don’t include inconvenience. Blessings flow from God. They don’t get held up by human procedures. Blessings flow unhindered.
I mentioned a little earlier that we need to be sure that we aren’t putting up impediments to progress. Sounds ludicrous, right? Well, what about worry that things aren’t going fast enough? God’s church operates seamlessly and continuously. God’s church never stops proving its utility.
We demolish the arguments against our work by knowing that there is no power that can destroy church, not by defining a particular outcome and then knowing that outcome can’t be destroyed. Church can’t be destroyed, impeded, inconvenienced, or marginalized. The path ahead of us is smooth. We must insist on that now. “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Ps. 119:18).
Participant contribution D
The New Birth in Miscellaneous Writings (page 15) is a wonderful article and worth studying in its entirety, but the second paragraph states our situation so succinctly: “The new birth is not the work of a moment. It begins with moments, and goes on with years; moments of surrender to God, of childlike trust and joyful adoption of good; moments of self-abnegation, self-consecration, heaven-born hope, and spiritual love. Time may commence, but it cannot complete, the new birth; eternity does this; for progress is the law of infinity.”
And so we surrender to God; have complete childlike trust that there can be no obstruction to the birth of a right idea; joyfully adopt good, keeping our consciousness free of fear; getting rid of selfish ambition; consecrating ourselves and our church to the cause of Christian Science; spiritualizing our hopes and dreams; and loving our community, our fellowman, and ourselves with a deep spiritual love.
As we have in this week’s Lesson, “…for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27 for) and Bible citation 4 that starts, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee:…”
And from Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” We have all been “called,” so let us answer that call to this new birth, for which there can be no impediment or obstruction.