KEN’S POETIC PRELUDE for this week’s Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Sacrament” for Sunday, July 11, 2021

KEN’S POETIC PRELUDE for this week’s Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Sacrament” for Sunday, July 11, 2021

See on YouTube KEN COOPER POEMS – “Sacrament – Play Your Part” and “Peter’s Repentance”.  These offerings bring extra inspiration to this week’s Bible Lesson. 

[Ken wrote:] “The command of Jesus to the disciples was to eat of his bread and drink of his wine. This is the repentance required for those who would give their lives to God in the humility of sacrament. The old ways have to go, and this command is an emphasis of the symbolism of Spirit. The old bread, leavened and heavy, is of no value. The uncluttered holy bread and wine illuminated by the life of Jesus, is what is needed, lives filled with sincerity and truth, “… let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (I Corinthians 5:8 let)

The joy of sacrament is the absolute commitment to God, in which we give our all to the Father, and in our love reflecting Love, our love must be total, a complete surrender of all materiality, all self, to recognise that we can only do the will of our Father-Mother, and that is to love, – to be the constant expression of Love, to be what God is.

Jesus spoke plainly “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).  These words presage the Last Supper, and give substance to his command to each of the disciples to “Take, eat” and “Drink ye all of it”. The poem “Sacrament – Play Your Part” is both a challenge and a celebration of obeying Christ’s commands, and takes the inspiration of Jesus’ words as the foundation of the role we have to play in obedience and humility in fulfilling what God has planned for each of us. It is only with true humility that what God has planned is beautifully fulfilled, and we find our true communion with God. Eating the bread and drinking the wine involves sacrifice of self, but in this sacrifice is a reward like no other, – the recognition of God’s kingdom within, the inner store of Love that reaches out and blesses all.

This is the joy with which Jesus ended the last supper, – the singing of a hymn to rouse the dormant understanding, to lift thought to the constant presence of the Christ. When we can sing with the heart healing follows.  The poem finishes “Thou art Mine”, – this is the true feeling we experience when we share the Sacrament and repeat together “the Lord’s Prayer”.

The last section gives the contrast of the last supper and the morning meal on the sunlit shore of the Galilean Sea.  The poem “Peter’s Repentance” extends the reference from John (Bible cit. 16) to embrace the effect of true sacrament, – reaching out with the power of Christ. Jesus was the Master, Peter the rock, – our example of what Jesus expects of all of us. When we eat the bread and drink the wine truly, we reach out to others with the power of Christ, as did Peter. The poem includes the statement by Peter: “My love for Jesus was to be shown in my love for others”. This is true sacrament.

This is both what Jesus did, and was his instruction to Peter “Feed my sheep”. It is also an instruction to us all, – and their healings an example to us all. As shown in the last citation “The time for the reappearing of the divine healing is throughout all time; and whosoever layeth his earthly all on the altar of divine Science, drinketh of Christ’s cup now, and is endued with the spirit and power of Christian healing” (cit. S25/55:22).

The world needs to shift from its fear of constantly changing material beliefs to the true bread and wine of spiritual values, the manna which comes from heaven, and is within us all. What better meal can we both enjoy and share?

PDFs in color and B&W are available attached here as well as to CedarS Metaphysical article this week.

For a full range of Ken’s videos, visit YouTube Ken G Cooper Poetry. You can contact Ken on kengcooper@btinternet.com.