Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for “Unreality” with Elisha helping the oil flow for the widow & Jesus cleansing the leper

Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the
Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Unreality” for 10-3-2021
The poem “When the Oil Flows”, read by Sue, shares the story of a newly widowed woman … whose material picture looked hopeless when she turned to Elisha.  He made her recognise that “with God there is no limitation because infinity has no limits… As the poem concludes, “He is All I’ve got.”  There is nothing else to have!”

In the story of “The Leper Cleansed” Jesus knew its unreality of the claim of leprosy despite its aggressive appearance… When Jesus (& we) realised a lie’s nothingness, its nothing is immediate demonstrated.

 [Ken:] What is real, is. What is unreal, isn’t. Last week’s lesson defined “Reality”. This week there’s nothing left! When thought is focused on God it is at one with Mind, with the light of Truth; and darkness, – whatever its apparent depth, can have no presence. “Even in darkness light dawns…” (see Golden Text). Even the smallest candle destroys the dark around it. Darkness never destroys light, no matter how hard it may try! God is our light, and we are God’s candle, shining with His goodness, His Love.

The words of Jeremiah ring true: “I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Bible Cit.4). Love is the “I AM THAT I AM”, the ALPHA and OMEGA of now, spiritual, not material. The beginning and end of nothing is also now. God is, matter isn’t. God is infinite abundant good. That is the demonstration and clarity of Christian Science. We have the joy of knowing, from cit. S7/298:13-15, that “spiritual sense…. involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.” No matter where we are on this scale of progress, the end result of reality is with us now. The Bible stories yield this truth.

The lesson continues the theme of looking with our eyes, spiritual discernment, at what really is, and therefore understanding what isn’t. In section 3 we see this in action. The poem “When the Oil Flows”, read by Sue, shares the story of a newly widowed woman who had not only lost her husband, but was about to lose her two sons, needing to pay off the creditors while no doubt still remaining in debt.  The material picture was bleak, hopeless, dark. But she intuitively turned to Elisha the prophet, “a spiritual see-er”, he whom her husband had served. He did not drop down to her level of despair; that is not what he saw. Rather he started with what, in her eyes, she had, a “single pot of oil”, and made her recognise that with God there is no limitation because infinity has no limits. One idea, necessarily good, has infinite representation. Her faith was rewarded. One could say she used the talent she had, and it became many more. The unreality and darkness of limitation was exposed, denied, and touched her no more. When we recognise God as our supply, there is literally nothing to limit what He gives! As the poem concludes “He is All I’ve got.”  There is nothing else to have!

In Section 5 we have the story of “The Leper Cleansed”. As with Moses the physical evidence of leprosy appeared very real, and to this man it was life-changing. Moses saw the unreality of the claim, Jesus also knew its unreality. The leper made the decision to turn to Jesus, to seek out the Christ, and in humility knelt before him: “if thou wilt thou canst make me clean”. The outpouring of Love, like the outpouring of oil, washed over the man with full compassion, and here too the light of Love removed the darkness: “I (Love) will: be thou clean (reflect the light)”. The light didn’t struggle to remove the darkness, – there was no effort, fighting for dominance. When nothingness is realised, its nothing is immediate.

The last citation in the Lesson finishes with the words “the light of ever-present Love illumines the universe” (cit.S31/14-15). This is a present fact, reality, we do not have to wait. Although the widow had to collect the vessels and pour out the oil, the supply was already there, the health of the leper had never left him, for the Christ is omnipresent, and the lies of mortality were always what they are, nothing.  

“Divine Love always has met and always will meet, every human need.” (cit. S13/494:10-11) This covers now. There is nothing else.

Copies of the poems are available in pdf format in color and B&W as DOWNLOADS at the bottom of the online version of this “Poetic Prelude” to this week’s Bible Lesson as well as of CedarS online Met this week.  (Audio of the Met yet to be added with the email following soon.) The full range of Ken’s videos can be found on KenGCooperPoetry, and all his poems here. Ken’s email is kengcooper@btinternet.com.