Ken Cooper’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shares Bible EXAMPLES OF WHEN OUR WAYS PLEASE GOD WE CAN ACT WITH THE FULL AUTHORITY OF CHRIST!
Sunday, May 15th, 2022
By Ken Cooper, poet from Great Britain
Ken Cooper’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shares Bible EXAMPLES OF WHEN OUR WAYS PLEASE GOD WE CAN ACT WITH THE FULL AUTHORITY OF CHRIST!
from the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Soul and Body”
for Sunday, May 22, 2022
- In Ken’s poem “In Lovingkindness Have I Drawn Thee” the concept of an artist’s drawing is shown: “Perfectly conceived in His Mind’s eye…”
- Ken’s poem, “Beloved Son. Thy Son Liveth,” shows that when our actions please God we demonstrate our unique sonship, and act with the full power and authority of the Christ.
[Ken writes:] “The beauty of Soul is that it is just one of the seven synonyms for God, and it includes in itself all the others. As man is the expression of Soul, he is also the expression of the other synonyms, and no wonder then that references to Soul are often accompanied by joy, singing and praise. The seven synonyms represent the “seven” of perfection. The Golden Text sets the scene (as ever!): “I will shout for joy as I sing Your praises with ALL my heart; my soul will celebrate because You have rescued and redeemed me.” (Golden Text, my combined translations). Not only is there joy, but the recognition of man’s inherent freedom. When we are joyful, by definition there is no room for anything its opposite. In the same way, God is joyful in us, His / Her Mind-full of us: The Lord appeared a long time back and has consistently and so clearly stated: “I have loved you, I always do and ever will: My Love constantly draws you to Me, forever close and cared for. I have made you Mine, and I AM ever-faithful to you.” (Responsive Reading, Jeremiah 31:3 combined translations). As God is ever-faithful to us, as His image, we are ever-faithful to Him.
In my poem “In Lovingkindness Have I Drawn Thee” the concept of an artist’s drawing is shown:
Perfectly conceived in His Mind’s eye,
Meticulously drawn with the outreach of Love,
Enscribed on the Spirit-paper of purity,
And embossed with Soul,
I am even now as God drew me.
Indeed God is the only artist there is, the sole creator, and all that exists has to be in His / Her expression. Nothing else is possible. What a cause for celebration! Heaven on earth! Thy will be done! It is what Jesus the Christ shared with us:
The Christ sheds infinite light on the masterpiece of perfect thought that is me,
Takes my right hand as gently as the kiss of dawn and whispers across eternity;
“Know and feel this lovingkindness of the Father,
For God is Love and Love has drawn thee, Love leads thee.
You are borne of My Light, you shine as My Day.”
Soul and Body are One, and in the last verse of the Responsive Reading we have this proverbial verse from Matthew: “You draw light into your body through your eyes, and your eyes reflect what you are seeing. So if your eye is well and shows you what is true, then your whole body will be filled with light and radiance.” (Matthew 6:22 combined translations) in other words your whole body will be filled with the light and radiance of Love, Truth, Life…Soul.
The words of Jesus from the Sermon on the mount followed on from his baptism, – the recognition of his purity and purpose, – “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” . In other words, “This is the Son of My creating, fulfilling what I AM”, and we each have the same appellation and fulfilment. It is the expectancy of good as given in Romans, citation B4 “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its material mould, its material way of thinking, but let God give you His infinite freedom; follow what He alone can give you – all that is good, acceptable to Him, be perfect!” (Romans 12:2 combined translations).
WHEN OUR ACTIONS PLEASE GOD WE DEMONSTRATE OUR UNIQUE SONSHIP, AND ACT WITH THE FULL POWER AND AUTHORITY OF THE CHRIST.
This is the background to the poem “Beloved Son. Thy Son Liveth”
The words of God made clear to us, when Jesus was baptised,
The fact that God made all things good so clearly realised.
For what God made could only be fulfilled in perfect man,
And Jesus was the perfect proof of God’s so perfect plan.
Jesus’ knowledge of his own perfection necessarily drew him to his knowledge of man’s perfection. In section 4 we have the story of the nobleman seeking the help of Jesus to heal his son, who was at the point of death. When we turn to God in our extremities, we can know that God has already answered, for God knows the Truth of our being is the Truth of His being, – there is no other picture, no mortal frame or counterfeit. Trust this fact:
“Go thy way”, act normally, there is nothing you need fear,
For God is Life, and Life is Truth, this holds good everywhere.
This Jesus knew, because One God was Father of us all.
“Thy son liveth.” This is the fact. Man can never fall.
In citation S20 we have the powerful statement “Science reveals the glorious possibilities of immortal man, forever unlimited by the mortal senses” (SH 288:28) Soul and body are one, untouched by matter.
THE STATEMENT “THY SON LIVETH” STANDS FOR ALL TIME. The poem continues:
May we believe the Principle that Christ is ever here,
And go our way with confidence, – that Jesus had so clear!
When we “Go our way” we have the command to be ambassadors for good, as in last week’s lesson. We are God’s representatives, and show “in the body of Christ” the individuality of our infinite role.
The last verse in the Bible lesson, (citation B21, Colossians 5:16) also flows from last week’s lesson, in that Paul is continuing his ministry, fulfilling his role in encouraging us to fulfil ours, that we also “Go our way”, following the path of Truth (see citation S32). In context the message of Colossians from vv13-17 is a delightful and joyful summary of SOUL AND BODY, and I share these verses, imagining the joy of the Colossians when they had this communication from Paul:
“God loves you dearly. So robe yourself in that love, lead a holy and blessed life, – seek to understand all those you meet, be compassionate, showing kindness to all. Be gentle, humble, and patient with yourself and others.
Be tolerant of one another, never angry. Always showing patience and forgiveness, following the perfect example of Jesus, wearing ever the garment of Love.
Love is more important than anything else, so clothe yourselves ever with love, – it ties everything together in perfect unity and harmony. Never be without it!
Let the peace of Christ, yes, the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him, rule in your hearts, giving you wisdom in settling all issues that may arise, remembering that as members of the same body you are called to live in harmony, and never forget to be thankful always for what God has done for you
Let the Word just fill your hearts with all the wisdom of the Christ, that with constant song and praise you live a life full of gratitude and thankfulness.
Whatever you say or do, do ALL in the name of Jesus Christ, EVERY detail of your lives, – every thought, word, action, thanking God always every step of the way.” Colossians 3:12-17 (combined translations)
EVERY DAY, GO GOD’S WAY….and “Rejoice evermore!” (cit. B20, 1 Thessalonians 5:16)
Copies of my poems are available in pdf format in color and B&W as DOWNLOADS at the bottom of the online version of this Poetic Postlude to this week’s Bible Lesson. The full range of Ken’s videos on YouTube can be found on KenGCooperPoetry. All Ken’s poetry and other writings can be found on Ken Cooper Poetry. (Links work on Metaphysical page).
Write to Ken on kengcooper@btinternet.com.
