Ken’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shows in Bible EXAMPLES that anything unlike Spirit is only a false belief to awaken from.
Thursday, August 4th, 2022
By Ken Cooper, poet from Great Britain
Ken Cooper’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shows in Bible EXAMPLES that anything unlike Spirit is only a false belief to awaken from.
inspired by The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Spirit”
for August 7, 2022
- Ken’s new YouTube poem, Noah’s Ark takes a light-hearted but important look at what Noah achieved. …
- Ken’s monologue The Leper Cleansed shares the thoughts of a man suddenly isolated by a feared disease, taken away from family – a life of limitation, regret.
- In Ken’s poem, Bear Witness as God’s Child, Nicodemus…recognised Jesus’ miracles as of God… but hesitated himself to be born again (from above).
[Ken writes:] “This week’s lesson reminds me of the wise words of James “Have you ever known a spring to give sweet and bitter water simultaneously? Gush forth with both clean and dirty water from the same opening? Have you ever seen a fig-tree with a crop of olives, or seen figs growing on a vine? A spring simply cannot give fresh and salt water at the same time.” (James 3:11-12 Combined Translations). How can God, who is infinite, produce anything unlike Himself? We have to conclude that anything unlike God is only a false belief, from which we can awake at any time. This week’s poems show how.
“The Golden Text and the selected verses shown below from the Responsive Reading confirm what we know, and what has been proved throughout the Bible, and is being proved even now.
“It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless, of no help whatever. It has no benefit to you at all. The words, the truths, that I have spoken to you, they are spiritual and provide eternal life.” (Golden Text, Combined translations)
“When you let the Spirit of God lead you, you are listening to your Father’s direction, fulfilling your unique role as your FATHER’S SON, you are at one.”
“The Spirit, God Himself, confirms our inward conviction that we really are his children, the children of the one God, and His alone. We are His witnesses.” (Responsive Reading, Romans 8;14, 16. Combined translations)
“WE ARE GOD’S WITNESSES, – THAT IS WE EACH GIVE WITNESS TO SPIRIT, TRUTH, LIFE, LOVE, MIND, SOUL, PRINCIPLE, ALL THAT GOD IS. Matter, the flesh, is not that witness, can never be so, for in the infinity of God’s witness there is no other witness possible.
“GOD, SPIRIT, IS OUR ONLY SOURCE. (Science & Health Citation S1)
“In Section 2 we have the inspiring story of Noah building an ark in the desert! My new video poem Noah’s Ark takes a light-hearted but important look at what Noah achieved. And here is why: “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9).[It reminds me of Enoch, who “walked with God: and he was not; for God took him”. Genesis 5:24 (see my poem Enoch ever walks with God] When we walk with God, we are obedient to Him, no matter how strange the instruction!! It is only the self, human will, the flesh, that would override the Word of God to man. We start with listening.
“Now Noah, do trust me,
You’ve got to build this boat,
I’ll tell you everything you need:
Let’s get this ark afloat!”
“Noah listened, obeyed, and found salvation for mankind. When we turn to God we find safety, we experience the Love of God. How often do we truly listen, be still, hear and trust what God is saying.
“It really is a test of faith
To do what seems so odd,
But I will do what Thou hast asked
Because I trust my God.”
“Despite the evidence to the contrary, Noah built his ark. When Jesus said of Jairus’ daughter, “the maid is not dead but sleepeth”, he too was laughed to scorn. However, faith in God is always rewarded when we stand firm with Him who is Love. Noah, as did Jesus, was walking with God, always listening to Him, and knowing that it was God that was doing the building as he was listening and obeying. Listening to God, we cannot be affected by words of scorn / ridicule / error. They simply wash off. When the rains came down, he was ready. He had filled the ark with what God had directed and all therein were safe.. How are we filling our arks? Is it like filling our pots with oil? (OIL. Consecration; charity; gentleness; prayer; heavenly inspiration.” p. 592:25) God is always providing all we need, and hearts filled with consecration are filled with blessing, dedication and purity. Noah could only have built the ark with the inspiration of Mind.
“No matter what the evidence
Of things that seem to be,
Your trust in God is always met
Because He loveth thee.”
“It is because God loves us with an everlasting and infinite Love that God also provides everything we ever need to be His full witness, – nothing less is possible. The story of Noah also confirms this fact, that when we rely on God, when we turn to God, listening, for everything we do, Mind directs, Love provides. We may see no evidence at first, but we can always know that what comes from God is always blessed by God in God’s own way. Noah’s trust, faith and obedience stayed firm. He never doubted, always followed, and the world was rewarded.
“The monologue of The Leper Cleansed shares the thoughts of a man suddenly isolated by a feared disease, taken away from his family, – a life of limitation and regrets. But he hears (he too was still listening) about Jesus: “My heart leaps. I think of my wife, my sons, my lost life and suddenly a new life that might just be, and determine to meet him,”, and having made this decision, he did what Noah did, – listened…”With sudden hope I drop to my knees and humbly and deeply pray to God to guide me. For the first time for a long time, I feel as though He is holding my hand, and yet with the other I will be ringing my bell. My hope is greater than my fear, yet I’m still holding on to my past. I leave, and with each step taken to find this Jesus, the leper village recedes from my thought.” When we pray, truly listen, when thought is committed in this way, the past and all its attachments disappears. Despite the past, this leper went on a mission the other lepers would have scoffed at. How often are we scoffed when we turn to spiritual means and not material, but our expectancy is based on true witness and demonstration. It is based on knowing our co-existence with God. Not the past but the now. The leper finds Jesus and makes his request:
“If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”
He reaches out with his hand and I feel his gentle touch on my face! No one had dared touch me for more months than I could remember. But what touches me more is the compassion that flows out from his very being: like a stream of living water, unstoppable, bathing me in purity and love”.
Jesus was simply beholding “the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals.”SH p. 476:32–2 the) The healing is instantaneous:
Transformed in the moment of his tender touch, transformed indeed for me to touch with my deepest
thoughts a life eternal, a life at one with God, at one with Spirit, in which evil and disease have no power, no
existence. The stunning thought, – God really is my Father! Our Father!
“A realisation that changed his life in a moment, as light removes the dark, Truth takes away error, Spirit annuls all flesh.
“God is Spirit, and we co-exist with Him. We do not co-exist in the flesh. This was the challenge faced by Nicodemus. In the poem Bear Witness as God’s Child he reveals he had witnessed what Jesus was doing and recognised his miracles were born of God. But he could not see that they included him. It is only when we drop all sense of the flesh that our true nature and perfect spiritual witness shines through. Too many try to make God man-like, when the real message is that man is God-like. When we pray “Our Father” we are confirming that Spirit is our Father. Jesus responds to him:
Be born again, baptised as new. Let Spirit be your key.
Release the lock, reach out your hand. The kingdom here is free!
“Jesus makes clear that flesh and Spirit cannot mingle, and only in being reborn can we progress in this understanding, – the poem concludes:
Forsake all flesh and be baptised, let Spirit shine through you,
Reflecting God, we follow Him, and witness what is true.
“Nicodemus was seeking the truth, and Jesus told him, and told us. In the next chapter of John we are told of when Jesus tells the Samaritan woman “GOD IS SPIRIT” (John 4:24) (Correct translation). It is fundamental, for that is all we can witness. It is a call to baptism, purification.
“BAPTISM. Purification by Spirit; submergence in Spirit. (SH citation S21, 581:23-26)
“When we are so submerged in Spirit, we express the qualities of Spirit, indeed all the synonyms of God.
WE WITNESS RIGHT NOW THE PERFECTION OF ALL THAT GOD IS. ANY THING ELSE IS A LIE.
WE CAN ONLY WITNESS WHAT IS TRUE.”
[Ken:] 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.
A FREE copy of my combined translations is available on an excel spreadsheet for those who may be interested. They have been collated over several years from BibleGateway translations, taking the best from the many translations provided, and taking further inspiration from Christian Science in their compilation. They cover over a thousand key Bible verses, taken from both the BibleGateway verses for the day, and from the Weekly lessons. Reading all verses from any one book is insightful and motivating. The spreadsheet also includes a genealogy from Adam to Jesus as I have set out, with related notes. Shared with love.
Write to Ken on kengcooper@btinternet.com.
