Ken’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shares Bible EXAMPLES of THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING GOODNESS OF GOD.
Thursday, December 29th, 2022
By Ken Cooper, poet from Great Britain
Ken Cooper’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shares Bible EXAMPLES of THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING GOODNESS OF GOD.
inspired by The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
GOD
for Sunday, January 1, 2023
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW “I AM”
- In Ken’s poem “ELIJAH HEARS THE STILL SMALL VOICE” we learn where true power lies, – with the stillness and allness of God.
- In Ken’s poem “THE MANTLE OF ELIJAH” we see the effectiveness of Christian Science passed on to Elisha in the same way it is passed on to each of us, to express good!
- In Ken’s poem “LOOK ON US” Peter turns attention away from the material to the spiritual, and healing results. How good is that!
[Ken writes:] “The first commandment is clear “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). I like to see this not as a commandment but as a statement of truth. As God is infinite, it is not possible to have other gods. Similarly, Jesus says in Mark 12:30 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” As God is Spirit, this is a straightforward and direct requirement / necessity / outcome of the practical infinity of Mind, Love, Life. God, Love, Good, without expression, is nothing.
WHEN WE LOVE GOD TOTALLY, THERE IS NO OTHER INFLUENCE IN OUR THOUGHT, AND WE CAN ONLY EXPERIENCE GOD’S GOODNESS. THIS IS CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN ACTION.
Within a loving family, everyone want to make everyone else happy and joyous. We are all God’s family, a family of good, and the Golden Text sets out the perfect consequences!
“Dear God, because you always answer all prayers offered to you, all mankind seeks your presence and fulfillment, and the material is turned to the spiritual.
You crown the year, every moment, with Your overflowing goodness. Yes! Your goodness and richness are always present and evident wherever you are.”
The interchangeability of GOD and GOOD is well illustrated in this CedarsCamps met. article for this week . The infinity of God is the infinity of GOOD! We are inseparable from that Goodness.
This is all we can see, feel, experience when we love God with all we are! As included in the Responsive Reading:
“For He satisfies the yearning soul, as a thirsty man is quenched by a flowing river; He nourishes everyone who is hungry to do the right thing, giving an abundance of all the good things they ever need.”
This is illustrated in Section 2, citation B9. My poem “ELIJAH HEARS THE STILL SMALL VOICE” shares his story. Elijah had fled before the very real threats posed by the material outlook. Four hundred of his fellow prophets had been killed and he was next in line. He ran, he hid, and when he talked with God he set out the desperate circumstances he was in. “What doest thou here, Elijah?” rings so true for each of us at various times. Why am I here? Is this fair? Why has God forsaken me?
“What doest thou here, Elijah?” rings in thought
“Is this hiding what service to God [GOOD] has now brought?”
The Allness of God gives man All good, experienced when we listen (the Word is always speaking) and obey (“I can of mine own self do nothing”). It does not matter how many arguments we may put before God, He is unaware of imperfection, He has no unlikeness. He only knows good. Elijah was told “to stand on the mount before the Lord”. He is challenged by the might of earthquake, wind and fire:
“A great and strong wind gusts with power and might; …..
An earthquake shatters the rocks all around…..
A fire bursts forth, and with flame the land lit:….”
It must have seemed like the worst of everything he was battling, – but “the Lord is not there”; God is the infinite expression of Himself, nothing else exists. Verse 12 reads: “And after the earthquake there was a mighty fire, that burnt everything around it. But the Lord was not in the fire, he was not in anything that was destructive. And after the fire, Elijah beheld the Truth, a still small voice, the all-power of God.”
When the full force of error appears to be screaming at us, taking the whole of our thought, we are given the simple remedy: “Spirit, God, is heard when the senses are silent” Cit S 7 89:20-21. If we are listening to the material senses, we are not loving God with all our heart. Is thought focused on self or God?…“Material beliefs must be expelled to make room for spiritual understanding. We cannot serve both God and mammon at the same time; …” (S&H p.346:29–31 (to ;)). We cannot believe in an infinite God and at the same time countenance the apparent reality of anything unlike God, good.
“A strange calm replaces the forces that raged:
An infinite stillness that time never aged.”
When we are with God we are at peace. As when Jesus calmed the storm which was panicking the disciples, his true sense of calm restored stillness. Jesus made the comment “Oh ye of little faith,” Matthew 8:26, and he rebuked the winds and waves. Here Elijah heard the still small voice, – and he too recognised the presence of God
This truth dawned on the receptive Elijah as surely as it dawns in us, – the “infinite stillness that time never aged” is the recognition of “I AM THAT I AM”, the infinite presence of Almighty GOOD, taking away all fears, because there is nothing to fear. And with this realisation Elijah went forth as we can too:
“Oh, show me dear Father the way I must go,
To share with Thy children the Love [GOOD] all must know, –
I will listen, and follow Your Word, Your Voice:
It speaks the Truth [GOOD] only: in that [GOOD] I rejoice!”
In listening to God, Elijah was obedient! (“I will listen for thy voice, lest my footsteps stray, I will follow and rejoice all the rugged way…..” Hymn 304-9) To what are we listening? We have the power to expel all the lies of matter because the infinity of Mind negates anything unlike Mind, unlike good. Error will try to insist, but 2+2=5 can never touch 2+2=4, the infinite truth. From where did the error come? Nowhere! “Spiritual understanding unfolds Mind, — Life, Truth, and Love, — and demonstrates the divine sense, giving the spiritual proof of the universe in Christian Science.” (citation S9, p. 505:22). When we give gratitude (see Responsive Reading, first verse) and rejoice we align ourselves with omnipresent good.
When Elijah returned as commanded, he appointed Elisha to be with him, training Elisha to be, as indeed he was, a force for good. “ELIAS. Prophecy; spiritual evidence opposed to material sense; Christian Science, with which can be discerned the spiritual fact of whatever the material senses behold; the basis of immortality.” (S&H p. 585:9)
It made me think of my poem “THE MANTLE OF ELIJAH”. A mantle is a covering, worn over other garments. It represents the all-embracing cover of Christian Science, the recognition of all good, Spirit over matter, the understanding of “I AM THAT I AM”, that enables us to practice and enjoy all that is good.
“I saw that God was present,
And with me everywhere,
A spiritual discernment
That Love [GOOD] is always here.”
When we love God with all our heart, soul and mind, completely wrapped with Love, this is what results:
“God became my only thought,
And Love my only view!”
This is God expressed, our good purpose fulfilled:
“God is pure perfection,
I AM the living proof!”
It links back to the Golden Text “You crown the year, every moment, with Your overflowing goodness.” We are that overflowing goodness, we are the living proof of good. Every loving act, kind thought, active proof of gratitude, fulfills all that God is, what we are. The mantle is our crown, the best robe given to the son – see Luke 15:22, the prodigal son welcomed back, a wrapping of eternal love for each of us, based on now.
This was evidenced not only by Jesus but by his disciples. So much healing took place by the hands of his followers after his resurrection and ascension. Healing others is its own praise, recognition and sharing of what is true.
In my poem ““LOOK ON US” Peter was instructing the lame man to look away from his mortal crippled view of himself to see something higher. Not to look at their mortal form, but the spirituality they represented. When people were with Jesus, they may well have seen his body, but would have felt his spiritual awareness shining forth. Peter and John knew their upbringing was of God, and this is what they were about to share:
“Here an active deed of unselfed love.
Peter saw him, and spiritually discerned with surest gaze
The perfect man, whole, complete, a fellow child of God.
Peter spoke to him: “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk”.
Silver and gold represent the false idols of matter, the false view of material man, reliant on material supply. Peter was having none of that! With the great confidence of knowing the truth he told the man to rise up and walk, – in the name and nature of Jesus Christ . He did!
“And he saw too, lifted up by Peter’s knowing praise
To see himself as whole indeed, no longer to live
Upon the alms of man, but in the freedom of the Lord!”
The shackles of the past were no more. When thought is focused on God, the present all goodness of now is all that matters. The lie of history is a lie whether two minutes, two centuries or two millennia ago. We live in the freedom of infinity right now.
“And he leaping up stood, and walked….
Walking and leaping and praising God.”
This is not our power made manifest, but the infinite good power of God made manifest, giving us all we need: “Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.” (Cit S 28 p. 393:12) The next sentence in the textbook is “Be firm in your understanding that the divine Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God’s government.”(goodness) p. 393:16–18). We can only reflect good.
“All that God imparts moves in accord with Him, reflecting goodness and power.” (Cit S 29, p. 515:22) It was with God’s power the once lame man leaped and walked and praised God, and this too is our heritage, reflecting God’s power and infinite goodness.
PRAISING GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS IS OUR PROOF OF THE “MAXIMUM OF GOOD”.
Bible verses are taken from my combined translations, a free copy of which is available on an excel spreadsheet for those who may be interested. The spreadsheet also includes a genealogy from Adam to Jesus, with related notes. Shared with love. Write to Ken on kengcooper@btinternet.com.
Copies of these 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. 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.
