GEMs that demonstrate the stillness and peace of God that passes all understanding!
Monday, November 23rd, 2020
GEMs that reflect “the peace of God which … keep your hearts and minds through Christ!”
Insights from Cobbey Crisler, Ken Cooper & others for The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism, Denounced"
for November 23-29, 2020
by Warren Huff, CedarS Executive Director
warren@cedarscamps.org 314-378-2574
GEM#1: Remain at peace with all who are freaked-out by turmoil, even though it looks like you’re in the same boat. Cobbey Crisler on Mark 4:35-41. (Golden Text, citations B21 & S25)
[Cobbey: In Mark, chapter 4,] “Verse 37. … we have the “storm of wind, the waves.”
Verse 38. And another thing that Peter remembers is that Jesus was “asleep on a pillow.” No other gospel tells us that Jesus was asleep on a pillow. Things linger with Peter. Do you remember Peter’s roof in Mark 2:4? It took him longer to fix that roof than it took Jesus to heal the paralytic man inside the house.
Now we have another thing that stuck with Peter. In the middle of crisis, there’s Jesus “in the lap of luxury” asleep on a pillow. He was not concerned about that boat or its occupants. There was a great sense of peace, obviously, in the mind of Jesus. But the frantic disciples go and shake him, wake him up. "Don't you care that we're perishing out here?'' They hadn't thought that he was in the same boat. Actually, when one bases it on a different mental concept, he wasn't m the same boat with the disciples.
You know how you and I feel when we're awakened out of a sleep? We usually need a little time to get over the grogginess. Not with Jesus. He immediately arose, and rebuked the wind, just as he did to the man with the unclean spirit in the synagogue. He saw church right out there. So, church includes nature. Nature was trying to get outside the definition of church.
Verse 39. Jesus said, "No" and "Yes” to God’s definition of church,
"Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."
Verse 40. Then he pointed to the problem. The problem was mental. ''You are fearful." That obviously is what needs then to be said "No" to. "You have no faith." Faith is what apparently needs to be said "Yes" to. That calms storms without as well as storms within, showing that the real conquest is that of inner space, not of outer space.”
“What Mark Recorded,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
GEM#1B—Bonus PS: Mary Baker Eddy appropriates Jesus’ words in Mark 4:39 when he stills this big storm. “Human will-power may infringe the rights of man. It produces evil continually and is not a factor in the realism of being. Truth, and not corporeal will, is the divine power that says to disease, “Peace be still.” (Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures, 144:22, citation S25)
GEM#1C—Bonus story of the winner of an art contest to perfectly depict peace: I first heard about “Peace in the storm” in a Christian Science Sunday School class and just found this link that shares it— https://wesleyumc-dover.com/peace-in-the-storm/
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
“An art contest was held to find “the perfect picture of peace”. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived, and the field had been narrowed down to just two paintings.
“As a judge pulled the cover from first one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed.
“Surely this was the winner!
“But when the second painting was uncovered, the crowd gasped in surprise.
“A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind, and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls.
“But in that tree, a little bird had built a nest. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.
“Perhaps today, you’ve been guilty of searching for the kind of peace in the first picture. But the problem is that IT JUST DOESN’T EXIST. Real peace—the kind in the second picture—is one that’s ready and available to you when you take shelter in the arms of the Savior.
“Prayer Challenge: Pray that despite your circumstances, God would through Jesus Christ give you peace that surpasses all earthly understanding.” See in full at https://wesleyumc-dover.com/peace-in-the-storm/
GEM#1D —**Bonus peace-related poems: “If” by Rudyard Kipling is lifted higher by “Mother’s Evening Prayer” by Mary Baker Eddy. “If” starts by extolling the virtue of achieving manhood by retaining the inner peace to “keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.” Mary Baker Eddy lifts this peace to a divine sense, beyond that of man’s understanding, by opening her “Mother’s Evening Prayer” with “O gentle presence, peace and joy and power.” She ends it with “and mother finds her home and heav'nly rest.”
“If” has been a special poem to me since childhood because my fun-loving grandfather had a framed version of it that he pointed out to me more than once in reciting it for me by heart. (You can Download a picture of the framed version of “If” that he gave to my mom who in turn gave it to me.) The best gift is one that only God can give though. It’s “the peace of God that passes all understanding” which is all that will truly allow us to fulfill the promise of the final verse to live into and up to our (spiritual) manhood. When Kipling advocates trusting yourself, Christ Jesus tells us to follow him and trust God alone; when Kipling talks of treating the impostors of Triumph and Disaster just the same, Mary Baker Eddy tells us that “loss is gain” (Hymn 207); when Kipling advises to “not be tired by waiting… and don’t give way to hating” Mary Baker Eddy tells us to “Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear / No ill,—since God is good, and loss is gain. /”
Hymn 207, “Mother’s Evening Prayer” in full, by Mary Baker Eddy
“O gentle presence, peace and joy and power; / O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour, / Thou Love that guards the nestling's faltering flight! / Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight. /
"Love is our refuge; only with mine eye / Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall: / His habitation high is here, and nigh, / His arm encircles me, and mine, and all. /
"O make me glad for every scalding tear, / For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain! / Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear / No ill,—since God is good, and loss is gain. /
"Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing; / In that sweet secret of the narrow way, / Seeking and finding, with the angels sing: / “Lo, I am with you alway,”—watch and pray. /
"No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain; / No night drops down upon the troubled breast, / When heaven's aftersmile earth's tear-drops gain, / And mother finds her home and heav'nly rest.
(The Christian Science Hymnal, No. 207:1–5) https://login.concord.christianscience.com/concord/secure/dashboard
Click here or on the link below for the words in print or here for an audio version of the poem “IF” by Rudyard Kipling.
GEM#2: “Be still and know…” Cobbey Crisler on Psalms 46:10 (Responsive Reading)
“Psalm 46, Verse 10. One of the simplest prescriptions for the human mind to take and one of the most difficult. The human mind resists to the hilt taking this one. “Be still and know that I [am] God.” The racket of thought quieted. It’s a very strong word, “Be still.” Jesus used those words to calm violence in nature [Mark 4:39], and also to cast out an unclean spirit [Mark 1:25]. It doesn’t belong in nature or human nature. Certainly, it’s not part of the divine nature. So, “Be still” is [a] very emphatic verbal rebuke.”]
“Leaves of the Tree: Prescriptions from Psalms”, by B. Cobbey Crisler**
GEM#3: Let God’s face shine on us & the symptoms! And, always pay your bill by giving praise! (Perfect for USA’s week of Thanksgiving!)
Cobbey Crisler on Ps. 107:1-22 (Responsive Reading-RR) including verse 15 (not in RR)
“I'm going to give you an assignment in Psalm 107 because it's a very rewarding one to work with. In the first 22 verses, for example, when you are studying this independently at home, work out the steps that are being given us, the symptoms, the appointment with the Great Physician, the treatment, the complete remedy, and then paying your bill. That happens to be a refrain, "Pay your bill. Pay your bill." In this particular Psalm, in Verse 8, [and Verses 15, 21, 31] "Oh that [men] would praise the LORD [for] his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Follow that all the way through and you'll find three different sets of prescriptions and treatments that can be quite relevant to our own experience.”
[Cobbey’s transcribed-from-audio response to an audience question:]
“The appointment with the Great Physician and then, of course, when you're in front of the Physician, that's face-to-face, seeing God's face, get the treatment, let His face shine upon thee, then the remedy, go out and have the prescription filled. The remedy solves the whole problem; then pay your bill. Follow that through and see what comes.”
“Leaves of the Tree: Prescriptions from Psalms,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
GEM#4: Pass your wilderness, divine identity testing period with the Scriptures like Jesus did!
Cobbey Crisler on Jesus’ temptations, Matthew 4:1-11, 23 (citation B17):
“There is what we might call an identity-crisis test in Chapter 4 (of Matthew). The Anglo-Saxon word “tempt” has almost picked up a theological meaning. It really means “test.” That’s what the word means. It’s a test. (Verse 1) So, “Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness” to be tested on the fact that had recently been revealed (directly from God in Matthew 3:17 (and Mark 1:11) that Jesus was God’s “Beloved Son”).
Verse 2. “After forty days and nights he’s hungry.”
This reminds me of Moses. He, too, had that testing period (Exodus 24:18) just prior to receiving the Ten Commandments. For forty days and forty nights. This Chapter in Matthew is just prior to the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. This preparation is the same. And there is a test.
Verse 3. “When the tester comes,” here it is, question Number 1: “If you are the Son of God.” Why would that even have emerged if we had not had Verse 17 in the preceding chapter? “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The test question is, “If you are,” then what? “Command that these stones be made bread.”
How does Jesus respond to this test question? He quotes Scripture. Notice how Jesus responds to temptation. If this is the way Jesus elects to respond to it, what about you and me? How eloquent might you or I try to get when we respond to temptation? Make up original sermons, choose our words carefully, perhaps?
Jesus decided the best defense was Scripture. This verse is taken from Deuteronomy 8, Verse 3. Deuteronomy is a law book. In fact, the word in Greek deuteros nomos is the second law or the repetition of the law. How did he regard this test by Satan? What was going on in Jesus’ thinking here? Had he isolated it completely?
“First of all, what does Satan mean in Hebrew? Accuser. It is also the term for prosecuting attorney. If he has the prosecuting attorney accusing in thought, Jesus in his defense cites what? The law. He quotes the law book. He doesn’t need to do anything original. The law is the law and it never varies. Therefore, what is being suggested her by Satan, or the prosecuting attorney is illegal. It is illegitimate. He proves it by citing the law. That’s a marvelous technique for us in the middle of temptation.
“Our consciousness is like a law court. And the plusses and minuses that occur there have to be dealt with, as in a law court. Where are the accusations coming from? The prosecuting attorney or Satan. Where do we get the information? The law book or the defense attorney.
“You know that Jesus promised that something would come after he had left. It’s been translated “the comforter” in the gospel of John. The Greek word is parakletos, sometimes transliterated as paraclete. In Greek it can be the technical term for defense attorney.
“Verse 4. So, where did Jesus turn for his protection and defense, the defense of his manhood, the defense of his sonship with God, which is a spiritual fact revealed directly to him by God? How does he defend it? By citing the law book, utilizing the Comforter or defense attorney against the arguments of Satan. If Jesus had to do that, can we do anything less? “Man shall not live by bread alone,” Jesus said, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” That is a great statement for survival in an emergency….
Verse 5. But Satan isn’t through yet, is he? Next thing, take Jesus out of the wilderness, and move him into an entirely different environment. The sophistication of organized religion, ecclesiasticism. “Take him to the very pinnacle of the Temple.”
Verse 6. Show him everything that could belong to him ecclesiastically if he would only go via the world’s route by following devilish suggestions. “If thou be the son of God,” the same test question again. “Cast thyself down.” Notice the suggestion is that Jesus do it himself. Apparently Satan knew that it would not succeed trying to cast Jesus down. If Satan couldn’t do it, the only way that it could be done would be for Jesus to do it to himself.” …
In verse 6 we find that Satan is quoting Scripture, “It is written, He will give his angels charge concerning thee.” In fact, that is a very key attempt by Satan. Why? Satan discovered what Jesus’ defense was, namely Scripture. O.K., if that’s the way you want it, the devil can use Scripture for its purposes. But the devil doesn’t know much beyond the 91st Psalm and everybody knows that. So, Satan quotes, “It is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear you up.” You see, there is nothing to worry about, Jesus, even Scripture now backs you, so leap down.
Verse 7. Jesus doesn’t react. It’s reaction in Judo that is taken advantage of by your opponent. Jesus doesn’t react. Simply quotes once again the law book. This come from Deuteronomy 6, verse 16. “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” You cannot test God and His revealed Word. The high quality of Jesus’ discernment and his thought is not sufficient to dismiss Satan after one temptation, or even a second one. How valuable is the quality of persistence! Supposed Jesus had given up after the second time, “I already covered this ground.” Or listened to Satan, but he doesn’t.
Verse 8. The third charge or accusation occurs, “the devil takes him into an exceeding high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world.”
“All these things being offered to Jesus are to a degree a kind of power. He was offered personal power by changing stones to bread. Then he was offered priestly power if he’d go for the argument to be the head of ecclesiasticism. And he was offered political power by being shown all the kingdoms of the world.
“All those temptations that hit human nature… We are in the wilderness at some point along with Jesus having the exact same tests applied to us. How are our responses to those exam questions? Do we pass with flying colors?…
Verse 10. We find that Jesus answers and that the only thing he says that’s original, “Get thee behind me Satan.” He dismisses the prosecution in thought, “for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shall thou serve.” That’s kind of a combination of Deuteronomy 6, verse 13 and Deuteronomy 10, verse 20.
Verse 11. Look at what happens. “The devil leaveth him.” No longer is there dualism in thought. “Angels came and ministered unto him.” True communication completely governed his thought, no longer a divided kingdom. The false communication is dismissed.”
Verse 23. And “healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Here are human problems that had defied solution, and Jesus solved them all based on his concept of theology, namely the kingdom. Remember a kingdom is not chaos. It’s an ordered government of heaven and harmony at hand.”
“Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master, A Tax Collector’s Report,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**
GEM#5: Go out to accomplish all you’ve learned to “heal ALL manner of sickness” Matt. 10:1, 7-16 (B18)
[Cobbey Crisler:] “We now come to Chapter 10. We've had so much evidence that Jesus was an effective healer, but we haven't yet had evidence that there could be healing via the instruction-route: that one could be taught to heal sent out like apprentices in some human trade or profession, and come back practicing the rules learned with results, namely, healed cases.
We find right after the prayer (Matthew 9:38) that God "would send forth more laborers into his harvest," and what do we find? A mandate to heal.
(Verse 1). "He called his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, to heal" What? Only certain diseases? "All manner of disease and all manner of sickness."
(Verse 2). We have the first use of the word "apostles." Verse 1 says "disciples," Verse 2 says, "apostles." There's an interesting difference in the two terms. First, we already discussed what the Greek word for "disciple" was, mathetes. This is the same root as our word "mathematician." That still leaves us somewhat in the realm of the theoretician until we find that apostolos in Greek means "someone who is sent out to accomplish what he has learned." Out go these apostoloi. We are given the names which are very familiar to most of us.”
(Verse 7). "Say," Look at the first words there to say. Is that a coincidence, or is that essential? Where have we run into that statement before? "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Who said it? Jesus' first statement (Matthew 4:17) after "Repent."
The assignments given to the disciples would not be assignments they were incapable of doing, or Jesus would have been unwise.
(Verse 8). He said, "Heal the sick." What do you expect them to do? He said, "Cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils." Notice the sequence. The things he did. Even putting casting-out-devils at a higher level of what was required of prayer than raising the dead. Then stating, "Freely ye have received, freely give."
Did the disciples do that? Even after Jesus was no longer with them personally? They certainly did.
…
(Verse 16). Remember, we are privy here to his personal instructions to his disciples in the first assignment to go out and heal the sick. These warnings would be just as timely and relevant to those who wish to follow his instructions in our century.
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be wise as serpents." The wisdom of the serpent is to hide itself. "Harmless as doves."
“Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master, A Tax-Collector’s Report”, by B. Cobbey Crisler**
GEM#6: Enjoy on YouTube Ken Cooper’s insights on citations shared in this week’s Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson. To help make these familiar passages and their stories easier to visualize and relate to, Ken freely offers a custom prose piece called “Perfect Peace” and a moving monologue called “Under His Shadow”.
[Ken writes:] “Why is God at peace? What is peace? Webster’s Dictionary 1828, defines peace as, inter alia, “Freedom from agitation or disturbance by the passions, as from fear, terror, anger, anxiety or the like; quietness of mind; tranquility; calmness; quiet of conscience.” Simply put, God is at peace because God is All-in-all, – His knowledge of Himself is absolute, – so when we also know that “God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love.” (S&H 465:9 God) (my italics), the infinity of what God is expressed by all that God is. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE. When God says: “I am with thee” (Isaiah 41:10 and see below) that is the sum of all experience. Nothing unlike God can affect man, because there is nothing unlike God. No wonder that God is at peace, and by reflection so too is man. This is the Truth of being.
When we pray we align thought with the only Mind there is. False conceptions are seen for what they are, and the confidence of Truth brings freedom from falsity into our God-experience. This fact is so well shown by this verse in Isaiah: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I [OMNIPOTENCE] will strengthen thee; yea, I [OMNISCIENCE] will help thee; yea, I [OMNIPRESENCE] will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Wherever we are, God already is. There is no other power.
Wherever God is, there is only good, and the nothingness of error is not even in Mind, which knows only itself. Light does not know darkness. Take a torch to any problem and it goes. Too often we focus on what seems to be the problem and not the goal. Our prayers are not to tell God of problems, but to establish our relationship with God. It does not matter how long the darkness /seeming problem has persisted, when faced with light it disappears. Darkness never puts out the light, it has no power. So, we shine with God’s continuous light. There is nothing can stop that reflection. God has never been hypnotized, for good reason!
In the same way, the prose “Perfect Peace” is recognition that we do not need to wait for God’s perfect peace. The “I AM THAT I AM” of God is our present all-powerful good, for when we know God we know what peace is and that becomes our experience. Our recent “ZOOM Association” talked of “Communing with God”, and this is the quietness of communion, knowing ourselves in Him.
The monologue “Under His Shadow” includes sound effects. The aggressive storm and thunder are silenced in the beautiful calm of “Be still”. Sound is the communication of God to man, the Christ message. It is holy and beautiful. It was all that Jesus could hear, and when we are watchful, all we can hear. It does not matter how fierce the storm, how dark the dark, it has no power faced with omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience. When this is realized, we have the lovely Bible verse “and there was a great calm”.
When we denounce error, we affirm “great calm” and there is nothing can take it away.”
PDF copies of the poem “In the Atmosphere of Love” and the monologue, “Under His Shadow”— in color and B&W— are available on the top right of this week's ONLINE metaphysical article for CedarS Camps
