Editor’s Note: The following background information and application ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson for this week are offered primarily to help CedarS campers and staff see and demonstrate the great value of daily study of the Christian Science Bible lessons year-round, not just at camp.
His comforting & generous promises aren’t without demands!
Lesson Application Ideas for “Soul” (Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson for February 12, 2006)
by Corde Hanzlik, C.S., Austin, Texas
The huge promises that God makes to us in the Responsive Reading in this week’s Soul Lesson are incredibly comforting and generous. Yet His promises aren’t without demands from us. First, He is our God (clothed in Majesty as the Golden Text tells us). The “if” of the verse 3 is our signal to commit. “If ye (we) walk in my statutes”… “Then” in verse 4. He will give rain when we need it, fruit from the land and trees, enough will be harvested (threshed) to last through the year until it is time to plant again (sowing time). We’ll have lots to eat while we are peaceful and relaxed, afraid of nothing. Neither man nor beast will disturb us. Why? He loves us! God wants everything good for us. He is the God! God made this covenant with Abraham centuries ago. It is still true for us.
Section 1. “Second verse, same as the first”
Moses and his people understood the covenant so they sang about it. As we are told in Jeremiah, the covenant is everlasting. There is no other God, but the one! (B 1) Often the word “heart” means consciousness in the Bible. Count the number of times heart is mentioned in Jeremiah and Deuteronomy. (B2,3) (Insert the word “consciousness” for heart and see if the citations mean more to you.) We are enabled to understand and know the one God, when we keep our end of the covenant deal. Actually, God is always doing His part. We don’t always recognize it. Mrs. Eddy is more straight forward of our demands in her direct question, “Dost thou “love the Lord thy God …?”(S&H 1) She then tells us what that commitment entails – surrender everything material – everything, even what seems like the good “stuff”. We want that El Dorado (gold mine) of good. We read in S&H 2 about the realization of God’s power by the children of Israel on their journey through the wilderness. (They murmured about many things. Do we?) Mrs. Eddy’s statement of history (S&H 2), of centuries ago as the earth was thought to be the center of the universe and not the sun, to the opposite, the sun as center around which everything moves), demonstrates material-sense changeableness. Christian Science shatters the earth dream of Mind, Soul and body. Mind and Soul are the center and circumference of all, permanent. The body doesn’t have any authority to tell us what to do or feel. Yet like the solar system, the body seems to be ever so real and bossy – human perception. When we admit that we are “God’s own likeness” (S&H 4), we are free.
Section 2. Jacob wrestles with that admission
B 5 is a prayer of admission and promise. Our example, Jacob, had to wrestle with the mortal sense of himself. He was willing to do so, but the argument of mortality and fear were warping his perspective. He won the match and demanded the blessing-reward. Now Israel (translated “who prevails with God”), he went on his way to be the founder of nations. Read the whole story of Jacob in Genesis. It really is an amazing story. “The Lord redeemed Jacob”(B 7). So how about us? When we wrestle with error, aren’t we redeemed? Our name is recognized as “Child of God”.Again, Mrs. Eddy explains Jacob’s wrestling so well – what he was wrestling with – and his spiritual victory. (S&H 5,6,7) What is so important about a name change? When you say someone’s name to a friend, it represents the individual so that you each know or “see” that person in thought. The individual’s characteristics and features are known by both of you even though the person isn’t there to see. A name is a codeword for our identity. (If someone is calling you names other than ‘child of God’, they are not talking about you. Don’t react.) The human entity is not necessary when we are known as we truly are, spiritual ideas.
Section 3. What? We can’t have it both ways?
There’s a whole bunch of really fun stuff in life. Things that we don’t want to give up. (B 9) Do we really have to? It would appear that if our thinking and motives are straight with God, we can have great rewards. (B 10,11,12) We must be servants of God only. A crown is reserved for each of us. Already ours, we have to claim it.Living a sinful, mortal sense of life gets us nowhere. We must strive to understand the Science of being more, so to put off the false mortal concept of man (human perception). (S&H 8,9) As Mrs. Eddy tells us, we are strengthened in our moral courage. (S&H 11) As we love God more (question in the first section), we “finally can overcome his (my) fear of sin. This is sin’s necessity, – to destroy itself.” As we overcome the fear, trust totally in God (and why not?), all good prevails. (S&H 12)
Section 4. Jesus didn’t have to wrestle in this proof. He had spiritual perspective.
Did Jesus have to do all of the busy work in order to heal the man of deafness and speech? No, but those around him needed the theatrics because they still didn’t get Jesus’ healing message. (B15) We should follow our Master. The force is with us because we understand it!Jesus knew that the man was whole before he treated him. We have the same authority as he did. Soul is the Master. (S&H 14) How? By yielding. (S&H 16) Yielding to the power and authority of God, Ego, Mind shouldn’t be hard. However, that’s where the wrestling sometimes happens. We are such control freaks. We want everything our way. Really, Mind does it all as we read in S&H 18. We must be firm in our trust of Him. Remember the “if” of the covenant?
Section 5. Wake up!
God repeats Himself often. We seem to be slow learners. Twice, three times, four, …God speaks. (B17) Eutychus wasn’t bored necessarily as Paul was teaching. He was way up high in the warm stuffy air so dozed off – mortal explanation. It was great for Paul that the fall happened. It added proof to what he was preaching.There is no death. All of the witnesses saw Eutychus fall and suffer consequences, but the wrestling match began, first with Paul, then the crowd. What they thought they saw was a false picture supported by material belief. Paul knew better. So do we.Instead of a “human perception”, Mrs. Eddy calls it a “human misconception” in S&H 21. What evidence are we accepting? We are immortal. Soul says so. Fact, law. God only knows His immortal idea. Fact, law. Soul sense is always telling us fact backed by law. “Thus Science proves man’s existence to be intact.” (S&H 22)
Section 6. Repeating the Responsive Reading, we have it all, not ‘if’, but ‘as’.We have the fruit – proof – of God’s care.
In B 19 the fruit happens to be figs. Wow! God is definitely supreme! Moon, stars, heavens, us! We are unique and special. God gives us everything and then makes us know it. We are blest! (B 22)In our rejoicing, let’s think about our name, character, change. There is one idea of Soul, We are, each one of us, that idea made and known by Soul. As we follow the rule of metaphysics, we “resolve things into thoughts, and exchange the objects of sense (added: human perceptions and misconceptions) for the ideas of Soul (added: spiritual, permanent realities.)” (S&H 25) We will find that we are now as “in the beginning” the “unfolding” ideas of God made in His image and likeness with dominion. (S&H 26,27) So in fact, there is no change. We have always been and will always be the perfect, loved child of God. The complete covenant, no ifs, ands, or buts. No choice! Who wants one?
Camp Director’s Note: The above sharing is the latest in a long series of CedarS Bible Lesson “mets” (metaphysical application ideas) contributed weekly by a rotation of CedarS Resident Practitioners and occasionally by other metaphysicians. This document is intended to initiate further study as well as to encourage the application of ideas found in the Weekly Bible Lessons as printed in the Christian Science Quarterly and as available at Christian Science Reading Rooms.* Originally sent JUST to campers, staff and CedarS families who wanted to continue at home and in their home Sunday Schools the same type of focused Lesson study and inspiration they had felt at camp, CedarS lesson “mets” are in no way meant to be definitive or conclusive or in any way a substitute for daily study of the lesson in the books. The thoughts presented are the inspiration of the moment and are offered to give a bit more dimension, background and daily applicability to some of the ideas and passages being studied. If more information or the text of this Lesson is desired, please see the Director”s Note at the end. The citations referenced in the “met” (metaphysical application ideas) are taken from the King James Version of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. The Bible and Science and Health are the ordained pastor of the Churches of Christ, Scientist. The Bible Lesson is the sermon read in Christian Science church services throughout the world. The Lesson-Sermon speaks individually through the Christ to everyone, providing unique insights and tailor-made applications for each one. We are glad you requested this metaphysical sharing and hope that you find some of these ideas helpful in your daily spiritual journey, in your deeper digging in the books and in closer bonding with your Comforter and Pastor.)
Enjoy!
Warren Huff, Director director@cedarscamps.org
The CedarS Camps Office
1314 Parkview Valley
Manchester, MO 63011
(636) 394-6162
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