Hymn Sing AND Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Mortals and Immortals” for 11-14-2021

HYMN SING SUNDAY** AND Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the
Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Mortals and Immortals” for 11-14-2021

• In a new YouTube poem/video, “Guarantee” rejoice in the perfection of all as “MADE BY GOD!”
• In poem/video “Bear Witness as God’s Child” fear the full Nicodemus story (cit. B11/John 8-13)
• In the 3^rd YouTube poem, “I am God’s Treasure”, Zacchaeus tells of Jesus’ life-changed love. (cit. B13/Luke 19:1-10)
  

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 [Ken writes:] “When I was a child many of the toys I was given, or played with, had an inscription or stamp “Made in Hong Kong”. It was a stamp that carried with it the recognition of being cheap but fun, – you knew what you were getting. Many items bought nowadays have a label of where they were made, and many buying decisions are based on this information. The new poem/video this week is called “Guarantee”, and is very direct in its message. It is very relevant, because a label is a material appellation, and affixes to matter. Our status, as made by God, is not in a label, but in the expression of what we are. “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man” (SH p. 277:2-4): he did not need a label, he simple saw the evidence of what God had made. The creations of God are self-explanatory: not only are they all “very good”, indeed perfect, they are all that exist! Perfection is All-in -all.

The Golden Text asks us to “Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy”. When we see, in Science, what we truly are, our perfection as “MADE BY GOD” stands out in glory, – in fitting acclaim to our Creator! A key difference between the material nomenclature and the spiritual, is that the material has so many different locations, identities, – each different place having a different expectation of quality. “MADE BY GOD”  is unique: no stamp is required, because there is no other creator, and everything shines as the perfect expression of what God is. This is what Jesus saw, and in his ascension what he finally proved! Our spirituality is also perfect and immortal. Bible citation #7 is clear: “By their fruits ye shall know them”. When we see as Jesus, we do not see the false fruit of the serpent, but we SEE MAN AS THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE! Spiritual and immortal.

Although not in this week’s lesson, when Jesus spoke with the woman of Samaria (John 4:4-29) he shared a fundamental Truth: – “God is Spirit” (in most translations). As we are made by God, we are made by Spirit, in His image and likeness. This is something that puzzled Nicodemus, – a seeker of Truth. My poem “Bear Witness as God’s Child” embraces the full Bible story (Bible citation #11, and including John 8-13). It shows the complete change of thought that Nicodemus experienced, from material to spiritual, from arrogance to humility. Nicodemus could not understand that man could be re-born, – least of all him! Yet the words of Jesus drew him out to believe what Mary Baker Eddy states in citation S15, “The Science of being reveals man and immortality as based on Spirit.” Nicodemus was rewarded for his seeking out the Truth: it was always there, as it is for us, and is found by all those that earnestly seek its understanding and proof. As the poem notes;

“Be born again! What huge command! It says to start afresh!
And in his love I glimpse this truth: the Spirit’s real, not flesh!”

When we see our immortality, we loose the bonds of matter. This is something available to us all. Nicodemus sought out the Truth, and his reward was a special place in the story of Jesus: his love was made manifest when, with Joseph of Arimathea, they took and safeguarded the body of Jesus, fulfilling the Jewish burial customs. Nicodemus gave witness to his true nature, and clearly never forgot the strong message and result of his meeting Jesus.

Jesus saw the perfect man. We have another fine example in the story of Zacchaeus. Jesus beheld the beautiful treasure of the kingdom of heaven within everyone, no exceptions. No one could hide from him. He knew the perfection of man is always present, it has no material history, and this Truth gave him and gives us the authority to expunge error in its entirety. Sin, sickness, and death flee away faster than light removes darkness, for the flash of understanding is instant, revealing what is true, now.

In the story of Zacchaeus, “I am God’s Treasure”, in citation B13/Luke 19:1-10, we see a man who was made rich through a false understanding of treasure. The outpouring of the unconditional love of Jesus changed his life, for that love continued to flow through all the time they spent together, and not only were his past errors washed away into oblivion, but the true sense of treasure was made manifest and blessed so many more. His life was indeed transformed, recognising true substance. Immortal man is a happy man, and this new purity shone through his re-awakened life, so illuminated by Jesus

“My life thus changed immediately
Because he knew the God-made me”

When we walk with the Christ “man’s real existence as a child of God comes to light” (SH Citation #30), and we behold our immortality.

Copies of the poems are available in pdf format in color and B&W as DOWNLOADS at the top right of the online version of this Poetic Prelude to this week’s Bible Lesson as well as of CedarS online Met this week.

The full range of Ken’s videos can be found on KenGCooperPoetry.  Ken’s email is kengcooper@btinternet.com.