Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for “Are Sin, Disease & Death Real?” for 10-10-2021

Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the
Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Are Sin, Disease & Death Real?” for 10-10-2021
Click the poem, “Ever Truth’s River,” to hear read Sue Cooper, about the healing love of the Christ that takes a woman bent over for eighteen years with infirmity and despair to freedom and rejoicing.

Also hear in the healing monologue “The Mother of Eutychus”, also read by Sue, the moving words of a mother who has been listening to the words and inspiration of Paul, when she is suddenly challenged to put Paul’s words into practice when her son appears to have died from a fall…

[Ken:] “God is forever. His reflection, His proof of being, is also forever. There is nothing else, nothing that can separate the two, for the infinity of God precludes any distance between object and image. They are one. The Golden Text is a beautiful summary of recent lessons we have had, – “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it.” The “very good” of all creation (Responsive Reading/Gen 1:31) is real and permanent, and involves the perfection of God and man as the forever fact of all being. The “very good” of all being shows the question itself “Are sin, disease, and death real?” to be impossible in absolute Science, because they have no conception within God, the All-in-all. When we are at one with God, as was Jesus, sin, disease, and death have no conception within us either, and the perfect spirituality, the perfect life, of man, is fully expressed. We are inseparable from our infinite source.

When we consider a river, it has its various sources and they all join together and flow in increasing volume to the sea. At every point the river represents its source, (Amazon, Mississippi, Nile &c, – they would not be what they are without source and estuary). In last week’s lesson we learned that “spiritual sense….involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.” (SH 298:13-15). This can be likened to a river, — a tiny source gathers strength as it flows on. We are the same. The tiniest intuition has all the promise of God, all the strength of Truth and Love, behind it, (like the mustard seed), and it is a vital part of the whole. They all exist at the same time. Every thought that we have is a part of infinity, has the strength and compass of infinity, because our thoughts are born of God.

In Section 3 we have the story of a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and “could in no wise lift up herself”.  In my poem, “Ever Truth’s River,” read by Sue, the love of the Christ takes her from despair to rejoicing. While she felt responsible for her infirmity, Jesus just felt and knew the power of Love. When we feel responsible, we are denying the Father. She learned a great lesson: “God loves me as made me, this fact always see: I am ever Truth’s river, running and free.”.  Truth is responsible for itself. It flows, we reflect. There is nothing else.

Mary Baker Eddy defines “RIVER: Channel of thought”, and we know that “Spirit, God gathers unformed thoughts in to their proper channels.”  The demonstration of Truth is the active washing away of all sin, disease and death with the pure flow of each of the seven synonyms of God, flowing as God directs, unfettered by matter, and therefore free. There is no sin, disease or death in the ceaseless flow of all that God is. To material sense the journey from source to sea is long, but to spiritual sense there is no time and the destination, the kingdom of heaven, is already present. Intuition and reality are at one. (cit. S27)

In the healing monologue “The Mother of Eutychus”, also read by Sue, we experience the moving words of a mother who has been listening to the words and inspiration of Paul, and is suddenly challenged to put Paul’s words into practice. Listen to her healing thoughts! They are powerful. When faced with error, our cry should immediately be “No!” – with the confidence and knowledge of Truth. The mother’s response is a potent treatment, showing her spiritual sense, intuition through to reality, in action.

Neither did Paul react to the material picture, for he too knew its falsity. Instead he calmly went to the child, bent over him and embracing him in his arms, stated what he knew to be true, – His life was in him, – had never left him, could not fall out of God’s embrace. The monologue concludes “We are alive in His Love.” This is the reality of all being.

One healing proves the truth for all healings. The touch of the Christ is available to everyone, it needs to be perceived, received and then conceived in demonstration and joy. This is Christian Science in action. Put another way, Are purity, health, and life real? And the answer is a resounding YES!

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.  (Audio of the CedarS Met is yet to be added with the email then following soon.) The full range of Ken’s videos can be found on KenGCooperPoetry.  Ken’s email is kengcooper@btinternet.com.