Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the Christian Science Bible Lesson ON “MATTER” for 9-19-2021
Sunday, September 12th, 2021
By Ken Cooper, poet from Great Britain
Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the Christian Science Bible Lesson ON “MATTER” for 9-19-2021
In “The Chaff and the Wheat” see all grime wiped away to reveal your unity and harmony with God.
In “Moses, Moses” find God as your strength, to be “the how!” of freeing you from the limitations of matter.
In “A Parent’s Revelation” feel the impact of the Love that has no consciousness of matter.
[Ken:] “When Moses heard the Word of God in the desert, and was given the command to lead Israel out of Egypt, it might well have included this week’s Golden Text: “Stand up, shake the dust off yourself”, for that is what he had to do. He was supported by the revelation of “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). This definition of God is the overriding Truth that governs the universe, the statement of Spirit that trashes matter for ever. It is the breath of Spirit that sweeps away the dust and chaff, and reveals the ever-presence of God, and confirms the beautiful words from Isaiah “…I (SPIRIT) am with thee…I(SPIRIT) am thy God… I (SPIRIT) will strengthen…help…uphold thee…” (Responsive Reading (RR)/Isa.41:10). Standing strong with God we see the spiritual perfection of all that is, and the logical nothingness of all that isn’t!
“The poem “The Chaff and the Wheat” dispels matter. Underlying its message is the fact of I AM THAT I AM, the understanding that the reign of Spirit necessarily obliterates the illusion of matter. When we see spiritual substance, we see that “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed”, (RR/Isa. 40:5) – we see as God sees, and what God sees, – the perfection of man. It does not matter how big the problem appears to be, how big the mountain we may be facing, the recognition of our true being lifts us up above all falsity, shakes off all the dust and grime, whatever its appearance, to reveal our unity and harmony with God. The Breath of Spirit is also the Sword of Truth, threshing and trashing error for good!
“We have the story of Moses, and those wonderful words of God: “Certainly I will be with thee.” [in Bible citation B3 for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on “Matter” for September 19, 2021]. “Certainly I, (Spirit), will be with thee.” When we say “I AM” it is Spirit expressing itself. The shepherd Moses had to become a Leader of men. The huge responsibility being placed on his shoulders was initially unwelcome, and yet again in the Bible we see how key characters had to relinquish all self-importance, their belief in material man trying to be “as gods”. As Mary Baker Eddy says in citation S10/191:16-17: “The human thought must free itself from self-imposed materiality and bondage” . The poem “Moses, Moses” traces his experiences, and the recognition of this fundamental fact: “God was my strength, He still is now. In simple terms He is the how!”. When we let Spirit reign, we are freed from the limitations of matter. What Moses achieved is available to us all, for “God, Spirit, is the how”, and no amount of matter or dust, nothing, can ever get in the way of God!
“When Jesus began his ministry there were those that doubted him, – who does he think he is!! Peter’s wife’s mother was perhaps one such individual. In the poem “A Parent’s Revelation”, read by Sue, we are given what may well have been her thoughts. Jesus was not side-tracked by the material picture, a poor sickly woman unable to perform her desired duties. He, in effect, shook the dust off her thinking, and the effect was immediate. Like a mirror covered in dust, and useless, a single wipe clean restored the original which had never gone away. Jesus’ clear thought removed the dust, changed her thought from self to helping others, and the dream was broken. She felt the impact of Love, and that Love had and has no consciousness of matter.
“Moses, Peter’s wife’s mother, Jesus, all had their roles to play, and so do we, unhindered by matter, and led by Spirit, for it is God that performs, and we have joy in reflection. Forgetting self, loosing matter, we blossom in true freedom. Matter would limit: Spirit, Truth, sets us free to be what we are. This is our present salvation.”
Copies of the poems are available in pdf format in color and B&W as DOWNLOADS in the online version of this week’s “Poetic Prelude”— while the full range of Ken’s videos can be found on KenGCooperPoetry.