Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on “Soul and Body” for 11-21-2021
Sunday, November 14th, 2021
By Ken Cooper, poet from Great Britain
Ken Cooper’s “POETIC PRELUDE” for the
Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Soul and Body” for 11-21-2021
- In the YouTube poem/video, “In Him We Live and Move and Have our Being,” we see the new concept of God that Paul shared with the Athenians. (cit. B2/Acts 17:24-28)
- The YouTube monologue/poem “Wilt thou be made whole?” tells the full story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda who Jesus healed of years of helpless invalidism and self-pity. (cit. B11/John 5:2-14)
[Ken writes:] “It can be helpful to consider the nature of God for in so doing we learn directly about our true selves. Does God ever get tired, or go hungry? Does God ever get depressed or bored with what is going on? The answers are obvious, and should also be as clear when we ask the same about ourselves. Our soul and body are in God’s possession, (“thou art mine” Isa. 43:1 thou) and cannot be separated from Him. The Golden Text states “…. glorify and honour God in both your body and in your spirit, for they belong to Him.” (combining various translations). Indeed, the last verse of the Responsive Reading also encapsulates all that follows in the lesson “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person altogether, – the past is finished and gone, – everything has become fresh and new, blossoming with the life and power of the Christ!” (various translations). This is the glory of Soul and Body, – the full expression of all that God is, for that is what we are.
“When Paul spoke to the Athenians and others gathered on Mars’ Hill, he set before them a whole new concept of God, and the poem “In Him We Live and Move and Have our Being” (see Bible citation #2), dwells on the full implications of his marvellous message. It is interesting to put Paul’s oration into context. “Old things are passed away. Behold all things are become new”, -he certainly had to put his past away!! (are we willing to do that for others?) And now he was blossoming forth in his fulsome praise of God. He was not to be put off! He showed complete trust in God despite the uproar he often caused in his travels, preaching about Jesus, glorifying God in the face of imprisonment, causing upheaval in Thessalonica and escaping to Athens. With all this churning, there he stood, (this word stand again), at peace with his new self, “in the midst of Mars’ Hill” and declaring the true nature of God, Spirit, not matter, to all around him. Paul was expressing and sharing the new.
“The poem stands as a prayer, a peace be still, – no matter what the uproar, what the attacks were upon him or us in whatever form, the peace and comfort that come from understanding where we live and move reveal the simple truth: we are of God, and are safe with Him. His proof of this was a beacon to all. The poem shares the thought of being “caught up in a feather breeze of Soul that (bears us) on gentle wings across the face of infinity”, – how apt for all of us wherever we are, inseparable from infinite Love / Soul, to feel the gentleness and presence of God. When we understand our true heritage is the kingdom of heaven itself we find “a higher and more permanent peace”, (citation S10/265:10) for we are with God, at one with God, metaphysically hand in close-held hand, inseparable.
“The declaration of Paul is a beautiful summary of all the healing work of Jesus and indeed all others. When Jesus saw the man by the pool of Bethesda, the words of Paul, standing for all time, were proved. They are a further definition of “the perfect man” that Jesus saw.
“This is the message Jesus in effect gave to the man at the pool of Bethesda. The monologue “Wilt thou be made whole?” takes the full story of a man caught in the web of self-pity being asked to change the direction of his thought. Jesus could have asked “Wilt thou be holy, – focused on good, focused on God?” His immediate response was to cling to his problems, but Jesus saw his perfection, his true substance, and uttered those words that the Christ is speaking to us all “Rise, take up thy bed (stop dwelling on thy material trappings) and walk (in the light of God)”. (See Bible cit. #13/John 5:2-14). The effect was immediate, because the light shone on his darkness, and it was gone.
“The poem continues with the full story, noting the further command of Jesus to the healed man “Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, ….” – a clear requirement to be holy and maintain that holy thought that maketh whole. Perfection cannot sin. (What would be the point?!!) The Science of Christianity was proven, — in citation S15/162:4 we read “the effect of this Science is to stir the human mind to a change of base”, – this is exactly what happened to this man, – no longer of Bethesda but of God: In his monologue he says: “I now see and live in God’s light. It all comes down to this: My life has not changed, it has been revealed!”
“We also see the spiritual Body revealed. It shines with this full radiance of Soul: it shines with the glory of God because God is glorious. It is shining NOW, not tarnished with the fake past, nor doubting the false future. When we shine in the NOW, all things are constantly new, reflecting the seven synonyms as they interweave and glorify God. That’s how and why we are here.”
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 Met 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.
