KEN’S POETIC PRELUDE for this week Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on:
“Love” for August 1, 2021
Enjoy two YouTube video poems — “The Infinity of God” read by Ken’s son, James, and “Look on us” read by Ken himself. Both offerings and their connectedness to the stories in this week’s Bible Lesson bring extra inspiration.
[Ken wrote:] “In the absolute, our oneness with God is a fact and God’s commandments are not orders, they are statements of the underlying Truth of being. We love God because that is what we do as his reflection and likeness. There is no greater love or joy than to express utterly and completely the source of your being. As God is Love, His/Her reflection must also express that love, not just occasionally, but with all the heart, soul, and mind. (RR Matt. v27). To love any less is to deny the infinity of God.
In like manner, the second commandment states the fact of the entireness of creation being at one with the Love that is its Creator. When we see our neighbour, we see God expressed. What is there not to love! As God is infinite, our neighbour can be seen as each and every idea held in Mind. What God sees, He loves, what we see we also love. In the infinity of love, no greater love can be expressed.
The poem “The Infinity of God”, read by my son James, is an update of an earlier version, and focuses on the inevitable consequences of the infinity of God being mirrored as man in God’s own likeness, and the glory of what we therefore are. This is not a future aspiration, – it is the knowing NOW that man is God’s beloved Son, because perfection is a present fact. The infinite has right now the maximum of good, the maximum of Love. As citation S1, 6:18-19 indicates, “More than this we cannot look, farther we cannot go”. When we perceive the infinite, we perceive absolute good, absolute Love. This is the Principle highlighted in the poem as maintaining all that God is, and that we are.
The lesson this week again gives reference to the Word. “The Lord gave the word” (cit. B14/Ps. 68:11) and “He sent his word” (cit. B15/Ps. 107:20), and Mary Baker Eddy puts it into its context “Divine Science, the Word of God,” (cit. S19/503:12), the Voice of ever-present love. The above poem includes the lines:
“The Word is speaking to you now.
Listen: feel its embrace,
Its ONENESS with what and where you are.”
The Word is Love, independent of time and matter, constantly voicing all that God is. We are at one with Love. This is the heart and soul of Christian Science, and when we link Love with all the other synonyms for God, we see just how, from the very beginning, the power of Love has been the power behind everything man does.
This is the power which was behind everything that Jesus did, that Mary Baker Eddy did. It is the power which Peter exercised at the Beautiful Gate. The immortal words “Silver and gold have I none” immediately changed the outlook of the supplicant, The poem “Look on us” shares the message from last week’s lesson “Truth is revealed. It needs only to be practised.” SH 174:20 This is the healing power of the Christ made manifest by Peter, his response to Jesus command (expectation) that Peter would fulfil what Love is when understood. “Truth (Love) is revealed, it needs only to be practiced”, – and enjoyed! There is no greater joy than Love expressed. Quoting from this poem:
“So too for us; may we so leap and be:
At one with Love, in God’s reality.”
The infinity of Love is our guarantee of perpetual perfection.
PDF copies of both poems, in colour and B&W, can be found at the bottom of this week’s metaphysical article. A full range of Ken’s videos can be found here. All poems and writings kencooperpoetry.