Love and heal as you eat the bread of Christ and drink of Christs cup!

Love and heal as you eat the bread of Christ and drink of Christ's cup!

Metaphysical Application Ideas for Weekly Bible Lesson July 2-8, 2012

Subject: Sacrament

Prepared by Kathy Fitzer of St. Louis, MO

[Bracketed Notes from CedarS Camps Director and Editor of its Weekly Newsletters: The following application ideas for this week, and the Possible Sunday School Topics (PSST) that will follow, are offered primarily to help CEDARS campers and staff (as well as friends) see and demonstrate the great value of daily study and application of the Christian Science Bible lessons year-round, not just at camp! You can sign up to have them emailed to you free — in English by Monday each week, or by each Wednesday you can get a FREE TRANSLATION in French thanks to Joseph and Pascal, in German thanks to Helga and Manfred or in Spanish thanks to a team of Ana, Erick, Claudia and Patricio. YOU CAN SIGN UP at www.cedarscamps.org/newsletters]

 

Consider this week how you can best show your dedication – your faithfulness – to Christ. What does it really mean to eat the bread (the body of Christ) and drink of the cup (the blood of Christ?) Do you do the “right” thing out of habit, or because you know it is what is expected? Or are those “right” things that you do truly the outward expression of the love you feel for God and in appreciation for the selfless example Jesus established for us? Hopefully the latter. As we love – and act rightly – in response to the love of God, we feel the guiding presence of Christ, Truth, and naturally run to follow with gratitude! Healing follows.

 

Golden Text: The themes of giving, offering and worshipping are at the heart of the Golden Text this week. The Hebrew meaning of “offering” includes the the idea of “gift” and “sacrifice.” What higher gift, expression of adoration, or worship can we give than to “give unto the Lord the glory (admiring praise) due unto his (God's) name.” Sacrifice is “the destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim” (as the disciples gave up their fishing careers for the sake of becoming fishers of men – see section 1); or “to surrender or give up, or present injury or disadvantage to for the sake of something else” (as Jesus sacrificed his human life – see section 4.) To worship is “to feel an adoring reverence or regard.”   Be sure not to take God and his blessings for granted, but respond to those blessings with gratitude, praise, and obedience to His will. Jesus showed us how. There's no better model for life.

 

Responsive Reading: We find, here, a continuing theme of offering, sacrifice, worship, and the free giving of the gifts God has given us. Paul urges the Romans to offer their lives to God … rather than some other influence. First step is to not be molded by the thoughts of the world surrounding them. Wow… is THAT ever relevant! We can't afford to let our lives be shaped by peer pressure to do or think in ways foreign to the teachings of the Bible, or be convinced by the messages of the media and commercials that we really are mortal, limited, material beings subject to all kinds of ills. Instead, change your thinking to continually listen for what God has intended for you. His will is always good, and prompts us to express our love for Him and want to do what is in accord with His law of good. Paul goes on to urge his listeners to use the gifts that God has graciously given each of us. It's silly to compare gifts, or wish we had someone else's special gift. We are each unique, and one set of gifts is just as important as another. We need to see the value of giving, encouraging, leading, being merciful. There is a vital role for each of these attributes to play as we work together. And, perhaps most importantly, we need to genuinely love – hating evil (but never a person) and loving what is good (in each person and situation we encounter.) Put others first, work hard, and do good. In this way, you will NEVER be defeated, but evil (in whatever form it may try to take) WILL be defeated. Victory assured!

 

Section i: Be willing to leave the old for the new to discover the cleansing power of Christ

The Hebrew meaning of “Malachi” (the last book in the Old Testament) is “My (i.e. God's) Messenger. The messenger spoken of in this section is, of course, Christ. Christ coming as a refiner promises a cleansing of man… a burning off of the worthless scum or rubbish (dross) that covers up the purity of a substance. Washed clean, we're able to offer our lives to God and receive the blessings He is constantly pouring out. (B-1, see PS) Jesus called his disciples to leave the good human work they were doing to do the great work of serving God. And then he proceeded to demonstrate for them the healing power that goes along with bearing witness to God's work. (B-2) Jesus taught through demonstration, not words. His obedience to God enabled him to demonstrate the Principle of being. (S-1) Jesus didn't teach through ceremony, but lived the Truth of being. He stressed the power of Love. And, so, more is required of us than literally drinking wine or eating bread to unite with Christ. Our baptism has to be a daily purification. The result is an understanding of the divine Principle that overcomes death – remembering that death represents more than a final departure from this earth. Deliverance from death can be thought of as overcoming any limitation or stoppage of harmonious action. (S-2) Little children are happy to progress…. they thrive on new opportunities. Let's be just as willing to leave our old patterns of thought and action and welcome in the new ways of listening for God's direction in all things and living a life of Love! (S-3) It is MORE than rewarding, and sends a big thank you God's direction, too!

 

Section 2: Show your love by obeying God's requirements

God's requirements are often different from perceived human requirements. Although it is right to be law-abiding, let's be sure we're not fooled by those things that are put out there as law, but are really just custom or supposition. Honoring restrictive health laws, conforming to what “everyone else” is doing, and blindly following accepted patterns of thought and behavior isn't the model Jesus established for us. The prophet Micah shifted the focus from a sacrifice of things (WHAT we do) to showing our love for God by HOW we think and act. A translation from The Message puts it this way: “It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don't take yourself too seriously – take God seriously.” (B-3) The strict interpretation of the law by the Pharisees first challenged Jesus' disciples as they satisfied their hunger on the Sabbath by eating corn from a field. Jesus responded by referring to David's rejection of the laws of his day as he ate the shewbread in the temple, reserved for the priests. But Jesus' ultimate challenge to the restrictive Pharisaical laws was through healing – freeing his fellow man as naturally as the common man freed his sheep on the Sabbath. Jesus' rejection of commonly accepted, but restrictive, laws instilled such rage in the Pharisees that they started plotting ways to destroy him. (B-4) Can we not best express our gratitude for the selfless work of our Master by following his example? We can and must heal as freely as he did. The Principle behind his work is as present today as it was then. And, Mrs. Eddy reiterates the qualities of thought necessary to heal by saying that what we need more than anything is the desire to grow in grace – expressed in “patience, meekness, love, and good deeds.” (S-8) Those are qualities that can be practiced every day – even if not recognized by the general public as what will get you ahead. These are not passive qualities. Patience is actively waiting for expected good; also perseverance or constancy in labor. Meekness is not weakness, but yielding or being submissive to the divine will. (Webster 1828 Dictionary) Demand of yourself active thought – as Jesus did. Heal what is unrighteous, rather than simply avoiding or succumbing to it.

 

Section 3: Following Jesus' Example

I found it helpful in thinking about this section of the Lesson to consider the continuity from Old Testament to New Testament to the interpretation of Science. Jesus had gathered his disciples to celebrate the Passover. In Deuteronomy 16: 3, the Hebrews are given instructions that they should eat unleavened bread, “even the bread of affliction” so they would remember the day when they came out of Egypt – were led out of bondage. Similarly, Jesus gave bread to his disciples, identifying this bread as his sacrifice for them, so they would remember HIM – and his ways of leading mankind out of all bondage. The cup represented blood. In the Old Testament, Moses performed a ceremony in which he sprinkled blood on the people to represent the covenant (agreement of commitment between God and man) which God made with the Children of Israel. (Ex. 24:8) The cup Jesus offered his disciples represented the new covenant promised by Jeremiah 31:33…. I will put my law within them, and I will write it in their hearts.” Blood was often used to signify death. In this case, it seems that Jesus knew that when his disciples no longer had his personality to lean on, they would lean on the law written in their hearts. (B-5) Mrs. Eddy defines bread as “the great truth of spiritual being, healing the sick and casting out error.” This truth would sustain them – and sustains us – as it had sustained others. (S-13) To drink of Christ's cup is to be willing to fearlessly face whatever trials come our way – trusting that the law (the Science) of the new covenant is sufficient to overcome any challenge, and “revolutionize the world.” (S-14) The description of the foot washing in John begins with an acknowledgment of Jesus' inseparability from God … “he was come from God, and went to God.” That knowledge – and the act he was about to perform – was an indication of the love and meekness that Jesus knew his disciples (and we) must understand in order to continue his (and our) work. Wrapping himself in a towel, Jesus assumed the position of humble servant – rather than master – as he performed the role of host. His love was impartial …. Judas was not excluded. In his command for his disciples to wash each other's feet, he was showing them the need to care for each other – tenderly, meekly, compassionately – outwardly demonstrating their inseparability from God's healing – though demanding – love. 

 

Section 4: Ask yourself – Am I rejecting or embracing Christ as King?

Pilate presented Jesus to the Jews as their king. The Greek word translated “king” refers to a “foundation of power” according to Strong's Concordance. And Webster's 1828 dictionary speaks of a king as a leader, a guide, one who goes before, one that attracts or draws. Not only did the Jews reject Jesus as their king, they rejected God as their supreme authority – affirming their allegiance to Caesar. (B-8) As a result of this rejection, Jesus was forced to bear as his cross “the world's hatred of Truth and Love.” (S-15) Yet, as a result of Christ Jesus' crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathaea found the courage to identify himself openly as a disciple. (B-8) As a result of the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples came out of hiding and really started following his example. Even if it meant their own persecution, they were ready to “raise themselves and others from spiritual dulness and blind belief in God into the perception of infinite possibilities.” (S-18) The enduring love and fidelity of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were rewarded as they stood by the sepulcher. They saw the risen Jesus, and they couldn't help but RUN to share the news! (B-9) Do we have the love and courage to accept Christ as our king… acknowledge the supreme power of Spirit to guide us and care for all? Can we stay above the political fray and love Truth enough to know that it will prevail, even when it looks like it is being persecuted or even crucified? Can we love in the face of hate, refuse to judge when others are judging us, trust the law of inevitable good when it looks like things are falling apart around us? Jesus silently bore his cross because he knew that nothing could kill the Christ (the divine image, or God with us.) The result was resurrection – Love's expression untouched by the world's hatred. No matter how dark (or how heated) circumstances seem to get, as we embrace Christ (the true idea voicing good) as our King, we – and those around us – will be cared for and found to be whole. The stone will be rolled away! (S-19) We, too, will see the redeeming – saving – power of Christ in our midst.

 

Section 5: The morning meal – a call to action

Following the crucifixion, and even after having seen Jesus risen from the grave, the disciples hadn't yet found the strength they needed to carry on the work they had initially embraced – becoming fishers of men. Back to fishing for fish they went! But, Christ again came to them, calling them to a higher purpose. And, now the motive for the purpose became more clear. After obediently casting the net on the right side and reaping a huge catch without  the net breaking, they joined their master on the shore. Peter was then asked the crucial question by Jesus… “do you love me more than these?” Yes, was the answer. The imperative followed… feed my sheep. (B-11) Love is the motivator for every pure act. It is only through a genuine sense of love that we can overcome the obstacles that would keep us from following the teachings of Jesus and letting our light shine. There are sooooo many distractions! We get very busy doing what we're doing. It's important to often ask … am I loving other things more than Christ, Truth? Do I put my friends, job, family, body, entertainment and fun before God? We're reminded in Science and Health, “The substance of all devotion is the reflection and demonstration of divine Love, healing sickness and destroying sin.” (S-22) If our devotion to daily human activities spring from God-aligned thoughts, they will be the “reflection and demonstration of divine Love” and a blessing to all. The sheep will be fed, so to speak, because we are bearing witness to the activity of Christ – the forever expression of Life, MInd, Soul! And healing will follow. Remember, no matter how difficult the cup (or cross) seems, it is filled with wine – the “inspiration of Love.” That wine satisfies and always compliments the bread of Truth with which we are continually fed. (S-21)

 

Section 6: Eat the bread, drink the wine, embrace the opportunities!

We, too, can and must walk in the footsteps of Christ and bring healing to our world. Jesus didn't offer a suggestion to his followers. He commanded them to practice what they had been taught – to go into the world and let the Truth that they had witnessed be shown and seen by all. And, with the command came the assurance of dominion and victory over every claim of evil. (B-12 & B-13) Paul continued to spread the word, assuring the Corinthians that the grace of Christ and love of God and communion of the Holy Ghost would be with them. (B-14)  Christ is the eternal Truth, and the Holy Ghost is the active expression of that Truth – undivided from the love of God. Surely there was no expiration date on the gift of Love, or on the demand to follow the example of Christ Jesus. What a privilege it is to obey the same command – exercise the same divine rights – given to Jesus' chosen disciples. Those men were just ordinary people…. just like you and me. What set them apart – and what sets us apart – was the willingness to face a challenge (take the cup – or cross – in hand) and freely drink of the wine – the inspiration and understanding (see S&H 598) – contained in it. (S-27) How better can we thank God for all the blessings He is pouring out? How better can we honor the unselfed life of Jesus and the healing presence of Christ than to love enough to view everything from the perspective of perfection?  “Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.” (S-23) It's the divine power that heals. Love is the key to unlocking that power … a pure love that gives all glory to God!

Respond to the command. Be WILLING to be a healer. You're never too young or too old to hone your love skills and fight for the rights of all mankind to be free!

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[PS on citation B1:  Here's the story of the “Refiner's Fire” which gives enrichment to Malachi 3:3:   “There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi.  As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.   One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.  That week, this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work.   She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.  As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.  He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest, so as to burn away all the impurities.  The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot — then she thought again about the verse that says, “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.  The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he also had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire.  If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.  The woman was silent for a moment.  Then she asked the silversmith, how do you know when the silver is fully refined?   He smiled at her and answered, “Oh that's easy — when I see my image in it.” “]

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The College Summit taking place at Cedars Camps this Labor Day weekend is one you will not want to miss out on. Our lecturers at the summit will be Chet Manchester (the new president:), Ginny Luedeman, Christine Driessen, Tom McElroy and Shirley Paulson. There will be a Weekly Musicians Concert with Alex Cook, Jay & Tessa Frost, and Grant Taylor. Check out the Summit webpage. Hope to see you all there.

 

Also, each NEW campership donation to CedarS will be matched (up to $50,000!) so that no Christian Science Sunday School student need be “un-camped” this summer!  (Even transportation costs can be covered as needed!)  Daily applications for this aid are being met by daily supply from friends of Christian Science Sunday School pupils like you!  Click on http://www.cedarscamps.org/giving/campership-fund.htm for links to all ways to give.]

 

[CedarS will gladly send a DVD & info on our programs for all ages; session dates & rates; 2012 online enrollment; transportation… to help get anyone in your church family to camp! Note that due to Outdoor Cooking & Building being full for 1^st session, we have added that program for 3^rd session as well.]

 

 ^{[Camp Director's Note: This sharing is the latest in an ongoing, 11-year series of CedarS Bible Lesson “Mets” (Metaphysical application ideas) contributed weekly by a rotation of CedarS Resident Practitioners and occasionally by other metaphysicians.  (Ask and look for “Possible Sunday School Topics “and “Possible Younger Class Lessons” in subsequent emails.) These weekly offerings are intended to encourage further study and application of ideas in the lesson and to invigorate Sunday School participation by students and by the budding teachers on our staff. Originally sent JUST to my Sunday School students and to campers, staff and CedarS families who wanted to continue at home and in their home Sunday Schools the same type of focused Lesson study, application and inspiration they had felt at camp, CedarS lesson “mets “and Sunday School ideas are in no way meant to be definitive or conclusive or in any way a substitute for daily study of the lesson. The thoughts presented are the inspiration of the moment and are offered to give a bit more dimension and background as well as new angles (and angels) on the daily applicability of some of the ideas and passages being studied. The weekly Bible Lessons are copyrighted by the Christian Science Publishing Society and are printed in the Christian Science Quarterly as available at Christian Science Reading Rooms or online at eBibleLesson.com or myBibleLesson.com. The citations referenced (i.e.B-1 and S-28) from this week's Bible Lesson in the “Met” (Metaphysical application ideas) are taken from the Bible (B-1 thru B-24) and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (S-1 thru S-30). The Bible and Science and Health are the ordained pastor of the Churches of Christ, Scientist. The Bible Lesson is the sermon read in Christian Science church services throughout the world. The Lesson-Sermon speaks individually through the Christ to everyone, providing unique insights and tailor-made applications for each one. We are glad you requested this metaphysical sharing and hope that you find some of the ideas helpful in your daily spiritual journey, in your deeper digging in the books and in closer bonding with your Comforter and Pastor.]}

CedarS PYCLs–Possible Younger Class Lessons for:  
“Sacrament”
The Christian Science Bible Lesson for July 8, 2012
by Kerry Jenkins, CS, House Springs, MO (314) 406-0041

 

 [PYCL Overview: Defining sacrament and sacrifice.]
Of course you will want to discuss with your class a bit about what sacrament means.  Why do we study this subject?  How is it important to Christianity?  Even the little ones can be introduced to some of these thoughts and definitions. Don’t be concerned if you can’t get into some in depth discussion; just give a simple definition and what it might mean to us in our daily lives.  For example, you may want to talk about the theme of sacrifice.  How does sacrifice apply to the subject?  What are we being asked to sacrifice in this week’s lesson?  I feel like each section speaks of a different kind of sacrifice.  Can they identify what it is?  Why is sacrifice important?  Why do you think that historically sacrifice was so important in Bible days?  Do we feel like we need to sacrifice animals, etc. to God today?  How do we show our devotion and love for God and for the sacrifice that Jesus made for us?  Look at citation B3 for one idea.  How can we “do justly”, “love mercy” and “walk humbly” with God?  Try to come up with examples of these things in our lives today.  Mrs. Eddy’s version of this passage shows up in citation S8 “What we most need…”  How are these statements similar? Come up with a list together of things that we want to “sacrifice” in our day to day lives.  As I see it, the lesson contains ideas of sacrificing “careers”, dogma, self, Jesus’ great sacrifice in the crucifixion, material views/when the disciples went back to “old” ways after Jesus was crucified, and sacrificing material goals and ambitions for following Christ/healing and loving as he did.  There are many smaller nuances in these sections that you can discover together. 

 

 [PYCL Golden Text (G.T.)and Responsive Reading (R.R.): Embracing gifts from God]
Right from the beginning of the lesson we see introduced the idea that we all have a job, a duty and a privilege that takes the form of sharing God’s gifts to us.  Our task is to understand, discover, acknowledge these gifts and put them into practice blessing humanity in some capacity.  Try bringing small wrapped “gifts” to class. They could simply be envelopes with ribbon around them and inside each one is a divine “gift” written on a card.  You can pick ones that seem especially appropriate for one student or another, or they can be gifts that you want to point out belong to all of us in abundant measure.  Have them open their gift after you’ve talked about this passage and read it together.  So if one gift takes the idea straight from the R.R. of “the gift of encouraging”, maybe you could explain what that means and then have that person demonstrate how he or she might encourage someone.  Maybe someone in the class is doing a drawing or playing a tricky game of hopscotch (you can actually do these things) and the person with this gift can show exactly what they might do to encourage that friend.  Can they do this every day?  Can they reach out with love to anyone to encourage them in some way?

Later in the lesson, after Jesus is risen, you can look together at how the disciples went back to their old job of fishing.  When Jesus finds them he tells them to “cast their net on the right side” (we’ll talk later about this) and then when they come to shore, he tells Peter to “feed my lambs”.  Talk together about how this is like sharing our gifts.  When we feed a little lamb, we are showing our love and caring and nurturing and gentleness, and tenderness toward the lamb.  Jesus was saying that this is what we must do for people around us!  Discuss what happens to us when we share our gifts with others.  Can they come up with some thoughts?  What do they feel like when someone encourages them, or brings them an ice cream cone, etc.?

 

[PYCL on ways to illustrate sacrament.]
For the purposes of illustrating the point, there are several things that you and your class can do to dramatize some of the elements of sacrament.  In Christian Science, we don’t “dramatize” things in our services the way it is done in many Christian churches.  We don’t outwardly baptize or partake in the Eucharist ceremony as many do.  But this doesn’t make these ceremonies bad.  Mrs. Eddy, was, I think avoiding the temptation that mankind has, to turn beautiful ideas into dogma.  There are examples in the second section of how Jesus fought against such dogmatic worship. When our love and caring take a back seat to dogmatic obedience to religious law, then we are not following the Christ example.  Also, I think both Jesus and Mrs. Eddy were anxious to avoid a hollow worship that makes the worshiper feel a false sense of self righteousness or satisfaction, based on their outward obedience to religious practice or law. 

These ideas can be discussed simply in terms of following the path of Jesus in showing deep love and compassion for our fellow man (and creature as in citation B4).  Love always overrides a dogmatic approach to law.  And you can talk about how Love and Principle are not at odds with one another.  Were Jesus and his disciples truly breaking a law of God when they picked corn because they were hungry?  In the story Jesus told and in the healing that he performed, was he really showing disobedience to God?  Love and law always are truly linked! 

Having said that, there are a few dramatizations that could be done.  I’ve mentioned this idea before but you could discuss the humility involved in Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Explain how people in those days and that part of the world would mostly wear sandals and have very dirty, dusty feet.  The job of washing someone’s feet would fall to a slave, certainly not to a respected Rabbi or teacher like Jesus.  Talk about this illustration of humble love and how we can do this for those around us every day.  What can we do that is like washing feet?  You can have the kids pretend to wash each other’s feet and talk as they “wash” about what they could do to show such Christly love and tenderness.  I think this act speaks volumes of doing for others what they might most need, rather than the least painful thing for the giver.  Sometimes helping others is dirty, inconvenient, time-consuming, and even “expensive”.  But we need to meet their need in the way that is most helpful to them, not most simple or convenient for us!

 

Another little dramatization might be to throw out some nets and “catch” fish like the disciples.  Talk about what Jesus said to them about leaving their nets to be “fishers of men”.  How can we be this kind of fisherman? What do we need to “leave behind” in order to be fishers of men?  We don’t all have to leave our jobs, what does a kid need to do?  Maybe they could leave a particularly excellent game of kickball to comfort a friend who needs help that day.  You and your class can come up with thoughts on this.  What about when Jesus saw the disciples after his resurrection and told them to cast their nets on the “right” side?  What happened?  Was there really just a bunch of fish on the right side of the ship and not on the left?  What was Jesus really telling them?  These questions are obvious to us, but not necessarily to kids, so be sure to ask!  Have the little ones “cast their nets on the right side” and have them haul in healing thoughts that you have on some cardboard fish or whatever you decide to use.  Some teachers I know use paper fish with a paper clip on one end and give each pupil a “fishing rod” with a magnet on the string so that they can “catch” the fish from a “sea”. 

[PYCL to illustrate the importance of being willing to become like a little child.]
Finally there is a nice idea shared this week at the end of the “My Bible Lesson” about healings of children from the book Mary Baker Eddy Christian Healer (amplified edition).  These healings are found on pages: 284, 290, 297, 302, 305, 320, and 344.  These are recommended to us to look through together with the kids. These healings illustrate the idea included in citation S3 about “Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea.”  
 

Have fun with this lesson!