Ken Cooper’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shares Bible EXAMPLES that bear witness to the ultimate authority and freedom of living in accord with Truth.
Thursday, July 21st, 2022
By Ken Cooper, poet from Great Britain
Ken Cooper’s “POETIC POSTLUDE” shares Bible EXAMPLES that bear witness to the ultimate authority and freedom of living in accord with Truth.
All inspired by The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“TRUTH”
for July 24, 2022
- Ken’s YouTube poem, the “Widow of Zarephath”, read by Sue, shares the widow’s earlier response in giving to Elijah before covering her own needs.
- Ken’s poem “Just Say in a Word” highlights the benefit of speaking with the authority of Truth, – since there is no greater authority than that.
- Ken’s poem “God Is Our Freedom” takes the direct message of Jesus to his disciples: “… “If you …follow my teachings and live in accordance with them, … this truth will give you complete freedom for evermore.”
- Ken’s poem “Peter’s faith” rejoices in the fact that Peter did walk on the water, and did overcome another basic claims of matter, – not time, but the “power” of gravity.
[Ken writes:] “The lovely thing about Truth is that is exactly what it is. It does not change. It is one of God’s synonyms. As God is constant, so is Truth. As God is our Rock, we cannot be knocked off!! That is the Truth! As God, Truth, is infinite, there is nothing can chip, crack or interfere with the perfection that is God or the perfection that we undoubtedly express.
The Golden Text stands sure: “There isn’t anyone holy like unto the Lord. Indeed, there isn’t anyone except Him. He is our only Rock, and there is nothing else that has His strength and endurance.” (full verse, combined translations). This is expounded upon in the Responsive Reading:
“Whatever God does is faultless, perfect in every way. This has been proved and is always correct: it will be true forever. He is a shield to all who trust in Him, and seek his refuge and help.
Who is God? Only the Lord our God. Who stands as the Rock? Only our God.
God alone is my strength, the power which governs everything I do. He therefore makes everything I do perfect in every way, reflecting His infinite wisdom and Love.” (2 Samuel 22:31-33 Combined translations).
Beholding the Truth that God is the only power, and therefore the only power which we can reflect and express, there is no other power that can intervene or prevent man’s perfect expression of that Power / Truth. Any suggestion otherwise is not true, and can be so proved. And has been so proved throughout the Bible.
Take the story of the “Widow of Zarephath”. This poem, read by Sue, shares the widow’s earlier response in giving to Elijah before covering her own needs:
With eyes that shone he said to me
“Fear not, just serve me first.
Place trust in God and your reward
Will be you’ll never thirst.”
I looked at him, believed his word,
This was a prophet true:
Now sensed he saw what really was,
My task was just to do.
Doesn’t this link so well with the Responsive Reading, – that as we follow God “He therefore makes everything I do perfect in every way, reflecting His wisdom and Love.”. This is Truth in action. And her putting Love for others first then blessed both her and her son, and also Elijah, with abundance. Section 2 continues her experience when her son dies. She is tempted to blame herself for this tragedy, and challenges Elijah. The words in the poem quoted above still held true, as do in fact the last two lines:
“For only when we drop the past
Do all of God we hold.”
In Truth, we have no past to chain us, (as last week’s Lesson made clear) and the widow concludes with this Biblical revelation: “Now I know for certain that you are indeed a man of God and the Lord’s word spoken from your mouth is invariably true.” (Combined translations). Truth contains no error (see SH Citation 9), and its blessing is always full. This was proved by Elijah, and can be proved by each of us. God’s Word is constant. The rock of Truth lifts us above the illusions and limitations of matter. It reminds me many years ago when we took our children up the mountains in the Lake District, that each higher step gave fresher and more inspired views of the ever expanding landscape. The landscape was not changing, – our perceptions were. Truth never changes: it stands for freedom.
In Section 3 is the story of the centurion, and a further example of what we saw with Elijah, – “the Lord’s word spoken from our mouth is invariably true”, – in other words it is spoken with the authority of Truth, – and there is no greater authority than that. The poem “Just Say in a Word” (read by my son James) is based on the narrative of Luke, but bears the same conclusion. The “Word” represents the Truth, – has been from the beginning, and there is no changing it. WHENEVER THE WORD IS SPOKEN, (ALWAYS), TRUTH IS MADE MANIFEST. As the Word and God were always one and the same, so too are God and man. We can only speak with the Voice and authority of God. “The intercommunication is always from God to His idea, man.” (SH 284:31–32). This is the authority with which Jesus spoke, and to which the centurion referred. When we speak the truth, we have the full backing of infinite good. The centurion was used to being obeyed. The centurion did not need to know exactly what Jesus would say or think. He just knew he spoke with the authority of God, and that was all that was needed. Time and distance were immaterial. The Word represents the perfection of now. Each of us can speak with that same authority, for we can do nothing of ourselves, but express that Word that governs our lives. It has never stopped speaking; we have never stopped reflecting / responding.
The poem “God Is Our Freedom” takes the direct message of Jesus to his disciples: “Then said Jesus to those who followed him, “If you continue in my word, follow my teachings and live in accordance with them, only then are you my true disciples, And when you embrace and fully understand the truth, this truth will give you complete freedom for evermore.” (Bible citation B13, John 8:31, 32 Combined translations). The poem shares these lines:
He said “If ye continue”, – and that means every day:
To be his true disciple, his Word you must obey.
The Word of authority is the Word of Truth, and has been spoken since before time. That is authority!! The poem concludes:
“Spirit’s breath is Life itself: this truth it maketh free:
With open eyes and Truth at hand, in freedom you will be!”
The breath of Spirit is the breath of Truth, underlying and inspiring the whole of creation. It is the only breath, – there is no breath in error for error to speak, there is no error to ever be true. Truth will be true after time has gone back to its native nothingness.
The story of “Peter’s faith” rejoices in the fact that Peter did walk on the water, did overcome another one of the basic claims of matter, – not time, but the “power” of gravity.
Walking on water and standing on sea,-
It does make me question reality!
Dare I believe in my friend, in my Lord,
“If it really is you, give me the word”.
The Word speaks and that is all we can know. When error speaks, nothing has been said. When we listen, and are still, we hear the word of Truth, which is also the word of Love, guiding us to all Truth.
Jesus said to Peter “Come.” This is the Christ calling each of us, saying to us “Believe in me, the Christ, – Truth.” Peter did walk on the water, but when he looked down, he lost his sense of direction and began to sink! Truth wasn’t sinking. Peter had exchanged walking on the water for sinking in the shifting sand of thought! But Christ, Truth was always there for him, as it is for us.
“He answers my need without need of time.
In the instant I call his arm around mine.
My friends stand amazed, they all want to shout.
But Jesus asks quietly “Why didst thou doubt?”
Jesus could not doubt, because he knew the Truth, and we must have that same confidence, for it is the same Truth.
The last two lines of the poem give a firm statement of man’s authority over all the claims of matter and error:
For I will remember undoubtedly,
When I saw the Christ, I walked on the sea.
We too can walk on the sea, as we follow Jesus, the sea which Mrs Eddy refers to as “… as a symbol of tempest-tossed human concepts advancing and receding, is represented as having passed away.” (SH p. 536:6–8 as). Truth obliterates everything unlike itself, for there is nothing else. When we stand on the rock, there is no sea.
[The pdf version of this poem also includes a series of questions relating to overcoming the apparent storms of life, and Mary Baker Eddy’s poem “Christ my Refuge” gives that comfort of victory over all.]
WHEN WE SEE AND BEHOLD THE CHRIST, WHEREVER WE ARE, WE STAND ON THE IMMOVABLE ROCK OF TRUTH, AND ARE FREE.
We also, like Jesus, and Elijah, speak with the backing and authority of Truth: we also have God-given dominion.
[Ken:] Copies of my poems are available in pdf format in color and B&W as DOWNLOADS ARE ON THE ONLINE VERSION OF THIS POETIC POSTLUDE to this week’s Bible Lesson. The full range of Ken’s videos on YouTube can be found on KenGCooperPoetry. All Ken’s poetry and other writings can be found on Ken Cooper Poetry.
A FREE copy of my combined translations is available on an excel spreadsheet for those who may be interested. They have been collated over several years from BibleGateway translations, taking the best from the many translations provided, and taking further inspiration from Christian Science in their compilation. They cover over a thousand key Bible verses, taken from both the BibleGateway verses for the day, and from the Weekly lessons. Reading all verses from any one book is insightful and motivating. The spreadsheet also includes a genealogy from Adam to Jesus as I have set out, with related notes. Shared with love.
Write to Ken on kengcooper@btinternet.com.
