Ken’s “Poetic Postlude” of Bible EXAMPLES that show how infinite Mind blesses EACH and ALL of us!
Monday, February 14th, 2022
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Ken Cooper’s “Poetic Postlude” of Bible EXAMPLES that show how infinite Mind blesses EACH and ALL of us!
from the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on “Mind” for February 20, 2022
(FYI, CedarS Met with audio by Kathy was emailed to you early last evening.)
- In Ken’s YouTube monologue “Temptation Overcome, – Matthew Shares His Gospel” we look at the temptations of Jesus, as seen by the author of the gospel.
- In Ken’s YouTube poem, “The Man Sick of the Palsy”. we see the love of his friends who brought him to Jesus in a great show of faith, where in Luke’s gospel, they lowered him through the roof.
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[Ken writes:] “One of the joys of reading the lesson sermon is seeing the unfoldment of wisdom from week to week, – helped in no small part by the subject lessons chosen by Mary Baker Eddy! One of the themes from last week was that “Understanding is demonstration”. What clearer confirmation of that fact is found in the last citation in this week’s lesson “All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all.” (citation SH 28, 468:10–11). This infinite manifestation was proved by Solomon (Sections 1-3) and Jesus (Sections 4 and 5), and is being proved, necessarily, all the time, right now, by everyone of us.
Our Golden Text this week is the starting point, indeed the Alpha and Omega, of understanding. “Now to God our Saviour, who is God alone and wise above all our understanding, be glory, majesty, dominion, complete authority, with Him before time began and after time ends, now and forever now. Amen.” (Combined translations).When we put our trust in God, we completely lay aside all human reasoning (in truth there is none!) and let the wisdom of God fill our awareness of the infinity of good.
How fitting that selections from the Book of Proverbs then give us our Responsive Reading, for it was written by Solomon, and proves the wisdom and understanding that God promised to him. “Trust in, fully lean on, and rely confidently, on the Lord, with all your heart and mind, And do not rely on your own insight or limited understanding. In everything you do listen for God’s guiding voice, be close with Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth, removing any obstacles that may block your way”.(Proverbs 3:5-6, Combined translations) What a promise, what wisdom.
The simple message is to accept no other Mind, knowing there is none, – only a false claim in a power separate from God. When we reach this understanding, we fulfill our promise made in the sixth tenet: And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.” (Manual of The Mother Church, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 16:9). Christ Jesus is our perfect example.
In my monologue, “Temptation Overcome, – Matthew Shares His Gospel” we look at the temptations of Jesus (Section 4), as seen by the author of the gospel. The book of Matthew was written after Mark, possibly around 70-90AD according to recent studies. Christianity was recovering from the brutality of Nero, and the sharing of the gospels was so important at that time. Relying on the all-power of God and not being diverted by the subtle claims of evil was so important, and seeing the temptations Jesus went through gave such support and encouragement. In challenging times the ability to seek quietness with God, to focus on the one Mind, indeed, to go through the wilderness experience, is what Jesus achieved and shared with us.
With the suggestion to make the stones bread the temptation is to put our physical needs before the spiritual, in jumping from the pinnacle of the temple, to put our human planning as superior to God, in worshipping the Devil to dishonour God and abandon integrity. There was never any in-depth discussion with the error presented, (making the error more substantial than it is, and something animal magnetism would encourage if it could do anything), but rather the freeing finality of “Get thee hence, Satan”.
How important it is to let the infinity of One Mind be fully represented in our thinking and experience, to instantly dismiss any evil thoughts.
As the monologue states, this wilderness experience was the beginning of Jesus’ healing ministry, and can be ours too. “WILDERNESS. Loneliness, doubt and darkness. Spontaneity of thought and idea; the vestibule in which a material sense of things disappears, and spiritual sense unfolds the great facts of existence.”, (SH p.597:16) Jesus went on to prove the great facts of existence in all that he did, and it was only by conquering the serpent thought that made this possible. He did this first.
Section 5 has the story of “The Man Sick of the Palsy”. Perhaps one can suggest he really was sick of this disease, and his friends in their love for this man, brought him to Jesus in a great show of faith. My poem is based on the story in Luke’s gospel, where the man is lowered through the roof. In both gospels, the question is asked “whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say Arise and Walk” In either case, divine Mind governs the result and is manifested in instant healing.
“Arise he did as we looked on, signs of palsy all had gone.
Oh his smile shall live forever, beamed at us more bright than sun!”
This is the “glory and majesty, dominion and power of God” made evident. It is not for a particular period, for Mind is the I AM THAT I AM that is always with us, the ever-now.
When we trust in Mind we align ourselves with the Allness of God, and we experience the ALLNESS of God. We know what to do, because God has already done what needs to be done, and the false claims of error do not touch what God has ordained: man in His image and likeness. When we are Mindful of this Truth, we experience His glory. We manifest God!
“Beloved Christian Scientists, keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them. It is plain that nothing can be added to the mind already full. There is no door through which evil can enter, and no space for evil to fill in a mind filled with goodness. Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited.” (Miscellany, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 210:2)
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” Philippians 2:5
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 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. Write to Ken on kengcooper@btinternet.com.
