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[See spiritual reality present all around you by using spiritual sense!]
Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on

 “REALITY”
for Sunday, September 28, 2014

by Kerry Jenkins, CS, House Springs, MO (314) 406-0041

[Bracketed italics added by CedarS Director, Warren, who’s letting the need be known for new sound system components for the College Summit on Oct. 3rd & beyond!]

This lesson reveals the glorious fact that spiritual reality is visible through our understanding of divine Science. We see and understand this wonderful reality through spiritual sense and through our demonstration of the truth that Jesus, most notably, and other prophets before him, such as Elijah and Elisha illustrated in their lives.

The Golden Text– “Come and see the works of God” –beckons us to dig in and accept the spiritual fact that these works are visible and powerful today, as in days past!

The Responsive Reading dives right in with the exciting story of Elijah showing the prophets of Baal the might, glory, and presence of God through the consuming fire of his sacrifice, lit with no human aid.  In fact, it was thoroughly drowned in water, as we learn by reading some of the surrounding passages that are not included in the Responsive Reading.  The water might represent the attempt of matter to drown out the might and purifying fire of Mind.  Mind is the conscious intelligence of the universe—the opposite of Baal or any false sense of power in matter with which we might replace Baal today.  No matter how many “barrels” of such water/matter/nonsense, we pour on the substance of God's reality; it can never stand in the way of Mind's purifying Truth that consumes all pretense of opposition.  Can we have such clear, visible demonstrations of the reality and power of God today?  This lesson answers with an unequivocal “yes”!

Section 1: We see through spiritual sense, not material.
It is most helpful to remember, especially when we feel beset in any way by difficulties, that our material senses will only support the material view of the universe. Citation S3 says it this way: “Material sense does not unfold the facts of existence;” This does not mean that spiritual reality is invisible, just that material sense won't support it, only spiritual sense does. Do we all have this sense? Yes! “Spiritual sense is the discernment of spiritual good.” (SH 505:20-21) I've said it before, I know, but we all are able to discern spiritual good. We can see it in something as small as natural beauty, a smile, reliable transportation, a meal and so on. It doesn't have to cost a thing and is available to everyone, no matter their circumstance. Therefore spiritual reality is also available and can be seen here and now by each of us. “God hath revealed them unto us (the things God has prepared for us) by his Spirit:” (B2).  And: “Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:”, “…all the people see his glory” (B3 and B4).  These Biblical statements and commands are meant for each of us, to welcome into our hearts, today and each day.

Section 2: Gaining “correct views of God and man” makes the invisible visible.
If we have no sense of ourselves as either a “good” or “bad” person, we are on our way to having that pure heart that Jesus tells us makes God visible. It can be tempting to feel either good or bad about ourselves, but in order to really perceive our true nature, we have to stop thinking about “ourselves” and hold on to a view of man as spiritually perfect, derived from God, without personal ego. We can reject the idea of flawed mortal identity that is subject to material whim, time and other measurements of mortality.  Citation B6 relates how Elijah stepped over the suggestion of death and ascended beyond our material sense of life in matter. It also reveals that Elisha had the spiritual insight and understanding to actually witness this ascension in the form of a chariot of fire. This pure insight on both these prophet's parts, allowed them to experience a freedom from thinking of life as material. Elisha has the opportunity to prove the power of this purified thought when he raises the Shunamite’s child from death in the next section. It is interesting, though not in the lesson, that Elijah told Elisha that he would carry on his work only if Elisha was able to see/witness his ascension. What does this mean for us? We have to “…gain a little each day in the right direction…” in order to prepare our thought for these wonderful appearances of God in our daily lives (S12). It is a work of moments, of daily demonstration. This leads our thought heavenward.

Section 3: Spiritual reality reveals continuous Life.
The Shunamite woman shines as an example for us of someone who refused the evidence of the material senses. Despite the apparently irrefutable fact that her son had died, she undertakes a journey to bring Elisha back to her home to heal her child. From a spiritual perspective we can see that the gift that is given to us from God, that of Life reflected in our own individual expression of life, must be upheld and maintained by God. While it certainly does appear that life in matter can cease, the beauty of this story is that the woman recognized that her child came from God in the first place and not from matter. Having come from Spirit, matter could not take it away. Remember, she and her husband had been childless; it was Elisha who told them that they would have a child, despite their years of inability to conceive. This child was born of her purity of heart that recognized the spiritual nature of the prophet and built a room in her house (made space in her consciousness) especially for this great prophet/spiritual seer. Such a gift from God surely couldn't be rubbed out in an untimely way after this great God had bestowed such a gift on her and her husband. With this same deep spiritual insight, this great woman travelled all the way to the prophet and sought support for this view, called on his even deeper understanding of reality. What a glorious result!  In Mrs. Eddy's words “Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.” (S15)

Section 4: Reality revealed in demonstration of divine Science
John baptized Jesus at the river and was there when Jesus came up from the water and God said: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased…” And yet, in this section, we see that he is now unsure of whether Jesus is, after all, the promised coming of the Christ.  He has sent his own disciples to Jesus to ask whether he is the Messiah after all. This question is answered with works rather than words. Jesus knew that it was the healing power of the Christ that proved his Messiahship.  Jesus made the reality of God's goodness and power visible to man in a way that was unprecedented.  If we want to see spiritual reality, there is no better way than to heal. We can do this every day in large and small ways. I once heard a Christian Science teacher say that a good healing practice (of Christian Science), is one good healing each day!  Surely we can all have one each day… one experience where spiritual reality outshines the lies of material sense testimony.

Section 5: God and heaven are not hidden.
Along with all this “seeing” in the lesson, it's good to remember that spiritual goodness, what we might call heaven, is not hidden from man.  We are not wandering around searching for something that God is keeping away from us. “I…will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem:”, “I…will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth” (B14 and B15). Mrs. Eddy defines Jerusalem, in part, as “home, heaven”.  I think that's its meaning in this context.  She shares her discovery in this section and describes her search.  We can use this as a model for pursuing our own deeper understanding of this Science that she revealed, knowing that it cannot be hidden from us. Christian Science is key to uncovering the reality of the presence of heaven in our experience. In fact she gives us a recipe, if you will, for seeing reality in citation S25: “When understanding changes the standpoints of life and intelligence from a material to a spiritual basis, we shall gain the reality of Life…” Isn't this what Elijah did when he ascended, what Elisha and the Shunamite woman did in the child's healing in Section 3? Through a growing understanding of divine Science and the truth that it reveals about man and God, we can move away from a materially based view of reality and see spiritual reality.

Section 6: Divine Science reveals spiritual reality.
You can't have a lesson on spiritual reality and leave out John, the Revelator. He glimpsed spiritual reality through pictures that represent divine Truth. His revelation contained a “new heaven and a new earth…” In this new heaven there was no more “temple”, as Mrs. Eddy points out, no “body” (not in our citations). That seems like an affirmation of all we've been seeing in this lesson. Matter is not a part of reality, nor is material sense which is anchored in matter. “Reality is spiritual, harmonious, immutable, immortal, divine, eternal” (S26). We can be revelators as John was. We can interpret and transform what we see into spiritual terms and through this divine insight we are uplifted and healed. Spiritual harmony is visible, present, demonstrable—this is reality.


The weekly Metaphysical Newsletter is provided at no charge to the 1,200 campers and staff blessed each summer at CedarS, as well as to CedarS alumni, families and friends who have requested it. However, current and planned gifts are a big help and are greatly appreciated in defraying the costs of running this service and of providing needed camperships, programs and operations support.  Click http://www.cedarscamps.org/giving/ for more about how you can provide even monthly support online.  Or you can always call the Huffs at 636-394-6162 get information or discuss privately how to transfer securities or other assets to help support and perpetuate CedarS work.

You can also MAIL your tax-deductible support to:

The CedarS Camps, Inc.        THANKS TO YOU PRECIOUS DONORS

19772 Sugar Drive                      FOR YOUR ONGOING, GENEROUS and NEEDED SUPPORT

Lebanon, MO 65536               OF CedarS IMPORTANT WORK!

LETTING 2 SPECIAL NEEDS BE KNOWN – Funding is still needed to help underwrite these special opportunities:

1        The College Summit (formerly CSO or "College Org" Summit) over the first weekend in October 2014 (Oct. 3-6) at CedarS for all college and university students and professors as well as high school juniors and seniors!  Here is a link so that you can help spread the word about this event sponsored by TMC Youth (The Mother Church Youth committee).  It includes workshops offered by Christian Science lecturers, speakers and writers for the Christian Science Monitor, Journal and Sentinel.  You can find details on program, registration and financial aid in the emailed links, on inside covers of recent periodicals, at tmcyouth.com & on CedarS website.  CedarS & our donors need to subsidize over $5,000 to cover our expenses for this event. About $2500 will go to getting our senior counselors from last summer here to serve as cabin hosts and help lead the daily 90-minute camp activity in exchange for their $125 registration fee and $25 bus fare from St. Louis. (We feel it's a worthwhile investment, as there's no better way to improve the quality of the staff than to encourage their spiritual growth year-round!) The other $2500 is needed to quickly help us cover either the un-anticipated expense of renting or buying mics plus an amp and mixer (that all have recently failed) to make completely reliable our three sound systems that TMC Youth needs to record lectures over the weekend.

2        "Maintenance Musts" Matching Opportunity!  Generous donors who are aware of the ongoing maintenance needed to have CedarS facilities measure up to its mission will give two dollars for every dollar donated by year-end! (up to our needed $25,000 goal)

3    “Adopt the Herd: Matching Opportunity! Generous donors who are aware of the ongoing horse care needed to have care of CedarS herd measure up to its mission will give a dollar for every dollar donated! (up to our needed $50,000 goal)


The Met application ideas above are provided primarily to help CedarS campers and staff (as well as friends) see and daily demonstrate the great value of studying and applying the Christian Science Bible lessons throughout the year, not just at camp!  YOU CAN ALSO SIGN UP for weekly emails from past CedarS staff of possible ways to share Bible Lesson applications with older, as well as younger, Sunday School classes by clicking the "Subscribe Now" button (lower left) at http://www.cedarscamps.org/metaphysical/ ]


[Additional Director's Note: You can sign up to have these application ideas emailed to you free – by Monday each week in English; or by each Wednesday you can get a FREE TRANSLATION: in German, thanks to Manfred and Jeanette; or in Spanish, thanks to a team of Ana, Erick, Claudia and Patricio, or in Portuguese, thanks to helpers of Orlando Trentini in Brazil.  A voluntary French translation by Rodger Glokpor, a Christian Scientist from Togo (West Africa) has been contributed.  Thank you, Rodger and all translators! Go to http://www.cedarscamps.org/ and click "Newsletters" to sign-up for a free translation into these languages.  This sharing is the latest in an ongoing, 13-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 emails to follow.) 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 serve as 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 and in a variety of useful formats 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-26) and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (S-1 thru S-32). 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.  http://www.cedarscamps.org/videos/

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