Yearn to Learn the Truth as if you were in Flight School Training!

Yearn to Learn the Truth as if you were in Flight School Training!

Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on “Truth”

for study during the week of January 18-24, 2010

by Rick Stewart, C.S.,  of  Dresden, Germany (formerly Ocala, FL, USA)
 

[Editor's Note: The following application ideas for this week and the Possible Sunday School Topics that 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 from Pascal or in Spanish from Ana. SIGN UP at www.cedarscamps.org/newsletters]

Okay Campers, buckle up.   Have you ever thought of CedarS as a flight school? You could think of your adventures at CedarS as teaching you to fly above the clouds of error.  And when you fly above the clouds of error, you get closer to the Truth.  At CedarS we learn to demonstrate the Truth everyday and in every activity.  And that is one of themes I found so powerful in this week's Bible Lesson – you learn to “know” the Word of God, the Truth, through demonstration.  As Mary Baker Eddy says,” If Christ, Truth, has come to us in demonstration, no other commemoration is requisite, for demonstration is Immanuel, or God with us; and if a friend be with us, why need we memorials of that friend?” Science & Health page 34

 

Every summer and special camp session an eager group of campers (prospective flight students) arrives at CedarS.  They have a wonderfully-equipped flight school, skilled and well-prepared instructors and ground crew–(Thanks Bill and Amy).  All the various activities and adventures are like training stations for developing skills and talents that will allow the hopes and dreams of CedarS campers to take wing.  You rise on spiritual wings to the summit of a joyful, adventurous and inspiring life of demonstrating Truth.

 

As you dig in to this week's Bible Lesson on Truth, think of yourself as one of those adventurous campers at CedarS, ready to take wing and demonstrate what you have learned.

Golden Text:   Psalm 100 is the source of the Golden Text.  It is a Psalm that is short, sweet and full of joyful acknowledgement of God.  An interesting element of Psalm 100 is that some commentators identify it as a call to “all people” and to “all the earth,” not just to the Jews.  It has been viewed as a uniter of Muslim, Christian and Jew.  And there is also the wonderful promise that the “Truth” of God “endureth to all generations.”  It is an eternal Truth for all time and for the whole earth.  Isn't this one of the very powerful elements of Mary Baker Eddy's identification of “Truth” as one of the synonyms for God that is found in the Bible?  Truth is a universal message.

 

Responsive Reading (R.R.):  Psalm 119    You probably know that the Responsive Reading is usually a lead in, or introduction, to the main idea in the Lesson.  Well, this R.R. is no exception.  The Bible Lesson committee chose a Psalm (the longest one) that is filled with “the word” of God.  The writer of this Psalm, although not identified, would have been thinking about the part of the “Word of God” that he knew.  He did not have the whole Bible like us, he probably only knew the Book of Moses.

 

But with the words that this Psalmist chooses to describe God's Word, his poem could speak for the whole Bible.  These are some of the words that he uses in Psalm 119 to refer to God's word: word, ordinances, law, precepts, testimonies, judgments, statutes, commandments, promises.  And he makes it clear that God is the source of this word, God speaks it.  Also this word is eternal and is for all creation.  This word is pure, faithful, enlightening, and wonderful–covering just about everything you can imagine!

 

How important is this “Word of God”?  As the Bible was being written, assembled, translated, and studied, it was loved.  But for many that love has remained as a burning desire to “know” the word of God.    Here is an interesting description by Lieutenant Commander Claude D. Clower.  He was a Navy pilot shot down in the Vietnam War. He spent five and a half years as a prisoner in Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the infamous Hanoi Hilton.

 

“In the later years of his captivity, the North Vietnamese allowed the prisoners to have a Bible for one hour on Christmas and Easter to celebrate the holidays. In doing this, though, they unwittingly gave the POWs access to parts of the Bible throughout the rest of the year.  During the hour they had it, the prisoners would all line up two-by-two and each pair would together memorize a verse by repeating it again and again. As soon as it was firmly set in their memories, they would return for another verse and keep this up until the book was taken away.

 

“After their Bible was taken away, the prisoners used their memories and ink made of cigarette ash to copy the 50 or so memorized verses on toilet paper. To keep their improvised Bible safe, the paper was rolled up and stuffed into a hollowed out bar of soap.

 

“To communicate, the prisoners would tap on the walls using a code system that set the alphabet -minus the letter “K” – into a five-by-five grid.

 

“There was never a night that I did not hear 'tap-tap, tap-tap,' G.G., Goodnight and God bless,” Clower said. “And if you got caught tapping that, you'd be tortured.”  (USS Coral Sea tribute sight:  http://www.usscoralsea.net/pages/actions.php)

 

Does your hunger to know the “Word of God” match Commander Clower's?  Let's see what we've got waiting for us.

 

Section 1:  The Word, the eternal Truth heals as we see we are God's children.

(B-1)-(B-3):  God is clearly the Word, and the source of the Word and this word is the Truth and is for all the earth.  We are to “sing” our praises with understanding.  Good point to remember if anyone tries to make you think we should not try to understand God or God's word!

 

(The following insight is from my Met collaborator Tom Evans Sr., Daytona Beach, FL):  “I read an article once that basically said that God spoke the universe into being – 'In the beginning was the Word… And the Word was God.'  As I thought of God as speaking the Word and all things were made I remembered Astrophysicist and Christian Science lecturer, Dr. Laurance Doyle's referring to the universe as the 'one song.' Maybe God sang the word, maybe we all are a hymn!”

 

(B-3): “…Sing ye praises with understanding.” Understanding is Truth….truth is CS. We sing His praises when we heal in CS. I have a line that I just found from an Address by Francis Thurber Seal 1912.  This line caught my eye: “All humanity has sought Him and never found Him until Christian Science demonstrated His presence.”  (Francis Thurber Seal is the Christian Scientist that introduced Christian Science to Dresden, Germany, at the turn of the century. She healed extensively, without speaking German and after having gone through class just a couple years before coming here.–R.S.)

 

(B-4) and (B-5): We read about an old friend, Elijah the Tishbite.  Elijah lived in the area of Gilead.  William Smith's Bible Dictionary compares this geographic area to the Highlands of Scotland.  And that Elijah might be thought of like one of the ancient Celts.  His hair was long, black and thick.   He wore animal skins.  He would have spent long times alone in the hills.  And he was certainly zealous in his standing for the one God.  He opposed King Ahab's embrace of the Phoenician god, Baal (the god of precipitation, rain).  Baal-worship was a worship of power, or mere strength, and completely opposed Elijah's worship of a God of righteousness and goodness, who had faithfully delivered the Children of Israel from bondage in Egypt.

When Elijah fled to escape death at the hands of King Ahab, he was first led to a brook, Cherith, where ravens supplied him with food.  Then when the brook dried up, he was led to Zarephath, a Phoenician town. There a woman, who was probably an Israelite since she referred to “Jehovah thy God,” made a place for him.  He had a room with her, “an upper chamber.”  When she unselfishly shared her last food with Elijah, she found that her supplies of meal and oil did not run out.  They lasted until the end of the drought.  And when her son was taken sick and appeared to die, Elijah prayed and the boy's life was restored.

 

(B-5): The woman rejoiced, “Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.”

 

(S-1)-(S-5): You could call this Science and Health's recipe to duplicate Elijah's wonderful demonstration of the power of the Word.  This Word of God, this eternal Truth, destroys the errors of sickness, famine, and death.  And we see “man's real existence as a child of God come to light.”

 

Counselors, CITs, and staff from CedarS probably would recognize that as similar to the first of the five fundamentals that CedarS was founded upon.  CedarS' founder and first Director, Ruth Huff, articulated five fundamentals for CedarS and the first is: “1. We regard each individual at camp as a child of God, who reflects alertness, joy, peace, ability, love…”

 

Section 2:  The Light, the Word, in the flesh.

Anyone that has ever been lost in the dark knows the importance of a “light shining” in the dark.  What hope light can give, right?  Think how much God loves us to send us a Light, to give us hope.  It is not always a physical light, often it is an idea, guidance, encouragement, a fresh insight.  And this “Light” truly is the Word made flesh, the Christ coming to human consciousness to show us the way, the truth, the life.

 

Years ago I interviewed a man by telephone.  He had appeared on a Christian television program.  I found his story so interesting that I called the station and got his home telephone number.  We had a long conversation.   He told me that he had been a member of a radical political party that also was involved in criminal activity.  He had been involved in drug use and trafficking and violent crimes.  He finally hijacked an airplane to Cuba.  Rather than being welcomed as a hero, which he expected, he was put into a terrible prison situation.  The conditions were horrible and he had absolutely no hope of release or even escape.  When it was the time for the sugar cane harvest he had to work from dawn till dusk, and then return to his prison cell.  He had absolutely no hope.  Then one night he remembered something from his boyhood.  Once or twice he had gone with his grandmother to church.  He remembered that he liked how it felt.  So he began to try and remember everything he could about visiting church with his grandmother.  It became a regular and conscious routine, trying to think about that experience. 

 

One night as he began his regular routine, he heard a voice say to him, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”  He had never heard those words before, but he liked how they made him feel.  Some of you familiar with the Bible will recognize them as part of God's promise to Joshua.  But for my new friend, Tony, they were new, reassuring, and enlightening.  He soon realized that the voice he had heard with the promise from the Bible was God speaking to him.

 

Tony began to entertain these good thoughts.  We might say he began to entertain the Christ.   And as he began to think good thoughts, he also began to experience good things.  He was actually transferred to another prison, something he thought would never occur.  And soon he found that he was going to be sent back to the United States.  The prison in America was much more comfortable and he could even have a Bible, which he began to read.  His thinking began to change through this Bible study and prayer.  And although he never thought it possible, he was eventually released from prison.  When I was talking to him he was a happily married man, with a family, and an active church member. 

 

(B-6): How wonderful to know that the one, true Light shines on “every man that cometh into the world.” This includes everyone in Haiti.

 

Citation (B-7) tells of Jesus preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and healing the sick.  Obviously his message would have been about the Word of God, the Truth.  His preaching also brought results – “…he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils;”

 

(S-6) – (S-9): These citations from Science and Health show how “The Word… made flesh” was the key to demonstration of Truth.  The result was healing.  Jesus healed all disease and encouraged his believers to make the same demonstration of the power of the Word.  Truly Jesus becomes the “way, the truth, and the life” showing all of us how to destroy error.

A clear and concise statement of this is found in the following article: “Christ Jesus and True Sonship” by Nathan A. Talbot.   It can be found in the Anthology of Classic Articles, and is from The Christian Science Journal of December 1978.

 

Section 3:  The parable of the tares and wheat, separating error from Truth

(B-10): Tom Evans Sr. comments: “The fellow in the tares and wheat parable acts like many of us, zeroing in on the problem… 'Alas, Master.'  Focusing on the problem can often hide the possible solutions.  The Master is 'solution-oriented' and lays out a plan that works well.  You could say as in Isaiah 46:10, 'Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,..' the householder in the parable 'saw the end from the beginning'!  That would indicate a great faith in the power of the Word, the Truth, to accomplish the desired end, the restoration of harmony, or healing.”

 

Citations (S-10)-(S-13) illustrate how the Truth and error, mortality and immortality, like the tares and wheat, never in reality touch each other.  To the mortal senses there certainly seems to be this mixing, but the Word of Truth, the Comforter, divine Science, separates the “wheat from the tares.”

 

Everyone has probably heard, “Don't throw out the baby with the bath water!”

This “making the separation” is often a key element in the healing of Christian Science.  And it also allows complete healing that leaves no scars or after-effects or trauma.

 

My son, Noah, and I talked about watching an old film recently, a version of the Cinderella fairy tale.  Cinderella's step-mother throws the peas into the pile of ashes and tells Cinderella that when she separates out the peas maybe she can go to the ball also.  The task seems so discouraging.  And then Cinderella gets lots of help.  The birds that she loves come to her rescue.  In just a little bit they have all the peas separated from the ashes.  It was not hard at all.

 

So it is with us making the separation between Truth and error.  We also have lots of help from on high – God's inspiring angels are always ready to swoop down and give us a hand.

 

S&H 581:4:   “ANGELS. God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality.”

S&H 298:25:    “Angels are pure thoughts from God winged with Truth and Love, no matter what their individualism may be.”

 

One inspiration for my years of working as a lifeguard and Water Safety Instructor was a healing I witnessed as a young teenager.   A little family friend, Mary Louise, ventured down the steps into our family's swimming pool.  Soon she was in water over her head.  I discovered her and got her out of the pool and carried her to a chair near the pool.  I held her and prayed.    My mother immediately saw me and came and took up the little girl, somewhat like Elijah, with the widow's son.  Now an interesting thing was that we had lots of family visitors that day.  Some of them became very excited and were asking, “Who knows mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?”  Well, my mom as a teenager had worked as a swimming pool lifeguard, and she certainly did,  but she had also learned and practiced a much more effective and immediate “first aid.”  The “first aid,” or emergency treatment, she turned to was Christian Science treatment, the Word of God, “knowing the Truth.”  Like Elijah, my mom was led to take the child “up.”  She called my dad, and asked him to drive her and Mary Louise to the home of another Practitioner who lived nearby.  As they drove my mom prayed and declared the Truth out loud.  Mary Louise was in and out of consciousness.  When she would wake she would say, “Glatha I'm listening to God.”  And, “Glatha I'm not listening to error.”  Mary Louise was “making the separation.”

 

While they were gone I had gone into my room.  I opened my copy of Science and Health to page 468, Mrs. Eddy's answer to the question, “What is Life?”  As I read this concise, powerful statement, I found my thought changing from self-condemnation (Why didn't I see her earlier?) to a conviction of what the basis of Life really is.  God is Life, without beginning or end.   I could see the separation between the truth about Life, and the lying presentation of “accident.”   And in a moment I can hardly describe the wonderful conviction that came over me.  Not a voice, but an understanding that this was a time for rejoicing, a time for great joy, just like Psalm 100:

    ¹ “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

    ² Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

    ³ Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

    ⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

    ⁵ For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

 

Then the phone rang.  It was the other practitioner.  She said with great joy in her voice, “All is well dear, all is well.”

 

When my mom and dad returned with Mary Louise she was perfectly fine.  And she came right up to me and said, “Ricky, you have to teach me to swim, ‘cause last time I sank.”  There was no trauma; there was no lingering fear of the water.  Mary Louise was healed and eager to learn to swim. And as a matter of fact she went on to become a very successful competitive swimmer at one of the premier swim programs in the State of Florida.
 

Section 4:  If ye continue in my word, ye shall “know the Truth”

Nearly all students of Christian Science know the phrase, “know the Truth.”  It is almost like jargon, but it is based on this powerful promise from Jesus in (B-12).  And although jargon-like, it is supremely effective.  Turning to the “Word of God, the Truth” when confronted with error results in healing.  (B-13)  An insane man pleads with Jesus that he did not want to be tormented.  Perhaps his plea was based on all the ineffective “help” he had earlier received.  But Jesus was no tormenter, he was the Savior, and the man was comforted and healed, not tormented. 

One day as Mary Baker Eddy studied, a violently insane man came into her house and, raising a chair above his head, threatened to kill Mrs. Eddy.   She prayed, the man lowered the chair, and left quietly.  Some years later he returned to speak with the lady that healed him.  It seemed that at the time of the healing he had escaped from an insane asylum.  After his encounter with Mrs. Eddy he returned to the asylum.  He was healed.  He was eventually released and years later returned to tell Mrs. Eddy that he had been healed, and that he was now living a normal life with his family. 

 

The citations in Science and Health, (S14)-(S18), give instructions of how to treat and heal insanity.    Mrs. Eddy writes, (S-16 – S&H p.414), “The treatment of insanity is especially interesting.  However obstinate the case, it yields more readily than most diseases to the salutary action of truth, which counteracts error.”

 

Section 5:  The Word of God, like the rain, washes away fear, falsity.

(B-15): Recognizing the authority of your prayers as the very Word of God removes all fear. 

 

(B-17): And it comes like the rain.  A family friend that was a member of the Seminole Tribe once told me that the Seminoles speak of two kinds of rain, a female rain and a male rain.  The female rain is gentle, long-lasting and soaks gently, deep into the earth.  It nourishes and encourages.  The male rain, like a raging Florida thunderstorm, is often a gully-washer–lots of rain falling in a short time.  Both serve their functions.  The female rain gently nourishes.  The male rain washes clean, purifying, from our perspective, “washing away all vestige of error.”

 

(B-18): There is nothing to oppose the Word of God.  No other word, no other power, no other presence.  There is no destructive element in God's creation or that comes through God's word.

 

Psalm 46:2-4 (King James Version):

    ² “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

    ³ Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

    ⁴ There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.”

 

(S-20):  As we lovingly embrace those in Haiti at this very moment, we know that God's Word, the Truth, comes with authority and power, and with all the gentleness of dewdrops in the morning.  Our Father-Mother God embraces all His/Her children with great might and with tender compassion.  There is nothing to be afraid of.

 

Section 6:  Hope for everyone to be a healer with the Word of God, with Truth

From our friend, Tom Evans, Sr.:  “(B-21): I am thinking of Peter and this wonderful, instantaneous healing of the lame man… yet he had to grow into that authority. Perhaps even Jesus had to grow into acceptance of his role as Messiah, the anointed One.  Peter, as all of us, had much growing to do.  But look at his successes. Why, he even walked on the water!”

 

My brother, Scott, is a Class-Taught student of Christian Science and a daily student of the Bible Lesson; also, not just a brother, but a lifelong friend.  The other day I shared with him a recollection I had from our childhood.  Evidently at the time he was feeling just a little bit resistant to being a Christian Scientist.  He shouted at my mom, “Well, I didn't ask to be a part of this family!”  At that moment it seems he sure didn't think he wanted to be a Stewart or a practicing Christian Scientist.  And I remember my mom calmly replying: “Well, don't blame me.  It was your receptivity to the Christ that brought you into this family!!”

I think there are times when we all question our place in the Movement of Christian Science.  Sometimes it might all seem just a little much.  And in moments of great fear or doubt, the call may ring out, “Look there, he is one of this group of Galileans.  He was with them. He was with Jesus.”  And maybe we even reply like Peter, “Who me, no I'm not one of them.”  Or, “No I could never be a practitioner, I could never heal.”  And maybe we hear the “cock crow” and feel ashamed.  I know there have been times when I felt I fell short.  But buck up, dear friend.

 

Remember it was the Christ that called Peter.  It was Jesus discerning thought that knew Peter had “what it takes.”  And even though he might have sunk a little now and then, don't forget that Peter walked on the water.  Not many folks can say that they have done that, right?  And even though in a moment of great fear for self-preservation, and confusion, Peter may have said, “No, I am not one of them,” he later healed a man who had never walked in his life.  And how did this man feel about the healing?  (B-21): “And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”  I bet he was even singing and shouting just like Psalm 100!!

 

(B-22): “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people.”

 

(S-23)-(S-27): Here we have outlined to us this inspired Word, this Truth that speaks to all ages, all cultures, all corners of the world.  We can rejoice that even though we may not be walking on water, at least we have joined the cruise!  We have gotten on board.  And it is the Christ, the Truth, the Word of God, the Comforter, divine Science, that has come into our lives and called us, “All Aboard!”

 

We are not alone in our demonstration of the Truth.  Jesus promised, “I cannot be with you always, but I will pray the Father and He will send you a Comforter.”  Our Leader states in Science and Health, “In the words of St. John: ‘He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.' This Comforter I understand to be Divine Science.” (S&H p.55:27-29)

 

I love to remember what the founder of CedarS, Ruth Huff, expects of us.  In her founding Fundamentals for the camp she wrote as Fundamental #2: “We respect each individual Christian Science young person as a future active worker in the Christian Science movement.”

 

And our dear Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, writes to us in the Church Manual, “I recommend that each member of this Church shall strive to demonstrate by his or her practice, that Christian Science heals the sick quickly and wholly, thus proving this Science to be all that we claim for it.” (Manual p.92)

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[This weekly Metaphysical Newsletter is provided at no charge to the 1,200 campers and staff who were blessed this summer at CEDARS–as well as to thousands of CEDARS alumni, families and friends who request it, or who find it weekly on our website.  But, current and planned gifts are much-needed to cover the costs of running this service and of providing camperships for such inspirational opportunities.  Your support is always tax-deductible and welcomed–but during the economic downturn, your help has been and continues to be especially needed and appreciated! Two ongoing needs are to raise significant dollars to underwrite camperships and to care for our large herd of horses. “Adopt the Herd” donations will be matched!
To make a tax-deductible donation-which may be better tax-wise for you to post-date for 2009:

1) Write a check payable to CedarS Camps and mail it to the office: 1314 Parkview Valley, Manchester, MO 63011; or
2) Call Warren or Gay Huff at (636) 394-6162 to charge your gift using a Visa or Mastercard or to discuss short-term or long-term gift of securities or property that you are considering; or
3) CLICK HERE RIGHT AWAY TO SUPPORT CEDARS WORK with an online gift using PayPal.com, which can be funded using a Visa or Mastercard account.]

[Camp Director's Note: This sharing is the latest in an ongoing, 9-year series of CedarS Bible Lesson “mets” (metaphysical application ideas) contributed weekly by a rotation of CedarS Resident Practitioners and occasionally by other metaphysicians. (To keep the flow of the practitioner's ideas intact and to allow for more selective printing the “Possible Sunday School Topics” come in a subsequent email.) This weekly offering is 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” 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 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.]
Enjoy!
Warren Huff, Camp Director      director@cedarscamps.org      (636) 394-6162

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