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[Seek and securely share the infinite resources of Soul! (S9)]
Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson for

Sunday, August 16, 2015 on

“Soul”

By Aubrey McMullin, C.S., Godfrey, Illinois
(618) 578-9407 aubrey.mcmullin3@gmail.com

I appreciate how Rick Stewart compared God as Spirit to a cool breeze in last week's metaphysical application ideas! I have grown to understand that Spirit and Soul have a special partnership as two of the seven synonyms of God. When studying Spirit, I see more and more of God acting through us – an outward expression – and when studying Soul, I see more and more of an individuality given by God to us – an inner expression. Both are expressions of God, working hand-in-hand, so how appropriate that Mary Baker Eddy would put them one after the other in our weekly Bible lesson studies! She gives us Spirit, an expression we know is real when as see the leaves moving in the trees or the ripples on a body of water or the sound of music coming from a street musician, and then she gives us Soul, something we may need to work a little harder or dig a little deeper to understand its reality. A metaphor that comes to mind is a natural one. If you were to stand in front of a mirror, you would see yourself and know that your reflection is there. If you were to close your eyes and still know with confidence that your reflection was still there, you would be transitioning your thought from knowing that your reflection is there to understanding that your reflection’s existence is an infinite fact. This understanding is spiritual comprehension and demonstration. I love how this week's lesson gives us so many ways to understand spiritually all that God is and rejoice in that understanding!

The Golden Text and Responsive Reading begin where we always do – with loving God! Where else would you begin when desiring to understand Soul? [As CedarS summer's metaphysical theme and this morning's Family Camp Practitioner Talk at CedarS by Met and PYCL contributo,r Kerry Jenkins, CS (and two of her sons) all direct thought and action: to "put your all on the altar to altar it all".] You can always safely start by loving God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, acknowledging all the while that these qualities are of God, and are therefore already within us all! And with this recognition, we praise Him! We praise the fact* that "God is All-in-all!" (S30) When we fully understand the fact* that God is ALL-in-all, we fully understand this fact* as part of a whole statement that includes the complete and true statement that nothing else is. Mrs. Eddy reminds us in her textbook Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures that “the vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love” (113:5-6). It is only natural that in beginning to understand Soul we would reach deeper within ourselves to our understanding of Love in order to love God more and praise Him in that knowledge, praising Him always and in all ways.

Section 1: “No change my heart shall fear… for nothing changes here” (Hymn 148)
God’s self-identification to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM”… comes in a present tense and present sense of “great I AM”’s all-power and ever-presence that “resurrects religion from deadness.” (Cobbey Crisler)] Our “great I AM” allness is not tied to some past progression or future accretion [as in a process, state or statement of becoming]. Rather GOD’s allness is declared to be a perfect, present state of being as defined in the Christian Science textbook as “GOD. The great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all-substance; intelligence.” (587) This “great I AM” is an ever-perfect, yet constantly unfolding, state [and scientific statement] of changeless being that makes itself universally understood! When we learn the equation 2 + 2 = 4, we first know that equation, then understand that equation, then apply that equation and let the demonstration of it unfold in our understanding of higher mathematics. 2 + 2 = 4 remains “unchanged in its eternal history” (S4), but our understanding of the equation unfolds as we put it to work in higher mathematics. Soul is as unchangeable and eternal as the equation 2 + 2 = 4 because Soul existed in a state of being before we were brought into the understanding of it, and the equation 2 + 2 = 4 has always been and never changes but is infinitely broadened by the growing understanding of the application of mathematics. Change does not occur in “the great I AM” (B4, S1) or in our state of reflecting the great I AM, and is therefore not something to be concerned about or to fear.

Section 2: Filled with joy and freed from material bondage while in His infinite care
This whole section is about being freed from a sense of matter and walking at liberty (B6) in Soul which is made possible by our Father-Mother's tender care (S6). [This tender care is like that of a mother bird for her nestlings as pictured in the image attached to the online version of CedarS Met and put into words by Moses to bless the tribe of Benjamin in citation B11. Moses promises “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the eternal arms.” (B11, Deut. 33: 12)]
In Isaiah 66:1 (B10) we are shown that God is unlimited and infinite, not of the earth. We are told that what we have within us is infinitely greater than what we might have or manifest outwardly to the human eye or to the earthly senses. “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (B10). One definition provided by The 1828 Webster's Dictionary of throne is “the place where God peculiarly manifests his power and glory” and of footstool is “that which supports the feet of one when sitting.” Working these definitions into the same Bible passage we read, “The heaven is [where God manifests his power and glory], and the earth is [that which supports His feet (foundation) when sitting (resting).” While we may appreciate the support that the earth or physical manifestations provide, we first must dwell in heaven, Soul, where God manifests His power and glory. Mrs. Eddy supports this by clarifying for us that “Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul” (S9 – Science and Health 60:29-31, [illustrated in the P.S. #1 by an application last week at CedarS]). Our infinite resources are made visibly when sought in Soul, and this infinitude is the manifestation of God’s power and glory. This manifestation is the demonstration of the mental emancipation (S11) that abolishes slavery – any state of bondage, whether a voluntary or an involuntary yielding of one's own person to the command of another (1828 Webster's Dictionary) – bringing the allness of God's power to the forefront of every experience and thus demonstrating that “Slavery is not the legitimate state of man. God made man free" (S12 – Science and Health 227: 15).

Section 3: Forgiveness and Mercy; God (Soul) with us
Have you ever been put in a position of needing to forgive or needing to be forgiven? What a great example of Soul the Bible gives us with Joseph. [Warren’s modern day application of this is available as a Download in CedarS online version of this Met.] Before we even get into this wonderful story, Psalm 86:5 (B13) prepares us with the reminder that as we are the reflection of God we also are “good and ready to forgive” and are "plenteous in mercy” for turning to Soul. THEN we are given this wonderful story on forgiveness and brotherly love – two true expressions of Soul. In the verses provided in this week's lesson, the word “peaceably” is used to describe a way that Joseph's brothers weren't able to speak to him. “Peaceably” translated to its original Hebrew word is shalowm or shalom, which was a greeting typically used to address strangers or acquaintances. For Joseph's brothers to not even be able to use a word that was commonly directed towards strangers or mere acquaintances shows a very high level of animosity or frustration between the brothers and Joseph. The brothers were so focused on the earthly objects that Joseph had accrued – his coat of many colors – that they had become slaves to jealousy. How many times do we find ourselves jealous of another person's “cool things” and find ourselves thinking unkindly about them or speaking to them in a way that we would never speak to our brother? Our riches are within us, and Joseph knew this and even through all of the unfortunate events that took place, he never forgot that his riches were his brother's riches because they all came from God. He forgave his brothers not only for the wrongs that they had done to him, but also for their voluntary yielding to matter's false command. This was his demonstration of God with him, and that was what Pharaoh saw and enthroned. What are some qualities we want to enthrone in our experience and enable in our demonstration of forgiveness today? Mary Baker Eddy gives us a plethora of options 🙂 She lists justice, mercy, wisdom, goodness (S15) and unselfishness, health, holiness, love (S16) and so on to reign within us so that all but Soul disappears. When we allow Soul to hold control (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures 30:26-28), we become as Joseph was and express “pure affection blessing its enemies" (S18).

Section 4: Awaken to God's pleasure in us, His chosen children, and discover/witness healing
Imagine a father so pleased with his sons and daughters that he would do anything to promote their growth in individuality and to understand and support their special talents. That is the pleasure that our Father-Mother has in us. This reminds me of a time that I walked into a grocery store to quickly grab some strawberries and blueberries and saw a dad holding his son’s hand while walking up and down the aisles. I had to stop and watch them while my heart just overflowed with joy and love for this man and the unabashed affection he had for his son. They were BOTH decked out in superhero gear that had been thoroughly thought through before it was put on. They both wore capes and goggles and matching t-shirts and shorts and those superman socks that had the capes on them. Neither of them wondered at all what people might think of them or was remotely embarrassed. The father walked with great pleasure while holding the hand of his fellow superhero; and they were having a super time! [This hints at a divine sense of our heavenly Parent being “well pleased” (B20) with us as perfect offspring, like Jesus’ Father-Mother announced aloud about him when he was baptized by John in the Jordan River saying “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) We can never too often repeat to our human children this blessed benediction of God’s pleasure and ours in them. Such a divine approval rating] brings "to light the scientific action of the divine Mind on human minds and bodies and giving a better understanding of Soul and salvation" (S20). This divine pleasure counteracts the mortal sense of pride, [one of the “Depravity” characteristic of “mortal mind” listed on page 115 of Science and Health. A mortal sense of parental pride implies that we as mortals are a child’s creators.] Pride dines on vanity or sups on contempt, whereas a higher sense of God's genuine, overarching pleasure in us, His chosen children, is the needed divine sense of approval that brings healing. Jesus’ awareness of his Daddy-Mommy's [Abba-Imma’s] pleasure in him is what enabled him to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, feet to the lame, etc. (S20).

Section 5: Find truth in heart as the guide to Soul within us
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU. Mary Baker Eddy gives us three nouns in her definition of the kingdom of heaven that is within us: reign, realm, and atmosphere. We have within us: the reign – royal authority, power, influence (1828WD) – of harmony in divine Science, the realm – royal jurisdiction, kingly government (1828WD) – of unerring eternal, and omnipotent Mind, and the atmosphere – the whole mass (1828WD) – of Spirit, where Soul is supreme. This is what is true and therefore all else is a lie! When we admit that we are Soul’s real man, perfect man, true man, we have admitted the truth and therefore found Soul within us. This admonition is proof of our thought turning into new and healthy channels (S27). This understanding of Soul is our recognition that God is All-in-all (S30) and therefore nothing else is.


[P.S. #1 A wonderful recent demonstration of supply hints at the divine abundance in God’s universe that is available by seeking and finding these infinite resources in Soul (S9). Last week, IF a large amount of money could be raised in 48 hours, there was a huge savings opportunity available to CedarS for a cableway watersports system that had been “put on the altar” and “sought in Soul” for about five years. What this resource would do for campers and staff had consistently been translated from “things into thoughts” (Science and Health, 123). Among other ideas we worked with Mary Baker Eddy’s directive to “work out the spiritual which determines the outward and actual.” (Science and Health, 254:20) Within the allotted period of time (which was over a busy Session 4 closing), enough pledges were quickly made by more than ten generous donors that more than covered the large acquisition cost as well as will cover much of its installation! Soul’s infinite goodness is amazing!! Additional metaphysical work and supporting details will follow!]

[P.S. #2 Warren’s modern-day application of this is available as a Download in CedarS online version of this Met.]

[P.S. #3 Attributes of “Soul” in the online Download of God’s 7 synonyms from TMCYouth:]
Identity, individuality, spiritual sense, joy, peace, hope, humor, reflection, immortality, harmony, holiness, beauty, balance, intuition, innocence, inspiration, grace, morality, strength, flexibility, courage, control, creativity, agelessness, purity, poise, cleanliness, nobility, artistry, color, form, design, improvisation, eloquence, expression, rhythm, timing, elasticity, agility, originality, ingenuity, tranquility, freshness, calmness, sweetness, sinlessness, refinement, stillness, serenity, uniqueness, compatibility, symmetry, equanimity, composure, quietude, boldness, blamelessness, graciousness, perfection, uprightness, etc.


[Bracketed italics in each CedarS Met are added by CedarS Director and Met "Founder"/Editor, Warren Huff, who’s forever grateful for all the good already received and LETTING 2 ONGOING NEEDS BE KNOWN –

Significant funding is still needed for these special opportunities:
1. “Adopt the Herd” Matching Opportunity! Generous donors, aware of the ongoing need to care for CedarS herd, will match donations for our horse program! (~$12.5k needed to reach $50k goal)]

2. Over 100 needed items are featured on CedarS Giving Tree that could fit the budget of every grateful Met-recipient and camper. You can choose for yourself $1-and-up ways to give to support CedarS needs. Click here to see 2 young alumni tell their reasons to give.

[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 to get information or discuss privately how to transfer securities or other assets to help support and perpetuate CedarS work.]

[You can also reach a member of the Founding family nearly anytime by
PHONE at 636-394-6162
or MAIL your tax-deductible support to our 501C3 organization
(Our not-for-profit, Federal Identification Number is #440-66-3883):

The CedarS Camps, Inc.
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Ballwin, MO 63011

THANKS TO YOU PRECIOUS DONORS FOR YOUR ONGOING, GENEROUS and NEEDED SUPPORT OF CedarS IMPORTANT WORK!

[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/ ]

[For additional "Director's Notes" on the history, development & 4 translations of CedarS weekly Bible Lesson "Mets" go to Notes in our online version of it.]

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