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 [Refute mortality’s claims!  Think & live today as “never born… never dying”! (258:27)]
Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on

 “Mortals and Immortals
for Sunday, November16, 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 donations to both of our Matching Funds, “Maintenance Musts” & “Adopt the Herd”!]

When we look at man, at ourselves, what is it that we see?  Do we see men (men and women) as mostly material, as good, bad, healthy, sick, young, old… as being born and dying?  It's hard to deny that that is what things look like most of the time.  And the only reason I am a practicing Christian Scientist today is because I've seen every one of these things refuted, challenged, and denied at some point in my daily experience.  It is an ongoing, continuous practice that brings with it the rewards of joy, satisfaction, health, agelessness—all in degrees.  But gradually that “glass”, or mirror, from the Golden Text, becomes less and less “dark”/foggy.  Ultimately, I'm certain that I will see the “glory of the Lord” spoken of in both the Responsive Reading and the final Bible citation (B20), when even the mirror disappears, and I see God, Spirit, Life, face-to-face, nothing (no matter) between us.  I see myself and my fellow man consistently as one, inseparable from God.  Because this is demonstrated by degrees, we are not holding out for some future “event”, rather we are daily getting this clearer picture of man and God as immortal now.  To quote one citation in this lesson: “this day have I begotten thee.” (B12 italics added)  Today, not 10, 20, 30, 50, 80 or any “years” ago!

This lesson brings us a deeper understanding through the light of Christ, that man is an immortal creation, with only immortal origins.  It builds on some of the things we learned in last week's lesson about Adam and Fallen Man, by using man's perfection/completeness/wholeness, as the basis for understanding why this kind of perfection never came from matter, can never be maintained in matter and in fact doesn't have any true being/life, any health, any goodness that can be substantial or spiritual.  In other words, you cannot mix immortality and mortality together and get “mortal life”…

Section 1: The true origin of man.
Nicodemus (B5) comes to Jesus “…by night…” in the dark, from a mortal sense of curiosity and false devotion.  Perhaps he was genuinely interested in what Jesus was up to, but it seems more likely that he was trying to “hedge his bets”, as they say.  He wanted to make sure that if Jesus was “the one”, the Messiah, then he had at least “entertained” him.  His mortal sense of conservatism wouldn't allow him to ask Jesus questions in the open, where he himself might be judged for showing interest in this controversial figure, Jesus.  But Jesus drags Nicodemus' idle curiosity out into the “light” and reveals that a mortal sense of man must be eradicated in order to understand our immortality (we must be “born again”).  By revealing this truth, he also reveals Nicodemus' materially-based understanding of man and God.  Citation S3 reveals that searching for man's origin anywhere beside Spirit, is a lot like trying to sit on a one-legged stool.  We know that mortal man doesn't hold up well as a strictly mortal creation.  He is rarely happy, satisfied, healthy, sinless.  So we try to make him a mixture of Spirit and matter, a mortal body with some spiritual element within it.  That's like adding an extra leg, and then trying to sit on a two-legged stool.  It still doesn't have strength, balance or power.  Only by understanding that we are “…coexistent and eternal with God…” (S6), can we demonstrate the laws of health, joy, immortality.  (And this “stool”, if you will, is already complete, doesn't need any more “legs”).

Section 2: A material origin = “original sin”.
What does Jesus see in the adulterous woman?  At first he doesn't even look up at her.  Instead he turns away from the picture of a woman as a sinner, as a condemned, material creation.  Then he essentially asks the men who brought her to him: “If you are ready to see in her this sin, you had better be ready to look at yourselves in this same material light and condemn your own sins.” These men were far from looking in the mirror (glass) that we are encouraged to look into in the Golden Text.  That is a mirror that reveals our true nature as the sinless, spiritual creation of God.  Jesus beholds this woman in the mirror of divine Science… as “…the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals.” (S10)  We are all given the opportunity, through understanding this story, to withhold the hard/stony judgmental thoughts that we might be tempted to “throw” at others. Without the light of Christ to illuminate man's spiritual immortal nature, we are left with an un-illumined material (and false) view of man.

Section 3: Material origin of man=material heredity/disease and disorder.
Really you could ask the same question here: what did Jesus see?  The disciples (and Jews in their day), saw this man's blindness as caused by his or his parents' sin. But Jesus tossed out that notion!  “Heredity is a prolific subject for mortal belief to pin theories upon;” (S17) —And how! If you start to think about it, heredity would seem to be, in some way, connected to nearly every disorder known to man. Matter has nothing good to give that is permanent and reliable.  It is a game of chance—do you have good “genes”?  Well great, then you have better than average health, chances of wealth, good education, and so on.  Otherwise, you are cursed by matter to survive as best you can, by the “sweat of your brow”.  And even then, if you are born in the “wrong” country where war and strife are prevalent, or there doesn't seem to be economic opportunity, you are at the mercy of circumstance (of matter).  Jesus upends this terrible, material view when he heals the man that was blind from birth.  He declares the innocence of both the man, and his parents and connects them to their origins as God's children through restoring sight to this man.  He, in fact, spits on the notion that man is made from such material origins, from “clay” or “dust”.  And then sends the man to go and “wash off” that false notion of man as made from matter.  Citation B11 affirms that God's “blessing is upon [His] people”, the very opposite of the curse that is given in the story of Adam. And from B12 we hear that God calls us His “son”/(daughter) and “this day have I begotten thee.” If it is “this day”, there can be no other past connections of material origin that have any power over man.
[See P.S. #1 Cobbey Crisler’s Commentary on John 9 (B10) and the belief of heredity.]

Section 4: “Dust to dust”–Spirit to immortality.
Can we ask the same question (what did Jesus see)? Yes! In fact, Jesus goes to Jairus' house already seeing the man's daughter as the immortal representative of Life.  In the words of this section, he sees her as one of “the children of the living God” (B13 and B15).  He “put out” the doubt and the “knowledge” gained from a material sense of man's origin (the scorners), and calls her to a higher understanding of her being, lifts her out of the strictly mortal sense of existence.  We too can be lifted higher through this Christ example.  We can give up more and more our “faith in death and the fear of its sting” (S23).  Our life is not in matter to begin with!  Citation S23 ends with “Man is immortal, and the body cannot die, because matter has no life to surrender.” Wow!

Section 5: Getting matter out of the way we can see our Godlike selves.
Where do we find immortality?  This section reveals that we find it “…in well-doing”… in “unfeigned love of the brethren…”… in “being born again…” (B17 & B18).  We find our immortality through living less and less materially, by seeing Spirit in all that we do.  Gradually the pull of matter, the attraction of material things and material existence become less as we practice living spiritually and with spiritual goals.  As our satisfaction in Spirit becomes stronger, we can never again be fooled into trading that in for something so much less, so much more temporary.  Matter becomes less substantial to us and Spirit becomes much more real and powerful.  We see God without matter blinding us to Her love and power and grace in our lives. We see Her face to face, no veil of matter there at all. Then we are seeing man truly as immortal, God's reflection.


[P.S. #1 Cobbey Crisler’s Commentary for John 9 (B10)
John 9:2. “who did sin? (A) This fellow over here? Or (B) his parents?”
John 9:3. Jesus had that paper before him as in the examination room on that point many times before.  “He says, (C), none of the above… [Or per Warren proposes (D) DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA) the molecule that supposedly carries encoded genetic instructions Does Not Apply!)]  Neither hath this man sinned or his parents.”  What’s that saying about origin? Where is that man?  His roots are not in parents of in some reincarnated experience…”
Notice what he does in John 9:6 and what it may remind you of.  “He spat on the ground, made clay of the spittle.”  That reminds you of man being made of the dust in the Second Chapter of Genesis Verse 6 and 7, doesn’t it?  Would Jesus ever mock God if he considered that was the real way that creation occurred? Yet, it almost looks like a mockery of that.  He’s taking on that concept of the man of dust.  He’s spitting on that ground, into the dust, making clay of it, and slapping it on the eyes of the blind man.
John 9:7, The man goes to the pool of Siloam.  He can’t see his way there.  He’s got mud all over his face.  He doesn’t go seeing.  He comes seeing.” He comes only after he has washed off that symbolic making or formation of man out of the dust.
In a way, it might even give us a greater hint on what the true meaning of baptism is, the immersion in Spirit, nativity, and washing off every trace of the dust man.” The Book of John, A Walk with the Beloved Disciple, p. 52-53]


[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 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.  
1314 Parkview Valley Drive
Ballwin, MO 63011

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

LETTING 2 SPECIAL NEEDS BE KNOWN – Funding is still needed to help underwrite these special opportunities:
1        "Maintenance Musts" Matching Opportunity! 
Generous donors who are aware of the ongoing maintenance need to have CedarS facilities measure up to its mission will MATCH donations for “Maintenance Musts” given by year-end! (up to our needed $25,000 goal)
2    “Adopt the Herd: Matching Opportunity! Generous donors, aware of the ongoing need to care for CedarS herd, will match donations for our horse program! (up to a $50k 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 in the past.  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, 14-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.]

 

 

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