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Meekly Respond to and Rejoice in the Holiness of the Ever-present Christ!
Metaphysical Application ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on

“Christian Science”
December 19-25, 2016

Prepared by Kathy Fitzer, CS
314-323-4083 kathyfitzer@gmail.com

As we consider this lesson on Christian Science to be read on Christmas morning in churches all over the world, it gives us an opportunity to lift up the Christmas story and see what qualities of thought we see represented in the “players” and how we can nurture these qualities in ourselves in order to receive God’s great gift — the Christ — that comes to us daily and has been fully revealed today as a living, demonstrable Science. Let’s look for messages that will free thought from personal sense and the material trappings that can sometimes overwhelm the spiritual essence of Christmas. And let our thought be lifted up to welcome the ever-present Christ. I love the last verse of hymn 222, “O little town of Bethlehem.” It reads: ‘How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is given; So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear his coming, But in this world of sin, Where meekness will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in. Approaching the lesson with a sense of meekness, we can expect great inspiration!

Golden Text: Ministering to the infant Christian church, Stephen used a phrase that would have been familiar to the Jews — one that Moses had used (and that is the Golden Text for this week’s lesson): “the place where thou standest is holy ground.” [Acts 7:13] When things seem tough — or when we become too comfortable — how important it is to humbly, meekly remember that we’re not standing on our own two feet, making our way in the world, or in charge of our own agendas. Our foundation is the holy presence of God — holding us up and moving us forward. That which is holy is sacred — separated from that which is common or polluted. In both the Greek and the Hebrew, the word holy has a connotation of clean, innocent, perfect and pure. And to stand is to abide, continue be established … as well as to stanch (or stop the bleeding — stop all erroneous suggestions in their tracks.) How important it is to understand clearly that ALL are supported by the sound, unimpaired presence of the Father — and His Christ, the light that reveals this holy ground of eternal and unchanging good. The word translated ground here can also mean country or world. Let’s elevate a human sense of the political climate worldwide from one in flux and disarray to that which is sound — united in God — and governed by the saving Christ. And, standing on this holy ground let’s be sure to allow our normal routines to be interrupted long enough to hear [and obey!] the angels leading us to Christ — as the “players” in the Christmas story did.

Responsive Reading: The “whole earth is FULL of his glory” — full of God’s splendor and copiousness (abundance in supply or quantity.) That leaves no room for any limitation — no reason to fear! At the time these verses were written, the Jews were suffering under the darkness of Assyrian oppression — robbed of their liberty. Today, that which would oppress us may be more subtle. It comes in many forms. Think of an oppressor as whatever would suggest that we are subject to anything other than God’s abundant and unwavering good — whether it comes in the guise of disease, injury, medical theories and predictions, fear, lack, insecurity, confusion, political upheaval, etc. etc. This section of Isaiah is also full of promise! And, these promises remain today as they did in Isaiah’s time. There is disagreement amongst Jews and Christians as to how these verses should be interpreted. Jewish commentaries suggest that they refer to the birth of a king (perhaps Hezekiah) in the past that brought liberation to the people. Christians cite these verses as prophecy of the birth of Jesus. To me, the teachings of Christian Science put these discrepancies to rest by recognizing Christ, Truth, as independent of person. This being the case, we are talking about the eternal light, the eternal Son or expression of God, Spirit — which has been forever present. This light appears whenever and wherever darkness and oppression appear to exist. It is perpetually available to all who turn to and acknowledge it. In fact, it is an irresistible force that ultimately will make itself be seen and felt by all. The effect of the light of Christ is peace — an earth “full of the knowledge of the Lord” which corrects whatever evil and limitation (error of belief) that has confronted human thought throughout time — and continues to do so! The promises presented in the Responsive Reading ARE being fulfilled! We bring them into our individual experiences (and enable them to be felt in the entire world) as we recognize and entertain the Christ presence.

Section 1: Christ revealed and recognized

The lesson starts by introducing one of the two groups that first recognized the sign signaling the birth of Jesus. The wise-men, or Magi, were astrologers, or astronomers — experts when it came to watching the stars. What struck me is that they immediately recognized and responded to the sign of light that announced to them the arrival of the Messiah (or king) that the Jews had been waiting for. (B5, S3 and PS#1) The fact that this sign was received by Gentiles hints to me of the timeless, universal nature of Truth which speaks to all human consciousness, and is recognized by those we might least expect to be receptive. (S4) In Jesus’ ministry, of course, he continued to reach out to some of the most unlikely “suspects.” We should never limit the strength with which the light of Christ breaks through consciousness — never limit another’s receptivity (or our own)! It is as natural for the thought of today to respond to the light of Truth that has come to this age as Christian Science as it was for the Magi to respond to the coming of Christ in their day. At that time, Christ was made apparent in the person of Jesus. Isaiah prophesied that one day all of God’s children would be “taught of the Lord.” (B3) Christian Science makes that possible as the apodictical (indisputable) Principle which reveals Immanuel — “God with us” — as “the sovereign ever-presence, delivering the children of men from every ill ‘that flesh is heir to.’” (S5) I challenge each of us to truly recognize — and embrace — this Science as the presence of Christ, and as evidence of the love of the all-knowing God who gives power to all mankind — especially when we humbly realize we don’t have power in and of ourselves. As we stop depending on ourselves, we are ready to lean on (and respond to) God and His Christ. (B1)

Section 2: God is the only author of man

Mary glimpsed the fact that man is the offspring of God alone. She accepted the angel’s message that a “holy thing” (absolutely pure, perfect, immaculate and complete) would be born of her and would be called “the Son of God.” (B6 and PS#2) Christian Science reveals that this holy origin is not only true for Jesus, but is the fact of being for all. God is the only author of of every right idea — including the idea of man. (S8) We must hold to that fact! We read in Science and Health: “The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of man’s origin.” (S&H 262: 27) So, this Christmas season let’s dedicate thought to letting an understanding of the “spiritual and divine Principle of man” dawn upon thought — and give up false conceptions relating to man’s origin and any mortal history. (S10) We know that Jesus’ birth was not a miracle — but was truly a demonstration of the natural appearing of God’s man, independent of matter. I have long been familiar with this statement: “To attend properly the birth of the new child, or divine idea, you should so detach mortal thought from its material conceptions, that the birth will be natural and safe.” (S&H 463: 6-10) But, I hadn’t previously connected it with the “Christmas story.” When anything new (project, relationship, creative design, etc.) is unfolding in our experience, we can practice putting “to silence material law and its order of generation” as Mary so completely demonstrated. (S8) It’s not OUR child, or OUR job, or OUR project or OUR idea that is developing. It is God’s — the offspring of Spirit. Our responsibility is to be totally conscious of the oneness with God that is true for all. As we humbly commune with God and see the unfoldment of Mind — of the divine Principle (or origin) brought forth in a way that is holy (complete and perfect — unhampered by human opinion or the belief of human authorship) the unfoldment is as natural, complete, and painless as the opening of a flower.

Section 3: Listening and responding to the angels

Joseph was an unsuspecting player in God’s plan to bring forth His Son in the form of Jesus. [B6 and PS#3] What a shock it must have been for him to discover that Mary was expecting a baby! He knew he wasn’t the father. Joseph’s first reaction was a human one — the engagement needed to be ended! But, he didn’t act rashly and responded when God spoke to him through an angel message explaining that this child had a very special mission — and Joseph was to be part of it. So … what can we learn from this — other than thinking of it as an inspiring story? How do we handle unexpected turns in our lives? Do we remember to entertain and respond to the angels that continually speak to us and reveal the unseen blessings that God is bestowing on each of us? And, do we acknowledge that Christian Science is the messenger in today’s world (as Jesus was at his time) that brings light to otherwise dark situations? Every time we turn to Christian Science to see reality in place of illusion, we are entertaining the angels and hearing “the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness.” (S11, S13 & S14) Joseph was obedient to God’s instructions. Blessing for the whole world was the result. God is speaking to us — revealing His Christ. As we trust that we can hear the angels (feel the calm influence leading us out of self, sin, and materiality,) we will feel the presence of the divine Principle — the All-in-all — and be “present with the Lord.” Joseph was an ordinary man who witnessed an extraordinary event. We can certainly follow his example and trust the angels to reveal reality to us, too!

Section 4: Take notice of what the still small voice has to say

I loved thinking about how the shepherds responded to the bright light in the sky and to the message of the Savior that had come to earth. They stopped what they were doing and noticed! They responded! They obeyed and shared the message they had received! [PS#4] And they glorified and praised God! I also paused when I read: “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” (B10) Mary had accepted what God had revealed to her — that she was carrying HIS Son. Yet, she was struck by the message of the lowly shepherds — as if it shed fresh light on how she thought about her child. This was my take-away from that … it seems we all need to be reminded of what is true sometimes, and we should never be afraid to share the inspiration that is coming to us. Sometimes it’s tempting to think that others know or understand so much more than we do that we are hesitant to share. Or, we think that something is obvious so there is no need to share it. I’m thinking about a hesitancy to share inspiration in a testimony or submit an article to the publications, or even just mention something to a friend, or to someone we see struggling. Mrs. Eddy says, “Christian Science and Christianity are one.” (S22) Christian Science isn’t a Christian denomination. It is Christianity scientifically demonstrated. Receptivity to the voice of Christ is requisite to the practice of Christianity and Christian Science! “Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea.” (S18) Think about the wonder with which a child greets a new sight (a brilliant light in the sky, for instance) and how eager they are to learn more about it and to tell others about what they’ve discovered! In so doing, they learn more and more and are ready for new discoveries. Here’s something I find can happen if I’m not careful: When I get a great revelation (enlightened thought) and fresh, eye-opening inspiration, I let in a human tendency that would keep me from fully exploring the new idea — that would distract me from putting it into practice and really making it part of my understanding so that I can demonstrate it, share it and truly bear witness to it! What if the shepherds — or Mrs. Eddy — had yielded to similar temptations! So … let’s get off mortal mind’s merry-go-round in order to notice “the ‘still, small voice’ of Truth uttering itself” and then follow-through with responding, sharing, putting into practice and rejoicing — praising God continually for His amazing goodness! (S18) Wouldn’t this movement of thought also make it impossible for seemingly entrenched physical problems (which are truly only mental suggestions) to stay around? Let’s be awake, alert, alive, responsive! That’s God’s man!

Section 5: The authority of Christ

So far we’ve seen how the Magi, Mary, Joseph, and the Shepherds responded as the Christ was made known to them. Now it’s time for John the Baptist to play his part, and for the fullness of Jesus’ mission to be recognized. We read in last week’s lesson about how John’s parents, Elisabeth and Zacharias, responded to the angel who revealed his pending birth to them. John went on to fulfill his mission, which was to prepare the thought of the people so they would be ready to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, and receive his message of, and respond to the saving Truth Jesus came to preach and practice. John loosened the soil, so to speak, to make it ready for the seed about to be sown. Jesus humbly came to John to be baptized and was introduced at that time to the world as the beloved Son of God. (B11) Although the Jews had expected a king who would save them from political domination, Jesus identified his mission as a larger one of saving mankind from sin — bringing full salvation from sin, disease, and death. From that point on the authority of Christ was recognized, and felt, by all those who came to Jesus to be healed of “all manner of sickness”. (B12 and PS#5) This authority of Christ is eternal. It was exercised by prophets who came before Jesus and continues to be demonstrated today in the healing practice of Christian Science. The Christian Science textbook explains that physical healing results from the operation of a divine PRINCIPLE — the law of God, good, that causes disease to flee from human consciousness as naturally as darkness flees from light. The divine influence so apparent in Jesus is “ever present in human consciousness.” (S23) So, no one has a corner on the healing market! It is available to all mankind! We can all learn to give up a false sense of responsibility and recognize the presence and healing authority of Christ (the light and Truth of God coming to human consciousness) and the Holy Spirit (the eternal Comforter that reveals the activity of Christ) as an ever-present healing agent. We must turn to this Christ with as much humility, expectation, faith, and trust as those who turned to Jesus. The same power is here today as it was when Jesus laid his hands (representing spiritual power) on the sick who came to him — and they were healed! The rule (law) of healing, “based upon its divine Principle, Love” is “underlying, overlying, and encompassing all true being.” (S27) Nothing can resist it!

Section 6: Accepting the gift of the Comforter — the advocate that confronts and destroys the adversary or accuser

Now it is our turn to listen to the angels and receive the gift of Christian Science! Jesus spoke to his listeners about the power behind his works — the holiness of God, the Father of us all! (B14 & B15) Certainly Mary Baker Eddy responded and accepted the responsibility given to her of discovering, demonstrating, and recording the Science that is the Comforter (or advocate, according to the original Greek) which Jesus promised God would send — that would “abide with [us] for ever.” (B16 and PS#6) The second tenet establishes the Biblical basis for this saving Science that heals with the same authority with which Jesus healed. It starts with “one supreme and infinite God,” acknowledges the authority of Christ and the Holy Ghost (the divine Comforter) which comes to reveal man made in God’s image and likeness. (S28) Each day we can strive to put off more and more of our false views, sacrifice the impositions of erroneous belief and give ourselves entirely to God — be willing to drink from the same cup Jesus drank from (struggle with the same false, limiting pictures that faced him) so that we can also go up higher as a result of the inspiration gained from the “wine” in the cup. As we give up every false belief and drink of “Christ’s cup” it is promised that we are provided with “the spirit and power of Christian healing.” (S29) WE don’t do the healing. But, we seek holiness in every thought and action and give God ALL the glory — as Jesus did! (S31) What a glorious gift has been given. And, as with the Christmas gifts being received and given to loved ones this year, it is now our responsibility, privilege, and joy to cherish the gift, open it up, explore it, and use it to its fullest potential. The words of hymn 392 sum up this message beautifully:

With love and peace and joy supreme
We hail the new appearing;
From out the darkness and the dream,
The haven of rest is nearing.

With gifts of healing in his wings
To light the Christ now guides us,
The heart that knows him burns and sings,
For endless joy betides us.

His touch the door of Life unseals
And bids us freely enter,
His word the heaven of heavens reveals
With Love its bound and center.

For God is all, and Christ the way;
Our meek and bold defender
Has cleft the night and lo, the day
Bursts forth in mighty splendor.

Merry, merry Christmas — and heart-felt best wishes for a new year full of fresh insights and a practical demonstration of the healing power and grace of our Father-Mother God and His Son and Savior!


[Warren’s (W's) PS#1, Cobbey Crisler’s comments on the nativity in Matthew 2:1-2 (B3)
“Chapter 2 [of Matthew] is entirely original with Matthew. No other gospel has what we read in this chapter. Without Matthew’s record we would be ignorant of the following facts.
(Verse 1). “Jesus was born in Bethlehem.” Does that ring any bells? Let’s assume that we are a first century Jewish audience. We’ve been handed a copy of Matthew’s gospel. It says “Jesus was born in Bethlehem.” What does that mean to us? What does that immediately conjure up in terms of our history? David’s birthplace was in Bethlehem. Again, what does that say to those who are expecting a Messiah? …
(Verse 2). … "wise men" suddenly show up, (to) have an audience with Herod and say to him, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" How would a man like Herod receive any news about another king of the Jews? After all, that's what he was. "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the east." Practically every king of that period employed soothsayers. Chaldeans from the area of Babylon, whose very profession was to predict, were astrologers, stargazers and prognosticators. They would attempt to give their particular employer, king or governor, some insight into the future so he could plan. I'm sure if this kind of profession were recognized today widely, the stock exchange would employ a few of them.
Herod must have been impressed by the three. I'm sorry, I said three, but if you will notice no number is given. So you see I was influenced by the Christmas carol which has no Scriptural authority here. Nor does it say they were kings, just wise men from the east, following what they felt was a guiding, directing star.”]

Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master: A Tax Collector’s Report, by B. Cobbey Crisler

[W’s PS#2, Cobbey Crisler Commentary on the Nativity as in Luke 1, Verses 26-38:
“Gabriel has another assignment (Verse 26), to go to Nazareth. Luke is a gospel that tells us quite plainly that Mary was a virgin… (Verse 27), “To a virgin espoused to a man.” That means we are dealing with a contract period prior to marriage, an engagement that nevertheless had that sanctity of marriage attached to it legally. If that contract were broken, especially through immorality, it was very severe. A capital execution by stoning could be carried out.
“Gabriel announces to Mary that she is to be the mother of the Messiah. Verse 29 shows that Mary does not take it entirely calmly. She was “troubled at that saying,” and did not really know what to make of it, very similar to what we read of Zacharius.
The human doesn’t know what to do in the presence of angels. Of course, all it need to do is listen. That’s why it’s so hard for the human mind. But, Gabriel, true to character, begins the conversation (Verse 30) with “Fear not,” calming the fear, any sense of alarm in Mary’s thought.
“The announcement is clear in Verse 31, including the name of Jesus, just as the name of John (later, the Baptist) had been given ahead of time to Zacharius.
“Verse 32 gives us some of the things that actually were synonymous with the Messiah in the expectations of the Jews, namely that he would be “the son of God.”
“Would he be the only son of God? Do we have any Scriptural authority for that, or for its opposite? We do have the announcement (Matthew 3:17) as he came after baptism, “This is my beloved son.” What about unique or “only begotten”?
“When you realize that every Jewish mother prayed daily to be selected for that role, imagine when it came to Mary how overwhelmed and very deeply humble she must have felt.
“Mary, in Verse 34, asks the only reasonable question one can ask, “How can it be possible, an immaculate conception?…
“…Mary yields (in Luke 1:38) to this event, “be it unto me according to thy word.” …
Luke the Researcher, B. Cobbey Crisler.]

[W’s PS#3—Cobbey Crisler insights on Matthew 1:18-21 (B8) “virgin… with child”
“(Verse 18) … we find "the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise." The word "birth" in Greek is our word "genesis." Writing to a Jewish readership, there would seem to be very little question that Matthew was relating a new genesis here. The word would remind his readers of the opening book of the Bible. "The birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph." Our modem term "engagement" would probably best suit that. It was a period in which the couple would promise to one another. It was regarded with as much sanctity as the marriage-period itself. So that any violation of it morally was treated with the same severity as if it had been adultery during marriage.
“When the news reaches Joseph that Mary is ''with child," how do you think the average husband would greet that news? They aren't even married yet. The news comes to Joseph that his wife­to-be in this very sanctified period of promise is pregnant. Under the Jewish law, what would be the most severe measure that Joseph could take against Mary? Stoning. Publicly. He could have chosen and elected to have exposed Mary publicly and had her executed. But Joseph is as important an aspect of this great account of the introduction of Jesus humanly on earth as Mary. We get an insight into his thinking. Remember that Joseph is just you or I in the sense of going through the same reaction that one would have with this sort of news. This shows some of the quality and character of Joseph.
“(Verse 19), It says that "Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example." We see right away that he doesn't want to take the extreme measure, He wanted "to put her away privily," and go through divorce proceedings, but quietly.
“(Matthew 1, Verse 20). "While he thought on these things." That isn't exactly Joseph being a philosopher. The Greek word suggests agony. "While he agonized about these things.'' It gives us a view of what was really going on in his thinking. At that point, "an angel of the Lord appears unto him." "Angel," actually comes from a Greek word, angelos. It means "messenger" and is virtually inseparable from the message that the messenger delivers. It is this inseparable message and messenger that comes to Joseph in what appears to him as “a dream," addressing him as the "son of David" and saying, "Forget what you're thinking," which was a normal conclusion any husband would come to, "Because Mary is with child but what is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." How many husbands would exactly buy that? It really flies in the face of the entire biological history of man.
“Therefore, this event itself has become one of the most difficult to believe for anyone reading it. The virginity of Mary at the time of the birth of Jesus has been ridiculed by some, accepted religiously by others without question, and many of the rest of the readers somewhere in between. But let's go on with what this message is as recorded by Matthew.
“(Verse 21).”She will bring forth a son," his identity already established to the point that a name is given to him by the angel. That name really is a very common Hebrew name. It's the same name as Joshua received in the Old Testament. Joshua was not his original name. It was first Oshea, "help" or "salvation," (p. 64, J. R. Dummelow, "The One Volume Bible Commentary"). Joshua was a given name. It means something very close to our term "savior." The explanation of the angel is that this name really will define his mission "to save his people from their sins."

Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master: A Tax Collector’s Report, by B. Cobbey Crisler

[W’s PS#4 Cobbey Crisler insights on citation B10, Luke 2:8-20, 40 about:
“Luke gives us the story of the shepherds (Luke 2:8-18), those alert shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem. This is going to radically change our ideas of Christmas, although I'm sure that you are probably prepared for the fact that the birth of Jesus undoubtedly did not occur December 25th. It's pretty cold out there for shepherds to be watching their flocks in the winter night of Palestine. Normally they all would be within an enclosure at that time.
However, it doesn’t hold always true today. It depends, again, on the weather. If it is warm, and if there is sufficient grass on the hillsides, the shepherds could have been out there at that point.
Shepherds generally watched during the spring when the lambs were being born to protect the flocks from the marauding animals or human thieves. Shepherds had to be alert twenty-four hours. The whole figure of shepherd received special metaphorical treatment all the way through the Bible, specifically by Jesus himself, where the title "shepherd" is used to give an indication of his own character.

… There is a tradition that the Messiah would be announced at Migdal Eder, the tower of the flock. This was a place just outside of Bethlehem, identified with the shepherds' fields. So we do have an early Jewish tradition it would assign the Messianic inauguration near Bethlehem.
The announcement comes to the shepherds in Luke 2:9. Verse 10 begins to give us a hint of part of Luke's purpose for writing. Most scholars think that Matthew has written his gospel for Jewish readership. It also seems clear that Luke wrote his gospel with a much more universal application in mind. Verse 10 underscores that in its last line by saying, "All people.” The universality of Jesus and his mission to the entire world is emphasized. Only Luke has this story of the shepherds. We're dealing with the most spiritually conspicuous birth in history.
That means there would have to be a sign from God. We see that consistently through the Old Testament. A sign accompanying the setting aside of human laws, rules, and traditions. A radically new deeply drawn breath. from Spirit, from the Holy Ghost, accompanied-by angels. “Fear not,” the opening words again, "good tidings, great joy, all people.''
Right here in this small city of David a sign, (Verse 11), an unmistakably unique sign. First a virgin will conceive, (Verse 12), then a heavenly anthem or symphony ends the angelic message to the shepherds, (Verses l3 and 14).
The shepherds do something with the Holy Ghost with which they have been filled. They respond; they obey. They utilize what they have been inspired to do. They go to Bethlehem, (Verse 15), "find the babe lying in a manger," (Verse 16), and "spread the news around,'
(Verse 17) so that the story was available among others. We don't know where Luke would have gotten it. But that gives us certainly sufficient justification to see that it was known more than by a handful.
Mary, in verse 19, saw the shepherds appearing from nowhere telling her about the angelic messages that they received, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”
“We’re told in Verse 40 that ‘The child grew and waxed strong in spirit.’ The next thing and the last thing we know and learn about Jesus in the infancy period concludes chapter 2. Jesus is in the temple discussing with those rabbis who were schooled in every literal word of the law. We find in Verse 46 that Jesus was not only listening to them, but he is asking them questions. That is the rabbinical method. Rabbis did that among themselves. They did that with their students. For them to hear a twelve-year old boy utilizing the rabbinical method, brilliantly dealing with Scriptural exegesis, must have fascinated them to say the least. For three days this phenomenon was observed…"
Luke the Researcher, by B. Cobbey Crisler Commentary]

[W’s P.S. #5, Cobbey Crisler commentary on Matthew 4: 23 (B:
“Verse 23. And “healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Here are human problems that had defied solution, and Jesus solved them all based on his concept of theology, namely the kingdom. Remember a kingdom is not chaos. It’s an ordered government of heaven and harmony at hand.”
Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master, by B. Cobbey Crisler]

[PS#6, Cobbey Crisler commentary on John 14.16-17, 26 Jesus prophesies the Comforter:
“There are greater works, the ultimatum of the application of what Jesus had introduced to earth. So, when he’s talking about greater works being done, through what agency will these greater works come? We find the Comforter is introduced.
John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter.”
We should know enough about prophesy and have enough respect to realize that most of the prophets in the Bible, including Jesus, had a tremendous regard for prophesy. They knew that it had come from God, not from man. Similarly, we should know how to recognize the Comforter when the Comforter arrives… The word “comforter” is parakletos, sometimes called paraclete… translated “comforter” given by our King James Version. You will find, however, that The New English Bible does not use “comforter.” It uses “advocate.” You’ll also find that I John uses parakletos and the King James translator of that uses “advocate.”
We should know that the word “advocate” is a technical word legally. It specifically means “defense attorney.” That has a lot of implications to it. By contrast the name “Satan” in Hebrew is a technical term for “prosecuting attorney.” There you have the battle joined in thought.
The Comforter is to come and defend man. We can see all the ways that Jesus had introduced various defenses for man…
John 14:16, “that he may abide with you for ever.” Is there a provision for a third revelation? The Comforter is apparently the final one.
John 14:17, “the Spirit of Truth.” Notice how that counters Jesus’ definition of the “devil.” What did he say about the truth? It was the recipe for freedom (John 3:8). So, it’s got something to do with that. But there is also a communications problem. The world “cannot receive.” It’s not going to be a popular arrival. “It doesn’t see him or know him.”
But, we will know, “because it’s within.”
John 14:26 picks up the description. “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.” There’s another part of the list, identified with the Holy Ghost in Luke 3:22, the dove descending is the symbol of it. The words “dove” and “ghost” are feminine in the Greek, and the comfort aspect also introduces the feminine concept.
The role of the Comforter “will be sent by God in my name.” If one were to regard that literally, the Comforter’s name should at least have some recognizable aspect either relating to Jesus or to Christ. Another aspect of the Comforter is “he will teach you all things.”
The role of teaching what? Is anything left out? “All things.” And at the same time, “it will bring everything back to human memory that Jesus said.”

Book of John: A Walk with the Beloved Disciple by B. Cobbey Crisler]

[W’s PS#7: You can buy your own transcripts (and audio CDs) of most of Cobbey’s 28 talks at a new website: www.crislerlibrary.co.uk Email your order or inquiry to office@crislerlibrary.co.uk, or directly to Janet Crisler, at janetcrisler7@gmail.com ]


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Ballwin, MO 63011

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


[CedarS 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.

[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/

American Camp Association

MAIN OFFICE
(November - May)
410 Sovereign Court #8
Ballwin, MO 63011
(636) 394-6162

CAMP OFFICE
(Memorial Day Weekend - October)
19772 Sugar Dr.
Lebanon, MO 65536
(417) 532-6699

Support our mission!

CedarS Camps

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