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[Open your eyes to see and rejoice in Love's messengers always surrounding you!]
Metaphysical Application Ideas for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on

“LOVE”
for Jan. 28-February 3, 2019

By Kerry Jenkins CS, House Springs, MO
Kerry.helen.jenkins@gmail.com (314) 406-0041

Our lesson this week is full of the richness of Love and the way that richness is expressed to Love's idea, man. This expression might be seen in the form of angels. And by angels, I mean spiritual God-thoughts that come to us to inspire, elevate, lead, guide, comfort, protect (as in S&H p. 581:4, citations S4 and S3). They are not just "nice ideas". They are ideas of power that literally perform these previously listed actions. Probably many of you reading this have had an experience or two where this has been very apparent. If you haven't, don't give up. It is not that angels haven't been there for you. As we learn how we can open our eyes, our spiritual senses, we can see that such angels are crowding us, even in our bitterest dark times.

We begin this lesson on Love with the message from the Golden Text that God's angels will guard us. [See W's PS#1] What is the "prerequisite" to our experiencing this sense of safety? We must "dwell" in the shelter of God, and "rest" in His shadow, in the shadow of the "Almighty". What does this look like? Well, obviously this is a location of consciousness. Where is our awake, spiritual consciousness dwelling and resting? Is it dwelling in anxiety, or is it allowing Love to govern its sense of time, deadline, ability, and so on? If our consciousness is dwelling in oneness with Love, it is alert to rejecting a sense of separateness that would lead us to feel uncertainty, worry, fear…

Have you ever experienced an emergency and either felt a deep calm, a divine sense of government, or noticed that someone else present did? That's a person that is taking conscious advantage of the ever-presence of Love and Love's angels. I remember this deep calm when I was driving to meet my husband who had been involved in a serious logging accident. As I was driving I asked myself very consciously what my response was to be to this circumstance. I almost wondered aloud:"Should I be afraid?" The only answer I had was a sense that the calm and safety of Love must be already in place, it was there before, it was there now, and it will always be there. I found my husband conscious, even making some subtle jokes when questioned by the EMT's who helped him down from the ridge side where the tree had fallen on him. Even when we respond with calm to a child's innocent fall, rather than immediately rushing to their side, we can be employing this conscious "dwelling" in God's "Most High" shelter. The "Most High", is the spiritually informed assessment of any situation. As we'll find in this lesson, our human experiences are not without challenge to the claims that Love could not be what we claim for it. But whether we find ourselves sent away from society, civilization, shelter, or find ourselves in a pit of sinful despair, blind by the roadside, or imprisoned literally or figuratively, Love sends angels to our side. They point out exactly what we need, rejoice in our salvation and our value, heal and lead us to freedom and safety.

Since we are keeping our eyes open this week for how we can bear witness to Love's abundant good, it is brilliant that we are given a Responsive Reading that is made up mostly of praise. Gratitude/praise is how we are seeing, recognizing and acknowledging all the good that God is bestowing. It is impossible to get more than the infinite good God is bestowing. So when we feel deprived in any way, financial, joyful, health….we can be sure that the minute we begin to work to recognize the evidence of Love's activity around us, however subtle it may seem at the time, is the minute we begin our journey to seeing more of God/Love in our lives. This gratitude must then be put into action: "…let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth….let us love one another, for love comes from God." Love is never passive, it is expressed, or it isn't love.

Section 1: Does the tree that falls in the forest with no one around, make a noise? [See W's PS#2 & #3]

Okay, that's a silly philosophical/quantum physical question that is broadly answered "no". It is our observation/our presence, that provides the ear to receive the sound waves that reach us and interact as sound with the inner workings of our ear. Without those ears to discern this falling tree sound, there is no consciousness to take in the event. I will not get into the complications of this just now, but B2 tells us that "Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord." What do we need to "observe"? The amazing things that God has done. In other words we need to be consciously grateful and aware of the beauty, intelligence, kindness, generosity that is expressed around us. Then we will begin to understand something of the great Love that surrounds us. Citations B3 and B4 explicitly tell us that "we have known" this Love. And Mary Baker Eddy translates B4 with the word consciousness. One of the fun things about looking at different translations of the Bible is the insight we glean in familiar passages such as this one from the 23rd Psalm. The word "follow" in Hebrew is translated in some Bibles as "pursue". And this week's "Sentinel Lens" points out that "surely" can also be translated as "only". In this way we can see this final verse of this beloved Psalm as "Only goodness and mercy pursue me all the days of my life." Followed by MBE's translation: "…and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [Love] for ever." (S5) I cannot very well leave this section before pointing out that Mary Baker Eddy's definitions of angels figure prominently in our developing consciousness of Love. (S3, S4) Before these definitions we are told that "The starting point of divine Science is that God…is All-in-all." (S2) He is the source, the Principle, of all good. If it's not good, it's not from God, it's not true. All good comes from God, through His angels.

Section 2: Love appears to us in the way we need.

I'm sure that some reading this, may disagree. How do we explain the apparent unmet need in the world? Here is where we can help to raise the level of consciousness in the world. If a tree that falls needs a consciousness to be aware of its fall to hear it, then, just so, Love needs our every consciousness to be practicing a constant awareness of Her abundant good. We can do this through gratitude, through our own generosity, our loving and powerful prayer, our attendance to the needs of others. It is not that Love is not pouring down infinite good, it is that our focus on the material blinds us to this good. We can declare with B5 that "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:" Or try this from The Message "God told them, "I've never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!" Now we have a story that illustrates how, when we are seemingly "thrown away" or exiled from even our own family, from care and love and are left in the desert to die, even then, we can experience the consciousness of Love! Ask yourself if there has been a time when you might have felt like Hagar in this story? If it is in the past for you, can you now see where even in that figurative desert, Love was there? Sometimes it takes some distance to be able to identify how your needs were lovingly met! Mrs. Eddy puts it this way in S9 "The footsteps of thought, rising above the material standpoints, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller; but the angels of His presence–the spiritual intuitions that tell us when "the night is far spent, the day is at hand"–are our guardians in the gloom." And sometimes, however sad it seems at the time, we have to sever "the fleshly ties" (S10) in order to be at the "end of our rope" (out of material solutions) enough to lean wholly on Love. In such a case, material sense no longer obscures our view of Love's abundance. I love to ponder in Hagar's story, the appearance of the well. Was it there all along and God showed her? Is it an example of Love's provision appearing from infinite Spirit just where she needed in that moment? Does it even matter? Either way, we can expect that this infinitude of Love's sheltering and tender care is ours in every extremity.

Section 3: True sense of Love redeems and reveals true self.

In citation 10 Jesus is eating and speaking with "publicans and sinners". I cannot imagine the kind of love that Jesus expressed that caused those who considered themselves "sinners" to be drawn to him. There could have been no sense of condemnation, disdain, impatience—not a single missing element of love in his consciousness. He explains this love of Love to the Pharisees and scribes who are judging him for keeping company with sinners, with a series of parables about how God loves His creation. Why is it that God's joy over retrieving one lost sheep, one piece of silver, is so big? I think it might be because when we find ourselves redeemed or "found" by Love after missing the mark, we are glimpsing our true selfhood. This is a self that carries no ugly mistakes, no wreck of a past.

Think of Jesus' parable of the Prodigal. The younger son comes home offering to be a servant in his Father's household. But the Father gives him no such position and instead puts His own ring on the son's finger, His own robe about his shoulders! In other words, he is welcomed back as the true son, the man of God's creating, ever there, just obscured for a time—wandering like a lost sheep. This is the brilliance of these analogies. The sheep is lost, not "gone". The Silver is not truly lost, it is still in the house. There is no time where the searchers are unsure as to whether they will find their sheep/silver. Instead they are diligent and methodical in their search and then they rejoice in their successful hunt.

Love is the source of Jesus' teaching. Redemption is the main goal of his teaching—redemption from the false view of man and God as material. He helped us get a "…truer sense of Love…" (S12) Angels are making their appearance in the Science and Health citations. Citations S13 and S14 give us the message that angel thoughts bring us strong, pure, holy messages to lift us above the false material view of ourselves. The redemptive process of divesting ourselves of "false trusts and material evidences in order that the spiritual facts may appear, —this is the great attainment by means of which we shall sweep away the false and give place to the true." is Love's method of revealing Her presence and grace. (S15) Here are clear directions on how we can entertain these angels of Love!

Section 4: Jesus healing power was from Love. [See W's PS#4, #5 & #6]

I love that in this story of the blind men they are yelling for Jesus' attention and everyone is telling them to be quiet! It is very like the story of Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus. Why did everyone tell them to be quiet? Is there a modern parallel to this? Are we too passive about reaching out to the Christ? Do we listen to the news around us that we should "just accept things the way they are"? Are we missing out on the redemptive healing power of Love because we are too busy listening to societal norms that tell us to ignore the presence of Christ?

Look at the last two citations in this section, S22 and S23. What do they say about "thought"? The basis of Jesus' healing thought was "perfect God and perfect man". And "Hold perpetually this thought…" Here is that consciousness again that we have been talking about! This consciousness must be based in Love to heal! Much like the well appearing to Hagar, these men had their eyes opened to the truth that Love is always providing, always visible to His creation.

I shared a wonderful healing that occurred for me a few years back that is similar to this kind of "appearing" that happened for Hagar and for these blind men. I had been really praying deeply about the need for an office for me. The parameters seemed narrow. It needed to be on our property so that I could be near enough my mom who lives with us, and so that I could oversee my boys' homeschooling. I live in a pretty rural setting, no offices to rent nearby. After many months I realized that right on my property, already hooked to electric, was a perfect office. It was one of those little buildings they put on a construction site for the superintendent to work out of. It's about one third window, which I love! Someone gave it to us and we dragged it home many years previous and all it was doing was storing junk! It was already level and everything. All I had to do was clean it out, install a couple of space heaters (which we already had), and a little air conditioner for the summer (which we also already had!) and I was set! The only thing I purchased was a used desk and an office chair. I am grateful every single time I sit in here to do my practice work!! And I am sure that gratitude makes it the place that it is. I even installed bird feeders of all kinds outside my big windows, and can watch beautiful birds at work all day! Love had provided, and it was my consciousness that needed to be awakened to see it. I could not be tempted to give in to the suggestions that money, location, home situation made my needs impossible to meet. Just as the blind men needed to insist that Jesus hear them, so I had to continue to insist that the right place to work existed! Love answered.

Section 5: Right where things look the worst, look to Love. [See W's PS#1 & #7]

This story of Peter walking out of prison while under multiple guards and locks and chains, is such a powerful demonstration of the fact that there is no situation too dire for Love's safety to be revealed. An angel woke him, provided light, freed him from chains, led him right out of the prison into the city.

Citation S24 applies equally to all the stories in this lesson. "The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares." We have to wrestle with these suggestions as Mary Baker Eddy tells us in the next citation. We cannot afford to passively sit by or succumb to despair. The Bible has many stories that help us to see how we can allow our faith, gratitude and love for God outshine the seeming darkness of whatever material sense presents. We do have to stand up to "The powers of this world…" (S28). But, as we learned in last week's lesson, it is Truth that prevails, and Love is right there alongside Truth! The world/Herod, was looking for a way to "please" the Jews—the world. He even put extra soldiers in charge of Peter since he probably knew that Peter had walked out of prison before with other apostles—again led out by an angel. But truly "Love is the liberator." (S28)

Section 6: Entertain strangers—entertain angels.

We are exhorted in citation B19 to not forget to "…entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." What might that mean to us? Sometimes it is literal people that seem to pop in from nowhere and help us when we are least expecting it! Sometimes it is entertaining the Christ with insistence, as the blind men did. We are told that we will see true brotherhood, true peace when the fact that there is one Mind…one Life, Truth, Love…"becomes apparent". (S30) When we are conscious of the only-ness of Mind, then there can be nothing but Love. We are even given directions to get to this consciousness: "Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love." (S31) I added italics here to emphasize the role that consciousness plays in making Love visible in our lives. So we go forth, conscious of all the little ways that Love is active in our lives. And then we will see together Love's angels surrounding us, guiding, healing, saving and bringing freedom.


A humble and hearty thank you to all you good friends who have already given to our recently advertised needs—as well as to those of you who still want to make a big difference in CedarS vital work, outreach and blessings in 2019!

While many of you helped us meet our "Maintenance Musts" Match goal of raising OVER $25,000 by December 31 but we still have another match to meet! You can still double your donation though by helping CedarS earn our "Adopt the Herd" $75,000 Match for the horses and riding program. (still ~$51,000 to go by Sept. 30, 2019.)

So, if you have been blessed by receiving this inspiration weekly and haven't given lately, or are blessed to be able to give more, we still have many needs, big and small, that you can help meet by clicking on https://www.cedarscamps.org/give/.

Current and planned gifts are a huge proof of your ongoing LOVE made visible and are greatly appreciated!! They not only defray the costs of running this service but also provide greatly needed camperships and essential program and operations support.

Please sign up to give whatever you can on a much-needed MONTHLY basis to support CedarS life-changing work! [You can start at any amount and adjust monthly as you wish at: www.cedarscamps.org/giving ] All of your gifts add up to big blessings in the lives of today's Sunday School students (tomorrow's joyous workers in our Christ-centered church!

With heartfelt gratitude and love,
Warren, Gay, Holly & your CedarS Family

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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. 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/meta

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