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Audio of inharmony healed in GEM#2! All GEMS will wash away blame-game feelings and their bodily results with floodtides of Love!
Insights from Cobbey Crisler, Ken Cooper & others for The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on

“Everlasting Punishment"
for Oct. 26-November 1, 2020

Apologies for lateness of these GEMS that had to be prepared well after full work days for and at camp
by Warren Huff, CedarS Executive Director
warren@cedarscamps.org 314-378-2574


GEM#1: Discover the indescribable joy of following the rules of everlasting, heavenly happiness as Jesus delivered them from the altitude of inspiration in his Sermon on the Mount. Cobbey Crisler on Jesus’ “Blessed are the merciful” Beatitude, Matt 5:7 (Golden Text) & GEM#3 on Matt 5:21-22, cit. B9
[Cobbey:] “Matthew Chapter five is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount which goes all the way through to the end of Chapter 7. Whether Jesus delivered all these statements at once is a matter of conjecture. No other gospel has it treated as kind of an anthology of Jesus' statements. Whether he even delivered the Sermon on a Mount, or not, is a matter of dispute because Luke (6:12) says he spent the night before on the mountain, but came down to the plain the next day (Luke 6:17) and delivered this sermon.

So, it must not be the geographical point that's important. The sermon has to be on a mount is one way of looking at it. That's what? From the altitude of inspiration from which Jesus delivered this magnificent sermon, sometimes called the “Diamond Sermon.”

The beatitudes, the blessings. The word “blessed” in our sermon on the mount is not really the accurate translation of the Greek. The word is “makarios” which means “happy.”
Just think of the search for happiness among humanity. Here are rules laid down by Jesus simply stating that happiness can be obtained in the following ways…
… we should remember that Jesus never uttered anything that he hadn’t practiced.
The Sermon on the Mount is in essence a description of the life of Jesus…
The Sermon begins with the Beatitudes. …

“… As you go down the Beatitudes, read them all, scan them as they are in front of you. See if you can find results in every one of them. See if you can analyze them for those results. The Beatitudes become a very practical clue for how to lead one’s life.
The Commandments and Beatitudes have often been placed side by side. Many parallels have been used…
For instance, we are told in the Book of Revelation that those who have overcome the beast will stand on the sea of glass with harps. … Those who have overcome are said to be singing two things: the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. That sounds like they’re inseparable. They operate together. Do you know why? Because it’s part of the heavenly mathematics.
Why did the Commandments say, “Thou shalt not,” taking care of the minus aspects in human nature? And the Beatitudes, “happy are they” that do certain things, are plus? What do you do with the minus in thought, the chaff? It is dealt with by fire. You deal with the plus in thought through the Holy Ghost.
They operate together for a single purpose and a unique commitment to the totality of One infinite, God, good. The Beatitudes must be considered in conjunction with the Commandments in your study.”

“Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**

PS. Decades ago Larry Groce was commissioned to write a Beatitudes song for CedarS. For the one featured in our Golden Text about being merciful, he wrote “Blessed are they who are quick to forgive, they too will be forgiven.” Other mindsets of the Master that he captures in this song are being “free from pride” and being a peacemaker in this world who “wins without a fight.” To find out about limited availability of CDs with this song, on a trilogy of CedarS songs sung by Erin Williams, text jennifer@cedarscamps.org.


GEM#2: Click here to hear Warren tell the following example of the blessings in store for us by our being “kindly affectioned”— even to our enemies! Romans 12:10, Responsive Reading Hear at https://www.cedarscamps.org/metaphysical/audio/play/warren-on-workplace-harmony-by-being-quick-to-forgive/
[Warren:)] “When I was being bullied at my first workplace (outside of CedarS) the Responsive Reading advise from Romans 12 to “be kindly affectioned” and “be at peace with everyone” grabbed my attention. They helped bring about harmony and turned an enemy into a friend:
Never pay back evil for evil. …. Don’t quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, just as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for he has said that he will repay those who deserve it. … Instead, feed your enemy if he is hungry. If he is thirsty give him something to drink and you will be “heaping coals of fire on his head.” In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for what he has done to you.” (Romans 12:18-20, NIV Responsive Reading)

Here’s how inharmony in my first workplace was healed by forgiveness & by putting “love in action”:

I was very eager to start my first job in a great architect’s office located in the heart of the beautiful Country Club Plaza of Kansas City, Missouri. I was especially grateful for this opportunity since it was such a timely demonstration of God’s infinite networking and right employment. My wife and I had both graduated from college in June right before we honored our commitment to return to CedarS to be Program Directors for one more summer before finding year-round jobs. With finals right before graduation and camp we could not find time to do a focused job search or any interviewing. But, as we’ve seen countless times at CedarS, when staff members are motivated to be there for unselfish, right reasons, God provides perfect, dream-job opportunities for them! Within a week after camp, this was no different for us! And, another sunner's experience of practicing a CedarS mindset in every situation to “think without strife” (as the CedarS song says) proved to be very valuable for me.

Thinking “without strife” enabled me to remain calm instead of become reactionary when Joe, my immediate supervisor, was apparently jealous and out to get me. He assigned me the worst jobs and tried to make me and my work look bad before our mutual employer. Since this was in the early 1970s, before the arrival of Computer Assisted Drawing (CAD), Joe was able to smear my pencil work and to ruin most of what I’d worked on during both my first and second day on the job.

On the way home after the first day, I stopped just routinely saying the “Daily Prayer”, and began deeply praying it. When I got to the part where I asked God to “rule out of ME all sin” I realized that the focus of the prayer was on ME and on my need to control my own thoughts, temper and actions, instead of on Joe and how HE had to change! (Church Manual, 41). I affirmed and knew deep within that God was in charge not only of me, but also of Joe and of all. So, I recommitted to replace any tendency to react or become discouraged with a motive to live to give and to bless those around me—even those who appeared to be my enemies.

The next day Joe hadn’t seemed to improve, but I definitrly had. When he used one of my drawing triangles to poke a hole through my work, I was able to stay sincerely calm and to actually smile about how silly that was. But, on my drive home I earnestly reached out to God to show me Bible examples of Answered Prayer, or A.P. History at work in the lives of characters who had been unjust treated and bullied.

I thought right away of Jesus being unjustly crucified and of Joseph who was thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. I remembered their great, ultimate victories and determined to learn their lessons and to be more like them in my mini-version of their trials and tribulations. I saw how when it seemed like bad things kept happening TO Joseph and TO Jesus, instead they were happening FOR them. These bad events were working together not only for their good, but also for the good of the whole world. And, I accepted and declared that this principle would work the same for me too.

When I got home I went to the Key to the Scriptures portion of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures to unlock the spiritual qualities of both Joseph and Jesus. I wanted to express whatever enabled them to "rise to the occasion" when it was not circumstances but God who put them at the right place at the right time with a total willingness to serve God and to save countless others. When I turned to page 589 in the Glossary these words of Mary Baker Eddy jumped off the page at me: “Joseph” … pure affection blessing its enemies.” (SH, 589:20)

When I was looking for the definition of “Joseph” my eyes also ran across a part of the definition of Gethsemane just a couple of pages before it. I’ll never forget seeing: “Gethsemane… Love, meeting no response, but still remaining love.” (Science & Health, 586:23-25) Jesus’ response made him a perfect “First Responder” in the Garden of Gethsemane when he told Peter to “put up your sword” and then picked up the cut-off ear of the high priest’s servant and restored his wholeness.

The next day, there was no visible change in Joe until mid-morning when he suddenly realized that he’d left his wallet in his car when he’d dropped it off that morning for an all-day service appointment and that without money and without a car he’d be unable to get his wife a wedding anniversary gift at the lunch break as he’d planned. Without hesitation, I sincerely offered to loan him money and my car so he could shop and stay in good steads with his wife. That changed everything. All the bullying stopped. My worst enemy became a very good friend who invited me to play racket ball regularly and to ski behind his great ski boat several times a week. He started to ask several questions about Christian Science, came to some great lectures about it with me, and started reading Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures.

As this week’s lesson puts it: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16.7 (cit. B21)

What blessed peace each of us can bring each day to our homes, to our workplaces and to our world if we just take a few minutes every hour, or at least every day, to commit to be “quick to forgive” and “free from pride” as Larry Groce put two Beatitudes in a song he wrote about them for CedarS. What everlasting joy will be ours as we work to help rule out of us all inharmony by being Love’s peacemakers who “win without a fight.” Shalom.


GEM#3: Think again! Prove that it’s NOT problems, but heaven, that is at hand! Cobbey Crisler on Matt 4:17 (cit. B8): “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

[Cobbey:] “Verse 17. … Jesus’ opening word, according to Matthew’s gospel is “Repent.” Change your concept. Again, just as John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:2, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That is radical good news for mankind.

“It’s not a far-off event. Many denominations have left the impression that heaven is something attainable in the far-off future. But, the opening words of John the Baptist, as well as of Jesus, are “the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” right here. That means that we must be able to do something with it and about it. And, apparently that had something to do with the changing of our concept, even theologically, that heaven can do something about the problems that that seem to be at hand.

“… Are the problems at hand, or is heaven at hand? That’s the test question that Jesus met so beautifully as a sovereign over it in the wilderness. He proved that heaven was at hand.”
“Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**


GEM#4: To end murder shine light within from this facet of Jesus’ “Diamond Sermon!” It’s from Matt 5:21, citation B9. With “Anger No More!”— a Michelle Nanouche lecture an end to anger will bless all!
[Warren:] “If you couldn't attend our Creve Coeur, Missouri church’s Web Lecture with Michelle Nanouche, CSB, here is a replay link to listen and share this wonderful web lecture with your friends and family.

Replay link: https://youtu.be/Y6S6oHfHYiU (Wait about 25 seconds for it to download and start.)

Another gift for you, the textbook Michelle spoke about; Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. You can read the book and/or listen to the audio recording.

Book link: https://bit.ly/CStextbook

Find other Christian Science web lectures happening around the globe.

Find lectures link: https://bit.ly/FindCSlectures

Enjoy!

Please send your questions, comments and feedback to: church.cscc@gmail.com or

To find out more about Christian Science visit our website, https://csheals.org/ — where you can also join us for inspiring, online services every Sunday and Wednesday.


Now, Cobbey Crisler, on Jesus’ message on how to end murder from Matthew 5:21, citation B9.
[Cobbey:] “We're going to have six pairs or sets of interpretations of Old Testament passages beginning in Verse 20 of Matthew 5). Jesus has just said that "your concept of right doing and right living better be higher than the scribes and Pharisees or you're not going to get anywhere." Because that was mostly theory without practice. Again, the measurement of the Sermon on the Mount is results. Christianity is a religion of results.:.

In Verses 21, 27, 33, 38, and 43, he says, "You have heard," and in Verse 31 he says, "it has been said." This is the formula by which he approaches his comparison here.

Verse 22 begins his interpretation, "But I say unto you.” That's the formula by which you can recognize the contrasting pairs down through the next few Verses (22, 28, 32, 34, 39; 44).

Set 1, Verse 21, "You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill." He has gone right back to the Commandments. "You've been taught that you shouldn't kill." The Hebrew word definitely means "murder." Thou shalt not murder.

(Verse 22). "But I say unto you," notice his interpretation of it, "That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." In some early manuscripts, the phrase "without a cause" is not present. What is Jesus obviously interested in? The act of murder or the motive behind it? Does anger often lead to murder? If one could stop at the anger stage, would we have murder? Do you see the basic psychology in its right sense that Jesus is using here?

(Verse 22). He also says, "If you say to your brother, Raca" which means sort of "empty head" or "vain fellow," you "shall be in danger of the council." You'll be judged for what you think of your brother, and what you say to your brother. "But even worse is to say, Thou fool," the Greek word there is "more."

The word we have that is related is "moron." "If you say to your brother he's a moron." Why should that have such an affect? We undoubtedly all do it at some point. "You know so-and-so is stupid for having done that." Yet, if we were in the same circumstances, chances are we probably would have done the same thing.

If we condemn our brother, is it also a condemnation of ourselves and of man in general. That man is capable of being moronic.

Jesus has a revelation that he was the beloved son of God could hardly accept that man could be a moron. If man could he a moron, and was the image of God, what would that make God? His whole theology is wrapped up around what seems like a tiny point, and something that we would tend to excuse. But Jesus said, "No, it goes right to the root of theology. You cannot have the two. You can't serve two masters. ·

BONUS: To counteract the belief of aging, don’t let unsolved problems accumulate!
(Verse 23, after citation B9). Jesus says; "If you bring your gift to the altar, and remember anything your brother has against you." That’s tough self-examination:

(Verse 24). "Don't even bother giving your gift at the altar, until you've reconciled the difficulty." How important, then, is the solving of human relationship problems. Does it have any priority? What priority did Jesus give it here? "Don't even give your talent at the altar until you have resolved your human-relationship problem." Do we see it with the same kind of priority? Not generally.

(Verse 25). "Agree with your adversary quickly, while he is in the way with 'us." Solve the problem when it confronts you. Don't put it off. I once heard a lecturer describe old age in a novel way. He decided that old age might just be an accumulation of unsolved problems: Problems which may seem unique to us. It's not that you and I might be different from anyone else. That's the beautiful revelation of Scripture, that no temptation comes to you or me that isn't common to man. But we kind of think that the devil is going to treat us more exclusively than he does others. And that if he gives us baggage to carry around at least it has our gold initial stamped on it, just for us.

Do you know how Jesus handled it? "You're nothing special," he said to Satan. He just quoted the law book and got rid of it. That same kind of disposal of such temptations is obviously implicit in what Jesus is telling humanity. With love resident in his heart that embraced all, every generation, even Jesus' last prayer publicly, includes not just his present followers, but those who would follow him down through the centuries. I have never ceased to be touched by the 17th Chapter of John. Before his own crucifixion, he not only prays for himself and for his disciples but he prays for us as well. I'm not so sure we would pray for people centuries ahead of us if we were going out to our own crucifixion. But Jesus would not have done it, if he didn't think that prayer was still effective. And that we would pick up the benefits of his prayer when we arrived on the human scene.

The Master has already prayed for us. How are our results? He's giving humanity the rules to live by, so we must agree with our adversary quickly…”
“Book of Matthew, Auditing the Master” by B. Cobbey Crisler**


GEM#5: Gain everlasting blessings by keeping The Ten Commandments! Matt 15:19, cit. 10; 340:23, S31
Citation B10: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts (10th Com.), murders (6th Com.), adulteries (7th Com.), fornications (7th Com.), thefts (8th Com.), false witness (9th Com), blasphemies (1st-4th Com.): These are the things that defile a man.” (Matthew 15:19)
Citation S31: “The divine Principle of the First Commandment bases the Science of being, by which man demonstrates health, holiness, and life eternal. One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, “Love thy neighbor as thyself;” annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.”

(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 340:20)


[Warren:] To help get through a potentially long winter ahead, you might want to consider joining me in a commitment to physically exercise daily while simultaneously mentally exercising by taking these pledges to keep the Ten Commandments:

Top 10 Ways and Pledges to Receive God’s Blessings and Be Your Best Yet!
[from this week’s Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson]

Before entering your “Promised Land” of your best-yet winter, you must take the Ark of “temptation overcome”) & pledge a covenant to keep the Commandments. Divine “safety” & “exultation” follow (581)

Overcome the Hula-hoop temptations “going around” that break the 10 Commandment (Ask for pics of my customized Hula-hoop)

#1 When it’s hard to stop worrying (being ungrateful in advance) retake a pledge to keep God’s 1st Com. below

#2 When obsessed with body worship & thinking most of things retake a pledge to keep God’s 2nd C. below

#3 When saying “OMG!” (“Oh, My God!”) out of habit retake a pledge to keep God’s 3rd C. below

#4 When I forget that everything’s already perfect now! retake a pledge to keep God’s 4th C. below

#5 When tempted to disrespect authorities retake a pledge to keep God’s 5th C. below

#6 When tempted to be angry, to put other down or to bully retake a pledge to keep God’s 6th C. below

#7 When tempted to be dissatisfied and break promises retake a pledge to keep God’s 7th C. below

#8 When tempted to take what doesn’t belong to me retake a pledge to keep God’s 8th C. below

#9 When tempted to say (think) what’s not REALLY true of another or me retake a pledge to keep 9th C.

#10 When feeling jealous of anyone’s possessions/accomplishments, retake a pledge to keep God’s 10th C.

I Pledge to: Keep these 10 Commandment & like Jesus heal with “the finger of God” that wrote them!
(Ask for pictures of a soccer ball to help you kick dust-man habits and “score” healings for your team)

Jesus says the greatest of the two great Commandments is to “love God with all your heart… soul & … mind” (Matt. 22:37). It’s lived by whole-heartedly putting into practice the 1st 4 Commandments, summed up below:
#1 I pledge to: Love God, good alone & celebrate examples of Love’s unfailing, freeing power whenever tempted to be worried!** (Worry is really just ingratitude in advance.)
#2. I pledge to: Quit thinking most about material things and bodies that will never be “up to the job” of being God.
#3. I pledge to: NOT to be saying O.M.G. (“Oh, My God!”) unless I am praying God’s name in expectation of a quick answer!
#4. I pledge to: Remember—give loving attention to—God’s Genesis 1 Sabbath & work out from perfection, not up to it!

Jesus says the second great Commandments is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). It’s lived by whole-heartedly putting into practice the rest of the Commandments, summed up below:
#5. I pledge to: Respect and obey all RIGHT authority figures and boundaries in my life.
#6. I pledge to: Refuse (re-fuse) to get angry, make fun of or put anyone down!
(Such unchecked ,"supposed superiority" leads to killing as Jesus tells us in Matt.5:21+)
#7. I pledge to: Seek deep satisfaction in all God’s given and keep my promises
(Unchecked looking with lust is adultery and leads to it… as Jesus tells us in Matt.5:27+)
#8. I pledge to: Stop trying to GET happiness & instead try to GIVE it!
(“to impart truth, health and happiness… is… my reason for existing… …” My. 165)
#9. I pledge to: Stop saying what’s not REALLY true of others or myself (To bear true witness: "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God!”)
#10. I pledge to: Feel & say of others’ good “Thank You God! That’s Mine Too!
(T.Y.G.! T.M.T.! Is more powerful than T.N.T.! (And, that's dynamite)

Here’s to a Worry-free, best-yet year from “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him:” (Rev. 1:1)
For a winter that sings, be among those who get the victory over the animal –“the victory over the beast, … stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And … sing the song of Moses … (the 10 Commandments) and the song (the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount) of the Lamb (Jesus)” (Revelation 15:2-3)

Hopefully, you and your class will enjoy using my homemade teaching aids of a customized soccer ball and hula hoop. You could review (as written on a hula hoop) some thoughts and habits that are “going around” these days and see how each one is actually a tempting way to think or act that breaks a Commandment and so gets you to settle for a lesser potential version of yourself and of mankind. Right above each temptation going around on the hula hoop is a pledge to counteract that temptation written on part of a soccer ball so as to help you score your highest goals. Your students and you can take turns saying each pledge aloud (or as a silent prayer) as a commitment to better keep each Commandment and fulfill your highest potentials.

God’s kingdom is found right within each of us as we daily commit to gladly obey each Commandment and feel the harmonious wholeness (God's kingdom) within that comes from expressing “the whole of man in His image & likeness.” [SH 340:9+, S31; Deut. 7:9; Ex. 20:1+]


GEM #6: Stop trying to just tweeze the dirt from a glass of water, or the sin from thought. “The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth with flood-tides of Love.” (SH 201:17-18, citation S12) I’ll always remember how effectively this week’s CedarS Met writer, Christie Hanzlik, CS, and illustrated pouring “in truth with flood-tides of Love” for groups at CedarS. Her video had her sitting at a picnic table with a muddy glass of water and pair of tweezers showing how impossible it was humanly to purify the water that way. Then, without missing a beat, she raised up a fully running hose that quickly washed all the impurities away!

Another friend, Reid Charlston, Director of Camp Owatonna, added more great insights into Mary Baker Eddy’s use of this “flood-tides of Love” analogy.

“Flood Tides of Love”
Written by Reid Charlston, Friend and Director of Camp Owatonna

“In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy says, “The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love” (201:17). Many people who do not live near the ocean, and especially the northeastern coastline of the United States, are not very familiar with tides. As a long-time sea kayaker who has taken and led many trips along the Maine coast, I want to share a little more about these tides to help explain this metaphor a bit more.

“The tides on the ocean are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon as it orbits the earth. The tide changes every six hours and thirteen minutes from high to low and back, which means you can predict it accurately to the minute for every day into the future and back into the past. When the moon is on one side of the earth it both pulls the water on that side towards itself and it pulls the earth itself towards itself and away from the water on the other side of the earth. This means that high tide will always be experienced on the side of the earth the moon is on and the opposite side at the same time. Low tide will be on the other two sides, and the shift between the two causes the rising and falling of the tides.

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/tide-cause.htm

“From what I have been told, this tidal pull affects every body of water on earth, even a glass of water on your desk, but it is only visible when there is a large amount of water moving over huge amount of space. Thus we really can only see the moon’s gravitational effect on the oceans, and nowhere is that effect more prominent than the coastline of the Atlantic ocean from New England up into Canada.

“So, what is a flood tide? When the tide is going out (being pulled to the other side of the earth) we call that an ebb tide. When all that water comes rushing back, we call it a flood tide. The greatest example of this tidal swing is in the Bay of Fundy in Canada where the tidal range is 56 feet between low and high tide. Go to these web addresses to see some great time lapses of the water coming in and out of the Bay of Fundy. One video I watched said that at least 100 billion tons of sea water comes in and out of the Bay of Fundy each day.

https://youtu.be/_x9nbW0HW8c (great explanation of how tides work)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LtEF9WPt4 (short time lapse)

https://youtu.be/6Rl4-vJ8Unw (another great short one)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OObk9ZPcGfo (longer video of the area with some

great perspective of how much water comes in and out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=budXQlGL8Dc

https://youtu.be/eYJF-u1WA1Q

“While I’ve never heard that Mrs. Eddy got to experience the tides at the Bay of Fundy, she more than likely got to witness the shifting tides off the coast of her natives state of New Hampshire, possibly too in Massachusetts and Maine, both places we know she visited. So, this concept of flooding and ebbing tides was a natural one for her to use as a metaphor in this sentence.

“As I have read this passage I have always been struck by just how much love she is implying we need to pour in to extract error. It is no trivial amount, but rather a surge of the absolute maximum amount of love that we can possibly give – an amount we know is unlimited as we can only express God’s love which is infinite.”
Written by Reid Charlston, Friend and Director of Camp Owatonna


GEM#7: Do whatever is necessary to bring a friend to Christ’s forgiveness and good cheer!
[W. Luke 5:18-25, citation B17 has the same healing described in Matthew 9:2-8, except Luke records how the paralyzed man’s friends got him through the crowd by tearing off the roof and lowering him to Jesus to experience this remarkable healing.]
“Matthew 9, Verse 2: ‘We have a man in bed with the palsy.” Can you imagine Jesus going by a man who had been that long without moving and telling him to “be of good cheer”? But there’s nothing Jesus said that he didn’t discern was needed. What that man needed, more than physical movement, was to be of good cheer. Jesus said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.” Jesus knew at a glance the whole history of a case.”
(Verse 3). The scribes say, “This man blasphemes.” In order to get the healing, he has to eliminate the theological obstruction to healing first.
(Verse 5). He says, “What is easier? To say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?”
(Verse 6). “Because the Son of man does have power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and he goes.”
“The Book of Matthew, A Tax Collector’s Account, Auditing the Master,”
by B. Cobbey Crisler**


GEM #8: Enjoy Ken Cooper’s insights and custom poem, "The Man Sick of the Palsy," from Luke 5:18, citation B17 in this week’s Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson.
[Ken:] “Friendship is born of Love, and Love is the presence of God. It is an everlasting bond, in which one gives unconditionally no matter what the situation or the individual. It includes loving one’s enemies until they are friends. Acts of kindness are the purity of Love, and this gives protection from any negativity, for universal Love heals, sees through the false mortal picture, and blesses all those bathed in its light. Loves washes away all and any infected thought, all evil. This Love, being infinite and everlasting, makes the nothingness of fear, sin, all disease, permanent.

“The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love”. (S&H 201:17-18, citation S12). The flood of Love, true friendship, obliterates its unlikeness, error. There is no greater punishment than to be nothing. The actions of Love are expressions of Love and make the man of God, who always expresses Love, ever “Not guilty”. There can be no punishment where there is no guilt, only glory. This removes straightaway both sin and disease for they have no cause, cannot exist, nor attach themselves to spiritual man. Man is spiritual, not material, and this is the everlasting Truth.

Paraphrasing Paul’s words in his letter to the Romans, “Never return evil for evil, never retaliate or hold a grudge/ Let your actions ever be of the highest, seeing and encouraging the beauty in everyone. Yes, be friendly with everyone, mindful of their true worth, as much as yours…” In the poem “The Man Sick of the Palsy” we see this man’s friends take a key role in getting him to see Jesus. They became as angels, inspired by Love, warranting the grateful expression “Oh you are an angel!” Without them he would have languished still in his home / consciousness. It was their faith that Jesus acknowledged, as with the centurion, and the woman from Sidon. With the latter, they had faith that Jesus could heal from a distance, irrespective of the faith of the person to be healed. Here, the friends brought this man, perhaps weighed down in self-pity, to be with Jesus. Imagine the confidence they had to go to a stranger’s house, and make a hole in their ceiling big enough to drop down a man in his bed! It is a symbol of the love that was present, the friendship shared in the household, the confidence in Jesus, the power of the presence of Christ. It is surely a great example of being “kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love” (Romans 10:10). And healing resulted. The release from sin and disease was immediate and complete. The man took up his couch without difficulty, and without question. The barrier of sin had been cleansed from his thought, and he was completely free.

Once sin has gone, what is there to be forgiven, to be punished? And the feeling of freedom when the disease has gone, the sin removed from thought, provides its own further and permanent cleansing, the realization of the effects of purity in man. “Ye shall know the truth, and this truth shall make you free” for the nothingness of error has no power to bind. When we act with love, we are demonstrating Truth, and the freedom that results spreads just like the floodtides of Love, the flood tides of good deeds.

Hymn 253 says it all in the last verse: “My prayer, some daily good to do to thine, for Thee; an offering pure of Love, whereto God leadeth me.” So, let’s all be angels, good friends, today! Let Love lead, and Mary Baker Eddy’s words become fulfilled: “Unselfish ambition, noble life-motives, and purity, — these constituents of thought, mingling, constitute individually and collectively true happiness, strength, and permanence.” S&H 58:7

PDF copies of the poem "The Man Sick of the Palsy"— in color and B&W—are available on the top right of this week's ONLINE metaphysical article for CedarS Camps.


GEM#9: Enjoy this link to a great cartoon-style video on Philemon and Onesimus by the Bible Project. The full story is in the one and only chapter of this New Testament book of Philemon, as partially told in citation B19 of this week’s Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson. This is a letter written by Paul while he was in prison at Rome. The video about it tells the backstory and is fun, especially for older students. They, like all of us, could benefit from Paul’s example of the loving logic and diplomatic grace he employed in this letter to convince Philemon not to punish his runaway slave, but rather to accept him as a brother in Christ. Onesimus is recorded as the name of a leader in the nearby Ephesus church. If this is the same man, what does this tell us about God’s love and forgiveness and about the universal embrace of early Christianity?

If the link above doesn’t work for you, here’s the URL address to paste in your browser: https://bibleproject.com/church-at-home/week20-philemon/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=quarantinemail&utm_content=philemon#video ]


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