Saturday, January 24, 2009

"...sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

To loaf blithely in matter is to become a character in a tale which will have a most unhappy ending. How often do we remind ourselves of Mrs. Eddy's statement "The belief of life in matter sins at every step" (S&H 542: 1)? If we are not growing in grace through Science alone, we had better be growing in grace through the suffering sin brings since "...God has sentenced sin to suffer." (S&H 322: 14-15)

We have a new President who has for many long months promised change, and we have as well a new year which can act as an added incentive for radical change and improvement in our own lives. Some commentators have pointed out that President Obama has promised much, perhaps much too much, but now that the sound of his orotund speeches has faded away, the time for action and results has come. There are challenging details aplenty and an obstinate host of devils in those details. Let us hope and pray that he does not come to rue how easy and cheap volubility is.

The Mother Church has apparently sent to all Journal-listed practitioners with an e-mail address the text of a high-toned and somewhat oleaginous Board statement which originally appeared in the Monitor, an article they obviously suspected went largely unread there. It contains a number of commendable and lofty statements which give the lie, to a faint extent at least, that the captain and officers of the ship are not wholly incapacitated in a muffling stupor. Unfortunately, for many life-long Scientists the loving sentiments expressed in the statement take the form of the bum's rush or the cold shoulder. Some grand initiatives may be in the offing, but it seems a cynical and insincere sort of ploy to offer nothing but verbiage. How much more meaningful the words would be if they had been accompanied by the announcement of even one or two concrete and inspiring actions.

One wonders if the reason there are no beefy activities being undertaken is that the Board simply doesn't want to invest their time and precious money in a dead Cause. But is their kit really that bereft of ideas which would benefit all Christian Scientists and the Church? It was suggested in an entry months ago that a new hymnal, with concordance, would be of real benefit to all. It would be a major undertaking, but some of the work was apparently done decades ago. We got a multimillion dollar library that benefits almost no one, didn't we?

Fortunately, none of this prevents any of us from living and demonstrating better today, this hour, the Science we have been given, thus fulfilling "his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind" and benefitting the Church as well.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are so good! Having read that email you mention, your title says it all. It was all words. I felt it was insincere, that they do not care about us in the Field but were only putting out high-standing statements. Thank you for speaking out on this, and for ending on such an inspiring note, namely that nothing can stop us from demontrating better this glorious Science our Leader gave us.
Oh, we do need you blogging!
With my love and thanks...

Anonymous said...

Love your blog, not only because it's so well thought out and well written. But for the devotion to Christian Science that shines in what you say.
Many thanks to you,

Anonymous said...

A very strong beginning to this blog. To think that everytime you and I experience Christ healing through Christian Science, we prove that life is in God, Spirit. We overcome that much more sin of believing matter has reality or substance. Jesus did this for us over and over again.
Thanks for this one!

Anonymous said...

Dear Blogger:
I'm a new reader and like the way you think and write. Looked back over some of your previous posts, and especially liked that one on "Unfailing Supply..." back in November I think it was. So helpful in these almost scary economic times.
With my thanks,

Anonymous said...

Another very good blog post, blogger. We out here can count on you to not be asleep at the switch. Boston has to get up early to keep ahead of you.
Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Have been thinking about Mary Baker Eddy's arresting statement about sin and matter. Perhaps this will help someone unacquainted with Christian Science. Of course, the teachings of our religion make her statement very clear, but to me why believing in matter's reality is a sin is that it dishonors God, who the Bible points out, is Spirit and has made man in His image and likeness, which man has to be spiritual. Also, we are commanded by God to have no other gods before Him, to not make unto ourselves any graven image, and this to me ties in with what our Leader has written.
Enjoy your blogs!

Anonymous said...

Good idea about the hymnal, but alas, they're out of money probably. It went to that ego-trip MBE library idea that has bombed. At least you came up with a solid suggestion of something that would benefit the Field, so thanks for thinking deeply about the state of the Church.

Anonymous said...

Love the way you begin this blog post, stressing the importance of growing in grace, which to me says becoming more like our great Master, Christ Jesus.
Thanks for all you are sharing and may God bless you.

Anonymous said...

I appreciate the sense of living according to divine Principle, as well as Love, that permeates what you write. You are doing a splended job for our Cause!

Anonymous said...

A terrific blog. Thanks for this one. And on another front, want to bring up the Trammel problem again: my husband was talking to his sister in Dallas last evening and happened to bring up this issue. She is an Episcopalian, whose church has been wrestling with the topic of homosexuality, and when she heard about the Planet Waves "joke", what was her reaction? Well, the Trammell woman has to be guilty else she would have put out a statement in a flash. Any normal person would have done so.
We still have not heard from Boston. So, what's holding them up?

Anonymous said...

A friend recommended your blog, and looking back at some of your entries, can say this is one lively blog. Very fresh, up-to-date on what concerns us in the Field. If the perios would even address these issues, would be passe before anyone could read them.
My thanks to you, and keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Can you believe when I type in "The Broken Net" up comes your "Earth to Trammell..." blog post! Just won't go away, will it?
Thanks for all you are doing for this great Cause Mary Baker Eddy established for mankind.

Anonymous said...

Glad we have you thinking deeply about current issues, and using your talent to inform the rest of us. Continue with your helpful website!