Sunday, July 21st, 2019 Roundtable
Thou Wilt Shew Me the Path of Life
This week’s Lesson Sermon Subject: 2019-07-21–Life
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Morning Prayers
Goodness never fails to receive its reward, for goodness makes life a blessing. As an active portion of one stupendous whole, goodness identifies man with universal good. Thus may each member of this church rise above the oft-repeated inquiry, What am I? to the scientific response: I am able to impart truth, health, and happiness, and this is my rock of salvation and my reason for existing.
— Miscellaneous by Mary Baker Eddy, page 165
Discussion points
59 — WATCH lest you become a pillar of salt, in that you do not promptly and rightly complete each demonstration. No demonstration is finished if you look back to see the destruction of the error, since looking back carries the implication that, although the unreality of the error is now being demonstrated, it was once real.
Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy tells us, is divine Science reduced to human apprehension. The former carries the admission of a human problem, while the latter does not. No demonstration is finished until you retreat into divine Science and realize that no error ever existed, or even claimed to exist; hence there was nothing to be destroyed.
Mrs. Eddy once wrote to a student, “Now dear, a dream is not real! You have not been sick and cannot be sick. It is impossible, so I shall not worry. No mortal, however malicious can make a lie true, and if they tell you you are poisoned, it has no effect whatever, for a lie is not real, and you know this.”
— from 500 Watching Points by Gilbert Carpenter
Golden Text — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” — Psalm 23 : 6
Why search the future and the past?
Why do ye look with tearful eyes
And seek far off for paradise?
Before your feet Life’s pearl is cast.
As deathless as His spirit free,
The Perfect lives and works today
As in the ancient prophets’ lay,
Where there’s an open eye to see.
Of all that was and is to come
The present holds the Mind and Cause;
For God lives in eternal laws,
And here today upholds His throne.
Then rise and greet the signs that prove
Unreal the ages’ long lament;
The “one far-off divine event”
Is now, and that event is Love.
— Hymn 391 from the Christian Science Hymnal
Instead of being bound for the grave we must know we are on the eternal road of Life, that has no sense of death.”
— from Essay and Other Footprints, (the “Red Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 74
Science teaches man that God is the only Life,
— Citation 1 in this week’s Lesson from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 471 : 31
10. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
21. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
25. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
— Proverbs 4 : 10, 21-23, 25-27 from the Responsive Reading portion of this week’s Lesson
HEART. Mortal feelings, motives, affections, joys, and sorrows.
— from the Glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 587
Forum post — “Keep thy heart” by Lynda from PA
Listen to article — Law of Right Feeling by Rev. G. A. Kratzer
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 from King James Bible
The way is straight and narrow, which leads to the understanding that God is the only Life. It is a warfare with the flesh, in which we must conquer sin, sickness, and death, either here or hereafter, — certainly before we can reach the goal of Spirit, or life in God.
— Citation 2 in this week’s Lesson from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 324 : 13 (The)-18
Do you believe in change of heart?
We do believe, and understand—which is more—that there must be a change from human affections, desires, and aims, to the divine standard, “Be ye therefore perfect;” also, that there must be a change from the belief that the heart is matter and sustains life, to the understanding that God is our Life, that we exist in Mind, live thereby, and have being. This change of heart would deliver man from heart-disease, and advance Christianity a hundredfold. The human affections need to be changed from self to benevolence and love for God and man; changed to having but one God and loving Him supremely, and helping our brother man. This change of heart is essential to Christianity, and will have its effect physically as well as spiritually, healing disease. Burnt offerings and drugs, God does not require.
— Miscellaneous by Mary Baker Eddy, page 50
Never resent a wound from anyone, but always leave it to God to avenge and heal. He will rightly reward; you cannot. Forgiveness is forgetfulness of sin, disease and all error in others and in ourselves. No wrong is forgiven until it is forgotten. If this is not done, it works like remembering disease; it makes you a sinner; it grows chronic and incurable. If we do not do this, it does us more harm than our enemies.
— from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 228
Consciousness constructs a better body when faith in matter has been conquered. Correct material belief by spiritual understanding, and Spirit will form you anew. You will never fear again except to offend God, and you will never believe that heart or any portion of the body can destroy you.
— from Science and Health, 1910, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 425
Forum post — The vanity of empty works by Jeremy from NJ
‘Life’ by Mary Baker Eddy, which includes these extracts “Health, life and mortals will never reach their maximum until we relinquish the belief that matter has aught to do with Life” and “I am glad there is but one God, but one Life, and this one is shadowed forth in order, beauty and goodness. I am glad that evil hath no life or immortality, that mortal pain-giving sources are but the things of belief, dreams and not realities, the vagaries of the mortal, and not the immortal thought; and that this shall sometime be learned and the body be free as the pinions of a bird, and every sense of weakness or of pain shall disappear.”
VAGARY. A wandering of the thoughts; a wild freak; a whim; a whimsical purpose (Webster’s Dictionary 1828).
Forum post — by Ann Barlow
Forum post — “A Little Child Shall Lead Them” – Annie by Parthens
Having faith in the divine Principle of health and spiritually understanding God, sustains man under all circumstances;
— Citation 4 in this week’s Lesson from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 319
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 from King James Bible
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.
— Citation 11 in this week’s Lesson from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 264