Concluding Statements

Every Christian Science Sunday Service concludes with

theses two citations and a Benediction.

Scientific Statement of Being   designed by CaroNote

The first is from the Christian Science textbook, 

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. 

I John 3:1-3   design by CaroNote

The second and correlative passage is from I John3:1-3.

The first states man's true origin and nature. Man is not a mortal material body but the spiritual image and likeness of God. It for this reason that man is referred to as the reflection of God.  

The Scientific Statement of Being reasons that God's image, man, cannot be what God is not or have what God does not have. Man's health is a portrait of the God he images, an exact reflection of God who is perfect. In other words, man cannot lack health.  

That said, when relying on material senses, the portrait appears imperfect suggesting that God is whimsical, changeable. Man appears to be conformed by the world, matter-limited, matter-governed and matter-dependent. But can that be the truth of man created in the image of God who is Spirit, Life and Mind? Can such a portrait of God be reasonable? 

Can man image another original? Can there be another original when God is infinite and eternal? When God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient? All-power, Everywhere-present, All-knowing?

The correlative passage from I John confirms that perfect God and perfect man is the Truth. It confirms that man can only reflect the real and perfect that the world cannot recognize or know. The world knew our master not, why should the world know us?

In I John, we are exhorted to purify ourselves, to reject world beliefs and be true "sons of God" loved by the Father who is Love. We are instructed to be, in expression, the spiritual man unknown by the world. We are reminded that we are sons of God, now, and no future appearance or form will change this fact. 

SUMMARY

Christian Science Sunday Services close with two citations that, together, tell us who we are, our duty and our expected outcome. We are brought to the absolute Christian conclusion that is Scientifically provable by every man, male and female. We are then, sent forth with a blessing to demonstrate the Truth we have shared.

><@><

Note to my readers: You are warmly invited to download and use both of CaroNote images according to the Creative Commons license that requires attribution wherever used, whether adapted, used alone or in combination AND that your usage conforms to the Golden Rule and is respectful of the message they contain.

...

______ 
#scientificstatementofbeing  #IJohn3  #ScienceandHealth  #MaryBakerEddy  #God  #LifeTruthLove  #Synonyms4God #ChristianScience  #perfectGodperfectman  #imageandlikeness  #Omnipotent #Omnipresence  #Omniscience  #health #andtheritis

.....

On Call 24/7

Have a crucial Q? 

Don't know what to do?

Don't know which way to go?

Here is a universal, practical and effective A:

Find a quiet spot, open the Pastor and read. Ideas will come to your thought and jump-start knowing your right first or next step.  
Thank, trust and step out.

As you read, Angels. God's thoughts passing to man..., will come to your side. You won't have to make an appointment or call ahead. Love has already prepared everything for you.

Sound simple? Well, it is. What may seem hard is finding someone to walk with you through the valley.  But that is not a problem, this Pastor is open around the clock, even on Christmas Day. 

The never-out-for-lunch-or-dinner-or-anything Pastor.

If you are in a hotel room, you may find "50 shades of gray" at hand, but gray is not the color for clarity. It will blend in with the mist that you may already may see. You need more definition, more contrast like black ink or pixels on white paper or background that spell out right ideas that will help you understand what is true about God's love for you, right there, right now.

            Here is are two helpful linked screenshots to illustrate: 

 

 

             
             Isaiah 30:21                  
  screenshot:  http://goo.gl/BjgL3

  Science and Health   
screenshot:  http://goo.gl/P6cgT

The commercial side of December seems to trigger stress and to grow worries clouding thought. But the spiritual gifts Christmas brings are just your size, style and color. They include Peace, Joy, Light, Carols, Love and more.

The true heart and meaning of Christmas is not to be missed. 

A visit with the Pastor will light your way to Christ, Truth, the Bethlehem Babe.

Wishing you the full measure of Christ's Christmas promise,

+Carolyn St.Charles

_____________
Post Link:  
Author:  +Carolyn St.Charles
Bible versions and study resources:  http://biblesuite.com/  and  http://biblegateway.com 
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy online:  http://goo.gl/P6cgT
Hashtags:
#Pastor #Christmas #QandA  #Answers #Bible  #ScienceAndHealth  #MaryBakerEddy  #Angels  #direction

....

"Great is the reward of self-sacrifice."

...according to thy word

Readings from

Isaiah,  Matthew  and Luke in the King James Version of the BIBLE

and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy

(Citations follow)

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me [Isaiah]; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek(B1)

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.  ...the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. ...in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. ...and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. ...I the Lord will hasten it in his time.(B2)

...all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise:(B3)

...a certain priest named Zacharias, ...went into the temple of the Lord.

Job and Mortal Man declared INNOCENT!

.

After the Storm -- a Rainbow

see below for citation table
The Bible:  JOB 

CEV  (1) - (12)  KJV  (13)

(1)

Many years ago, a man named Job lived in the land of Uz. He was a truly good person, who respected God and refused to do evil. ...He was the richest person in the East.
(2)

One day, ...the Lord asked, “What do you think of my servant Job? No one on earth is like him —he is a truly good person, who respects me and refuses to do evil.”

...Satan remarked. ...Try taking away everything he owns, and he will curse you to your face.”

(3)

Job’s sons and daughters were having a feast... when someone rushed up to Job and said, a gang of Sabeans attacked and stole the oxen and donkeys! Your other servants were killed, ...a second one came running up and saying, “God sent down a fire that killed your sheep and your servants. ...a third one raced up and said, “Three gangs of Chaldeans attacked and stole your camels! All of your other servants were killed ...when a fourth one dashed up and said, “Your children were having a feast... when suddenly a windstorm from the desert blew the house down, crushing all of your children.

When Job heard this, he tore his clothes and shaved his head because of his great sorrow. He knelt on the ground, then worshiped God  In spite of everything, Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong.

Horn of Africa drought

One-day-old Iisha's name loosely translates as "life"
(linked from bbc.co.uk news site)

.'.
Yesterday I watched a drought(m) report from a refugee camp(v) in a village in East Kenya. People had walked for days, even weeks stirring up dry dust clouds with every step. By material standards, they did the impossible. They walked, they hungered, they gave birth, they mourned, they arrived.  


One sign of Love’s presence in the midst of this extremity is how families meld after parents are lost. Children are, without hesitation, embraced by another family with too little to share.

bullying and injustice treated prayerfully.

How would you pray about bullying?

How would you pray about injustice?

Asking about bullying is a hot topic today. It has become a very common problem and few suggestions offer immediate help. The case of injustice is similar in the sense that it involves unequal relationships and has no easy solution. In both cases, claims of fear and lack are evidenced by imbalances between material and spiritual qualities. It seems that one party has power over the other and misuses that power. And it seems that the other party is helpless and without rescourse. Both cases indicate imbalance and neither has a readily available resolution.

However:

If Love is infinite, can these cases be as they appear to be?

A question about Life reflected in life...

"I was wondering about something:
 If we are all eternal with no stop date, 

do we have a start date? 
If so, does it pre-exist our current life?"

How would you answer these questions? 

Here are thoughts that came to me starting with my favorite fact.

There is no Day 1 Eternal Life. 

God declared: I am the Lord, I change not. (Malachi 3:6)*

Time is not knowable to the Eternal since time is a measure of change. God, Life, is ever present now. And Eternity, by definition, has no beginning or before and no ending or after.

The CSBL

Add your thoughts about the Christian Science Bible Lesson 

either in this post or in the chat window in the left sidebar.

Look forward to your insights.

Discoverer vs. Founder

At a CS workshop several years ago, the meaning of founder vs. discoverer was discussed in depth. Since that time I have made a distinction between the words. Do you note any distinction between them?

The fact that Christian Science is the universal, divine law of Life, Truth and Love makes it discoverable but not founded or authored humanly. Recognition of this led Mary Baker Eddy to denominate the Church of Christ, Scientist by taking the divinely directed human footsteps to found and establish it.

The distinction may seem unimportant but it follows our Master's command to " "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give." -Matthew 10:8 (ASB) It allows Christian Science to be accepted and practiced by anyone of any denomination. It proves with every scientifically wrought healing that Christian Science is is truly universal in its effect. And it frees all to seek the company of fellow students who congregate to worship the one God, good, together.

If today's interest in healing prayer has been encouraged and promoted, according to Christ Jesus's command: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" -Mark 16:15 (KJV), by Christian Science, then it was not founded by Mrs. Eddy but discovered by her then safeguarded to be freely and publicly demonstrated by the Church of Christ, Scientist she founded.

This clarity has allowed me to share, without the thought of converting another, the "good news" and let the gospel with its proof as elucidated in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, bring another to the decision of membership in The Mother Church in Boston or local Branch or to remain a demonstrating Christian Science student within their present faith tradition.