Notes and References for Sunday, October 24, 1999
Come Down Out of That TreeLet’s look at two examples of Bible characters coming face to face with the Christ. One is from Mark. Remember how the then young boy, Mark followed the disciples out tot he garden after the Last Supper wrapped in nothing but his bed sheet? “The young men” (disciples) pulled the bedsheet from them and he fled from them naked. Mark 14:26,51,52
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. …
And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.
The 2nd example is from this week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson when a blue collar tax taker (the chief of the publican’s wants to get a close look at Jesus. He was not trusted by the people he collected money from and when he finally went to his home with Jesus the people couldn’t believe that jesus was associating with a sinner. Zacchaeus denied all and indicated that he gave to the poor and never stole from anyone: Luke 19:1-5
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
These two stories make a point: Are we seeking the Christ from behind a tree or from behind the leaves, up in a tree?
Four or five weeks ago we reviewed Warren Bolon’s article in the June 7 Sentinel titled Natural Science-where to now?, asks, a series of thought provoking questions including, Am I thinking beyond the familiar and tactile? Am I getting friendly with the infinite? Do I sense a universal law operating in the ordinary?
It is time for all of us to come out from behind that tree, to come down from that tree and face the Christ, Truth head on. We need to make the required commitment to love as the master did. We have talked about expressing Love (God) by being loving, lovable, loved and lovely. We come down from the tree every time we love impersonally all those we come in contact with; everytime we express lovable qualities; every time we seek out the most lovely of choices and every time we climb up into God’s lap and let Him love us!
In this week’s we read excerpts from an allegorical court case in which a person is put on trial for being sick. Mrs. Eddy has causes us to understand that the Plaintiff is “Personal Sense” and represented by the attorney “False Belief”. In other words, it is though personal sense that we falsely believe
in and are judged by (the Jury) which she lists among others, Greed, Ingratitude, Envy and Mortal Minds. We get ourselves involved with these false jurors and experience this tiarl when we do what Mrs. Eddy calls, “Rumination”. Look at the opening sentence of this trial: “The patient feels ill, ruminates, and the trial commences.” Rumination means that we are rehearsing over and over again some material issue: an argument, a fantasy, a fear, whatever.
This type of thinking is the opposite of coming down from that tree. It is in fact becoming more friendly with the material. Mrs. Eddy puts it this way: S&H 432:1-3 (to ,)
The next witness testifies:-- “I am intimately acquainted with the plaintiff,…” (Personal Sense)
S&H 430:17-24
Suppose a mental case to be on trial, as cases are tried in court. A man is charged with having committed liver-complaint. The patient feels ill, ruminates, and the trial commences. Personal Sense is the plaintiff. Mortal Man is the defendant. False Belief is the attorney for Personal Sense. Mortal Minds, Materia Medica, Anatomy, Physiology, Hypnotism, Envy, Greed and Ingratitude, constitute the jury.
So, the big question is this: how do we come face to face with the Christ? (S&H 583:10 CHRIST. The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error.)
The answer is through prayer: Let’s end with Mrs. Eddy’s instruction on how to pray:
S&H 1:11
Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds.
S&H 14:31
"When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and, when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
S&H 15:14-18
In order to pray aright, we must enter into the closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and silence the material senses. In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead God's allness.
Look how the Lord’s Prayer turns us completely to the Christ, the manifestation of God,
S&H 16:26-15
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.