8/29/99 THE SOLEMN PROMISE TO WATCH!
	Notes and References from Sunday School, August 29, 1999 “And we solemnly promise to watch,” . . .! Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. In the verse from Matthew, is “good” an adjective, thus making “works” a noun, (and this is admittedly the author’s intent) or is there a play on words that could give us some added inspiration? Let’s make “good” a noun and “works” a verb. Now, how does the sentence read? Instead of your good works we have the meaning = your good is working, does work, is effective. Doesn’t that glorify God by letting the world see good instead of you? And visa-a-versa, shouldn’t we look for the good in each experience and each person? S&H 595:7-8 Temple. Body; the idea of Life, substance, and intelligence; the superstructure of truth; A couple of weeks ago I posed the question, “Is your consciousness in your body or is your body in consciousness.” Mrs. Eddy writes in out textbook on page 425, “Consciousness constructs a better body when faith in matter has been conquered. Correct material belief by spiritual understanding, and Spirit will form you anew.” If your consciousness resides in your body then when you lose your body you are no longer conscious. Jesus proved that to be false. He resuscitated his body after his enemies tried to kill it. Mrs. Eddy called this an unmistakable proof of a state of consciousness beyond the grave. If the body, therefore, dwells as reflection, an idea in consciousness (of Mind) then when you kill the body, Mind, which is still conscious of you (and forever will be), constructs a better body. Now I ask, Are you making room for the Christ in your thought, in your consciousness? The meaning of the word “temple” signifies our individual consciousness or ability to think. To enable Truth (the Christ) to dawn in thought, habitual thinking modes must be relinquished, and inspiration be allowed to enter in. S&H 497:24 (Remember there is a comma after the word “watch”!) 6. And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure. There are six commands in the sixth tenet. The first one is to “watch”. What does it mean to watch? Yes, of course it means to “stand porter…” and yes it means to be careful you don’t take in wrong thoughts. You each answered correctly when you spoke this morning but let me give you a new view of what it means to watch. It means to always be ready to recognize or admit into your thought the even the smallest evidence of the Christ or the Truth. You see, it’s more than just guarding against wrong thoughts but letting in the Christ, the light! Then, you must let your so light shine before men that they may see the good in consciousness go to work. My 232:9-27 np (to ) WATCHING versus WATCHING OUT Comment on an Editorial which Appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, September 23, 1905 Our Lord and Master left to us the following sayings as living lights in our darkness: "What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (Mark 13 : 37); and, "If the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through." (Luke 12 : 39.) Here we ask: Are Christ's teachings the true authority for Christian Science? They are. Does the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," read on page 252, "A knowledge of error and of its operations must precede that understanding of Truth which destroys error, until the entire mortal, material error finally disappears, and the eternal verity, man created by and of Spirit, is understood and recognized as the true likeness of his Maker"? It does. If so-called watching produces fear or exhaustion and no good results, does that watch accord with Jesus' saying? It does not. Can watching as Christ demands harm you? It cannot. Then should not "watching out" mean, watching against a negative watch, alias, no watch, and gaining the spirit of true watching, even the spirit of our Master's command? It must mean that. Is there not something to watch in yourself, in your daily life, since "by their fruits ye shall know them," which prevents an effective watch? Otherwise, wherefore the Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from evil"? And if this something, when challenged by Truth, frightens you, should you not put that out instead of putting out your watch? I surely should. Then are you not made better by watching? I am. Which should we prefer, ease or dis-ease in sin? Is not discomfort from sin better adapted to deliver mortals from the effects of belief in sin than ease in sin? and can you demonstrate over the effects of other people's sins by indifference thereto? I cannot. When you let yourself habitually think whatever the world is throwing at you then you are engaging in a “negative watch”. That limits your ability to heal. S&H 392:24 Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously. Finally, let’s look at the fourth tenet. Let’s especially look at the word “Way-shower”. If we are watching then we are recognizing the way that the Way-shower is showing. When we let are ready (watching) to recognize and admit into our thought even the smallest evidence of the Christ or Truth the way is shown to us through inspiration. S&H 497:13 4. We acknowledge Jesus' atonement as the evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man's unity with God through Christ Jesus the Way-shower; and we acknowledge that man is saved through Christ, through Truth, Life, and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death. Attached is the Lesson on Substance for week after next. It contains the story of the Prodigal Son. That’s the story that lays out an example of each of the Beatitudes. (See the Nine steps in the growth of Christian character in the archive section of our class web page. See you all next week!
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