Sunday, August 25th, 2024 Roundtable
Having the Mind of Christ
This week’s Lesson Sermon Subject: Mind
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Morning Prayers
All we have to do is one thing; keep the First Commandment, “thou shalt have none other gods before (beside) me”- infinite Mind and that is infinite Love. There is no evil mind; that sweeps away error; there is infinite Mind – good. Infinity is all. There is no other intelligence, life or love. Now work out your problem from this standpoint. If we do not keep the First we cannot keep the Second – “to love one another.” If ye love not man (your brother) whom you have seen how can you love God whom you have not seen? You only love God as far as you love man.
— from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, pages 19-20
Every function of the real man is governed by the divine Mind.
— from Science and Health, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 151
Discussion points
211 — WATCH lest, having accepted the common belief that mortal mind exists as a fundamental claim of power, you attempt to make the demonstration to free yourself from it, from the basis of admitting it as a power operating in the world. Believing in its existence puts one under its claims, and freedom comes only as one destroys the belief that such a claim exists either within or without.
Freedom from the belief in a mind apart from God begins when you realize that it has no power over you apart from suggestion; but you must continue in your efforts until you can see this as the truth about the lie for all mankind. Then you are ready to make the demonstration to prove that this belief does not exist at all, since God is All.
The notion that you can make the demonstration to be free from the suggestions of mortal mind, while believing that others are in bondage to it, is a mistake that is fostered by animal magnetism.
To make nothing of animal magnetism means to realize that it does not exist at all; that it never has; that nobody is handled by it, ever has been or ever will be, since God is the only Mind. Hence all of His children are controlled wholly by Mind.
— from 500 Watching Points by Gilbert Carpenter
GOLDEN TEXT: I CORINTHIANS 2 : 16
“But we have the mind of Christ.”
“Things to handle daily” — by Mary Baker Eddy
Wednesday, August 21st, 2024 Testimony Meeting Do Not Doubt, Let Faith Grow Stronger Readings: Florence from GA
Article — Taking Offense by Mary Baker Eddy
Article — “Love Your Enemies” by Mary Baker Eddy
It must be clear that war will not cease of itself. In war every act is an act provocative; it is the perpetual sowing of harm and reaping of revenge. War will not end until men have cleared their vision, and this can only be rightly done by gaining some knowledge of God, because “he maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth.” It is the privilege of the Christian Scientist to maintain now the vision which eventually all shall know. He looks forward to the time when the knowledge of God, being universally known, will cause the cessation of all distresses and sorrows and woes. Therefore, at the present time his steadfastness due to his adherence to Principle should be as a rock of reliance for those tossed on tides of human life and death, good and evil, love and hate.
God only can speak peace to those distressed by human love and longing or tortured by hate and fear. God’s realm is a different realm from this, even a new world wherefrom the human mind with its works is excluded, wherein dwelling we have the Mind of Christ…
… What better guidance can be accepted by each worker in this movement than that which was given by Mrs. Eddy to the Christian Science board of lectureship (Miscellany, p.248): “You go forth to face the foe with loving look and with the religion and philosophy of labor, duty, liberty, and love, to challenge universal indifference, chance, and creeds. Your highest inspiration is found nearest the divine Principle and nearest the scientific expression of Truth. You may condemn evil in the abstract without harming any one or your own moral sense, but condemn persons seldom, if ever. Improve every opportunity to correct sin through your own perfectness.”
“A Spiritual Movement” from, The Christian Science Sentinel, March 9, 1918 by William P. McKenzie
My students, three picture-stories from the Bible present themselves to my thought; three of those pictures from which we learn without study. The first is that of Joshua and his band before the walls of Jericho. They went seven times around these walls, the seven times corresponding to the seven days of creation: the six days are to find out the nothingness of matter; the seventh is the day of rest, when it is found that evil is naught and good is all.
The second picture is of the disciples met together in an upper chamber; and they were of one mind. Mark, that in the case of Joshua and his band they had all to shout together in order that the walls might fall; and the disciples, too, were of one mind.
— from Miscellaneous Writings, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 279
Strength is in man, not in muscles; unity and power are not in atom or in dust. A small group of wise thinkers is better than a wilderness of dullards and stronger than the might of empires.
— from Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 162
Article “The Healing Mind” from the Christian Science Sentinel, March 10, 1917, by Samuel Greenwood
Final Readings
Our forefathers came to certain conclusions and decided upon certain courses of action which have been a great blessing to the world. Before we can understand their conclusions we must go back and review the course which they followed. We must think the thoughts which they thought. Their intellectual life centered around the meeting house. They were intent upon religious worship. While there were always among them men of deep learning, and later those who had comparatively large possessions, the mind of the people was not so much engrossed in how much they knew, or how much they had, as in how they were going to live. While scantily provided with other literature, there was a wide acquaintance with the Scriptures. Over a period as great as that which measures the existence of our independence, they were subject to this discipline, not only in their religious life and educational training, but also in their political thought. They were a people who came under the influence of a great spiritual development and acquired a great moral power.
No other theory is adequate to explain or comprehend the Declaration of Independence. It is the product of the spiritual insight of the people. We live in an age of science and of abounding accumulation of material things. These did not create our Declaration. Our Declaration created them. The things of the Spirit come first. Unless we cling to that, all our material prosperity, overwhelming though it may appear, will turn to a barren scepter in our grasp. If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. We must not sink into a pagan materialism. We must cultivate the reverence which they had for the things that are holy. We must follow the spiritual and moral leadership which they showed. We must keep replenished, that they may glow with a more compelling flame, the altar fires before which they worshiped.
“Religious Items” from, The Christian Science Sentinel, November 20, 1926 From an address by President Coolidge, as quoted in the Christian Advocate, New York, New York