Parents and Guardians of Youth

I love that Mrs. Eddy puts Santa Claus in its proper place.  In the piece Christmas for the Children she writes:

Methinks the loving parents and guardians of youth ofttimes query: How shall we cheer the children’s Christmas and profit them withal?  The wisdom of their elders, who seek wisdom of God, seems to have amply provided for this, according to the custom of the age and to the full supply of juvenile joy.  Let it continue thus with one exception: the children should not be taught to believe that Santa Claus has aught to do with this pastime.  A deceit or falsehood is never wise.  Too much cannot be done towards guarding and guiding well the germinating and inclining thought of childhood.  (P. 36 of the edition I have consulted.)

 

Joyce Voysey

Fresh inspiration

On Wednesday I came to “Christmas, 1900” on page 27 of our book.  I had tried to include some thoughts relevant to the news of the terrible killing of 8 children in Cairns in the Wednesday Evening readings.  In the "Notices" part of the meeting, I read the first paragraph, which includes “But alas for the broken household band!  God give to them more of His dear love that heals the wounded heart.”  How appropriate!  There is always an inspiration in Mrs. Eddy’s writings.

This week the Wednesday readings will be for Christmas Eve, and I have come this morning to page 34.  I will read “The basis of Christmas is the rock, Christ Jesus; its fruits are inspiration and spiritual understanding of joy and rejoicing, – not because of tradition, usage, or corporeal pleasures, but because of fundamental and demonstrable truth, because of the heaven within us.”

Yesterday I went in search of the pronunciation of “Publius Lentulus.”  It is in this week's Christian Science Bible Lesson – the very first citation from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (S&H) by Mary Baker Eddy.  Well!  There is quite a lot on the internet about Publius Lentulus and his supposed writing.  The letter ascribed to him gives a physical description of Jesus.

And James Spencer has written (and read aloud an audio version) an article about this snippet of Mrs. Eddy’s.  It is part of the podcast series “Mary Baker Eddy Mentioned Them.”  You will find it in the March 2013 edition of The Christian Science Journal, or at http://journal.christianscience.com/issues/2013/3/131-03/publius-lentulus-a-springboard

One can also find the text of the letter which gives the physical description of Jesus.  As James Spencer points out there is no verification that the letter is authentic.  And Mrs. Eddy uses the word "tradition" in relation to it.  (See S&H 29:12.)

I will include the letter here –

The letter

The purported letter reads, in translation:
Lentulus, the Governor of the Jerusalemites to the Roman Senate and People, greetings. There has appeared in our times, and there still lives, a man of great power (virtue), called Jesus Christ. The people call him prophet of truth; his disciples, son of God. He raises the dead, and heals infirmities. He is a man of medium size (statura procerus, mediocris et spectabilis); he has a venerable aspect, and his beholders can both fear and love him. His hair is of the colour of the ripe hazel-nut, straight down to the ears, but below the ears wavy and curled, with a bluish and bright reflection, flowing over his shoulders. It is parted in two on the top of the head, after the pattern of the Nazarenes. His brow is smooth and very cheerful with a face without wrinkle or spot, embellished by a slightly reddish complexion. His nose and mouth are faultless. His beard is abundant, of the colour of his hair, not long, but divided at the chin. His aspect is simple and mature, his eyes are changeable and bright. He is terrible in his reprimands, sweet and amiable in his admonitions, cheerful without loss of gravity. He was never known to laugh, but often to weep. His stature is straight, his hands and arms beautiful to behold. His conversation is grave, infrequent, and modest. He is the most beautiful among the children of men.

From Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_Lentulus

 

Remind you of anyone?

 

Joyce Voysey

Noble Joseph

Isn't Joseph a grand fellow? I was interested to read something about his character in Matthew 1:19, when he finds out Mary's startling news:

• "a just man and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily" King James Version
• "chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced" The Message (Eugene Petersen)
• "a man of stern principle, decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn't want to disgrace her publicly" The Living Bible
• "being a man of principle, and at the same time wanting to save her from exposure, Joseph desired to have the marriage contract set aside quietly" New English Bible
• "a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly" New Living Translation

How timely and beautifully received was the swift angel message that gave him the perfect answer from Scripture (Isaiah 7: 14). I marvel at how well these characters knew their Scriptures and how it shaped their thinking and actions. How blessed was Mary to have such a man by her side.

Julie Swannell

Christmas gifts - from our friends in the USA

Colleen in the US wrote the other day in response to our post about John Wyndham's book  "The Ultimate Freedom." She also let us know about the new Jolie movie (coming to Australia mid January) about Louis Zamperini. Colleen writes that she "read the Zamperini book and found it really inspiring." If you haven’t heard about that movie ("Unbroken"), here is a link:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-war-hero-louis-zamperini-wanted-unbroken-movie-to-speak-to-everyone-not-only-christians-says-angelina-jolie-video-131042/

 In the meantime, some of us have had the privilege this week of joining Madelon Maupin's webinar "Celebrating the Christmas Story with Luke." The good news is that everyone can now listen to it by logging on to www.BibleRoads.com and signing in. This lovely gift is available until December 31.

 

One of the many new things I learnt is that there are two Greek words for time: one is Kairos (God's time); the other is Chronos (man's time). How helpful it is to realize that we are not bound by the Chronos. We have the freedom and flexibility of Kairos. Madelon says: When God speaks, chronos stops!

 

I'll close today with words from Mary Baker Eddy:

 

"In Christian Science, Christmas stands for the real, the absolute and eternal, - for the things of Spirit, not of matter."

- page 43 in our book of the month, "What Christmas Means to Me"

 

Julie Swannell

 

 

Expect to hear the Christ

Friends,

There has been some interest in John Wyndham's inspiring book "The Ultimate Freedom" mentioned in a recent blog posting from Joyce Voysey. Those who may not yet have read the book can buy a copy at Mountain Top Publishing. Here is the link: http://www.mountaintoppublishing.com/

For anyone in Australia, I do have a few copies on hand to share.  Just write to csredcliffe@hotmail.com.

Chapter Two, Christmas in Camp begins: "We can expect to hear what the Christ has to say to us, and we can expect others, regardless of race, color or creed, to also hear the divine message."

Julie Swannell

For the benefit of humanity

So - What Christmas means to me.  What a delightful choice for our December book!  I am pacing my reading – only up to page 6 as of to-day (12.12.14).

Even though one has read all of Mrs. Eddy’s writings many times, there can always be some truth that gets one’s attention on re-reading.  This time the specific truth has stayed with my consciousness as: “The Christ came for the benefit of humanity.”

Mrs. Eddy’s sentence is, “I celebrate Christmas with my soul, my spiritual sense, and so commemorate the entrance into human understanding of the Christ conceived of Spirit, of God and not of a woman – as the birth of Truth, the dawn of divine Love breaking upon the gloom of matter and evil with the glory of infinite being.” (My emphasis.)

I find the thought is rather like one in this week’s Lesson-Sermon on God the Preserver of Man: “But mortals did need this help.” 

 

The complete paragraph reads: "Is it not a species of infidelity to believe that so great a work as the Messiah’s was done for himself or for God, who needed no help from Jesus example to preserve the eternal harmony?  But mortals did need this help" page 494, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

And as I think about the influence of Christmas in our world, I think of those who do not profess to any Christian sentiment and who still spread the message of love through gifts at Christmas.  There are even some of faiths other than Christianity who recognize the Christmas spirit.

There is a beautiful story about Christmas in John Wyndham’s little book The Ultimate Freedom.  John was a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese in Indonesia during World War II.  He practised his religion Christian Science to such a degree that he was able to gain a Christmas benefit for the prisoners.  I hope you can read this precious book.  It is available from Mountaintop Publishing.  Easily found on the internet.

Joyce Voysey

Editor: I am happy to share the powerful and moving story of John Wyndham's Christmas in the Indonesian prisoner of war camp via email or phone with anyone who would like to hear it.  Email us at csredcliffe@hotmail.com.

The cherished babe

"Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" Isaiah 9:6 - what glorious words from the prophet. How we love a new babe, adore it, wonder at it. 

And how wonderful that the discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, explains that 

"in this age it [the divine idea] assumes...

the form of Christian healing"

(p. 32 of our book "What Christmas Means to Me and other Christmas Messages".

See also "The Cry of Christmas-tide" Miscellaneous Writings pp. 369-370).  

She tells us that "This is the babe we are to cherish." Dictionary.com advises that to cherish means "to hold or treat as dear; feel love for; care for tenderly; nurture" and is synonymous with "admire, adore, appreciate, cleave to, cling to, embrace, encourage, cultivate, entertain, guard, hold dear, honor, nourish, prize, shelter, shield, support, treasure, value". Antonyms include: abandon, denounce, forsake.

So let us cherish the babe of Christian healing this Christmas.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures reminds us:

SH 55:22-55:26The time for the reappearing of the divine healing is throughout all time; and whosoever layeth his earthly all on the altar of divine Science, drinketh of Christ’s cup now, and is endued with the spirit and power of Christian healing.

Julie Swannell

Christmas light and quiet

Our book for December, What Christmas Means to Me and other Christmas Messages by Mary Baker Eddy, is so lovely!

Looking for Christmas decorations in a store earlier this week, I was disappointed to find many Santa Claus items and not any nativity scenes. I'm sure there are lots of other shops where I could find a nativity scene, but it made me stop to consider what I was really looking for. And of course, it's the qualities of peace, joy, and love, among many others. I was also thinking that the "Christ" cannot be taken out of the word Christmas, ever.

What I most love is that Christmas is so often defined by LIGHT, which Webster defines as something which makes vision possible, dawn, spiritual illumination.

In Mary Baker Eddy's poem Christmas Morn from December 1898, we read that even though "murky clouds" are overhead, neither "dawn nor day" can be shrouded (enshroud has the same meaning as shroud i.e. cut off from view, screened, veiled under another appearance - Webster). And there's not even a hint of mortality for the Christ - "no cradle song", "no natal hour and mother's tear", because "the Bethlehem babe" is only shade (unreal appearance - Webster).

I've never looked up "replete" before and am pleased to find that Webster has: filled to capacity, full, fully supplied or provided. Now isn't that a lovely thing to know for each new babe.

Further in the poem we read about the "gentle beam of living Love", surely another reference to light.

This continues in the article "What Christmas Means to Me," written for The Ladies' Home Journal (and found in The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pages 261-263).  Eddy tells us how she celebrates Christmas "with [her] soul" as "the dawn of divine Love breaking upon the gloom of matter and evil."

Her article ends on a note of caution that "Material gifts and pastimes tend to obliterate the spiritual idea in consciousness, leaving one alone and without His glory."  Darkness - no illumination. That's something to ponder! Let us instead cherish and develop those qualities Eddy mentions earlier in her piece, viz.

1. quietude - tranquility
2. humility - modesty, unpretentiousness
3. benevolence - kind, generous
4. charity - love of fellow man, kindliness in judging others
5. good will towards man - kindly feeling, willing effort
6. eloquent silence - expressive forbearance from speech
7. prayer - letting God's thoughts be our thoughts
8. praise - all honour and glory to God

Julie Swannell