Some thoughts on
The Mother Church. (I wonder if any church has been nick-named the “Father
Church”.)
This building and dedication of the
Extension of The Mother Church we are reading about, could it be likened to eagles
building their nests - and the eagles’ behaviour towards their young
nestlings/fledglings?
Hymn 207, Mother’s Evening Prayer, tells us that the idea was very much in
our Leader’s thought: “Oh Gentle Presence…the nestling’s faltering flight…”
I did a search
about the Mother’s Evening Prayer poem. It was copyrighted in
1893. Another fact that I was keen to know was whether the Original Mother
Church was built before the poem was written. No. The building was
dedicated in December 1894. I found this reference to the poem in Adelaide
Still’s reminiscences in We Knew Mary Baker Eddy Vol. II – “Mrs. Sargent
also told me that one evening Mrs. Eddy called her and said, “See what I have
written, Laura.” Then she read to her “The Mother’s Evening Prayer” (see
Miscellaneous Writings, p. 389) and told her that it had come to her during the
past half hour. Very few changes were made to it.” – p. 482, no date
given.
Prompted by the
references to the eagle which “stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young,
spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the Lord
alone did lead him…” in a recent Christian Science Lesson-Sermon, I went on a JSH-Online hunt to see what might have
been written in the Christian Science periodicals about that topic. I came
across this delightful piece which, very unusually, is not attributed to any
author or publication –
"I am sure it was the Lord that led me to church that
day”
From the February 1890 issue of The Christian Science Journal
"I am sure it was the
Lord that led me to church that day. The sermon was all about the eagle
stirring up her nest. The minister said that young eagles are timid and do not
like to venture forth—are afraid to try their wings—and the old bird often
stirs up her nest, and destroys her home entirely, if necessary, so that they
shall learn to use their wings. And then, if they still refuse to make the
attempt, the eagle pushes them off the high, rocky ledge and soars away, and
pretends to forget them—flying upward until she is a mere speck in the blue
sky. He told how the little eaglets, forced to use their wings, do the best
they can to save themselves and to follow their mother. Apparently alone and
forsaken, with the mother-bird far, far above them, they must fly or be beaten
to death on the rocks! But let the wings of one of those eaglets begin to
tremble with real weakness, and the bird begin to fall—swift as lightning the
mother-bird darts down from her immense height, swoops under the little
fledgling, and bears him up on her strong wings to herself. Forgotten? Not a
bit of it! Only being taught the lesson necessary to its life."
On Thursday, I spent the morning in
our Reading Room. There I found a book I hadn’t realised was there – the
first bound volume of The Christian
Science Journal. I had a wonderful time with it. Mrs. Eddy
herself was the Editor and how she must have worked to produce it! There
is so much to indicate the way the Cause of Christian Science was built
up. We find articles that have been included in her Prose Works, including
all those wonderful questions and answers in Miscellaneous Writings. There
are many un-attributed pieces such as the above (it appears some 7 years later
in the Journal). There are jokes about how stupid mortal mind is. I
wrote down one piece, presented as a dialogue (http://journal.christianscience.com/issues/1883/10/1-4/a-little-nonsense-now-and-then):
Sceptic: “Have you tried the faith-cure?”
Believer: “I have.”
S: “Do you believe in it?”
B: “I do.”
B: “Certainly, I was cured of my faith.”
At that time Mrs. Eddy advertised that
she, “receives calls Monday to Friday 3-5 p.m. This was 1883.
I find I have not answered the
questions I asked at the beginning. Perhaps something will develop…
Joyce Voysey
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