The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, is headquarters for the Christian Science denomination and the church and grounds are undergoing renovation.
By Kevin E. Ness
Given the looming challenges the world faces—strife, corruption, climate crisis, health care costs—Christian Scientists at their church’s annual meeting in Boston reaffirmed their faith that the things of the Spirit are what the world most needs.
Church members indicated their commitment to proving “the reliability of practical Christian healing.” Among the experiences shared was the healing of cancer by a former military pilot. “As a pilot, you get used to turning situations over to God, he said. “I felt God’s love—the warmth. My skill set was to rely on God, not be a cancer patient.” The healing was confirmed in follow-up examinations by U.S. Veterans Administration doctors.
Christian Scientists attend the annual meeting of their denomination in Boston. There are local Christian Sciences churches and societies throughout Australia in the major cities.
Presiding over the meeting was new church president Fabián Smara of Argentina. The newly elected readers,— who conduct church services at the Church in Boston are from Nigeria and the United States. The Church of Christ, Scientist, has branches in some 70 countries, and members throughout the world participated by watching the live stream of the meeting in local churches, Christian Science reading rooms, or from their homes.
Kevin E. Ness is manager of Christian Science Committees on Publication for The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts. Australiahas 30 local Christian Sciences churches and societies in major cities around the country.
The full story of Mark Catlin’s account of his early mountain hike in northern New Mexico when he lost his way can be read here.
In his own words: “This was the first time I can remember that I actually felt cared for by a power outside of myself—a power that was clearly not human.”
Although nothing had changed around him, he felt enveloped by Love.
He shares this: “I now know that amazing things happen when you feel totally at peace in God’s love. For one thing, you’re open to God’s guidance. The thoughts that came to me at that point were gentle messages….”
Mary Baker Eddy, explains in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures about Paul’s certainty about our inseparability from God, “It is ignorance and false belief, based on a material sense of things, which hide spiritual beauty and goodness,” “Understanding this, Paul said: ‘Neither death, nor life, … nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God.’
Mark tells us that he discovered from that hike that when we think we are lost, in fact any problem that presents itself is but a mistaken notion that we can be separated from God’s love.
“The peace that comes from knowing—really knowing—that God is all-loving, that He loves me, and that I can never find myself outside of this Love is awesome!”
Every Wednesday at 6.00 pm a Testimony Meeting is held at the Christian Science church in Barton (corner of Macquarie and Bligh Streets). At these meetings short readings are followed by time for members of the congregation to share how they have been helped and healed through prayer.
Everyone is welcome. If you are in Canberra on any Wednesday, please join us.
The topic for the readings this week was: To Be Satisfied.
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (The Bible – Isaiah 58: 11)
This recording is of the readings on this topic of To Be Satisfied.
The true meaning of Easter is wondrous! Its message promises such blessings to each one of us and to our world. To hide it behind bunnies and eggs, secularism and skepticism, is heart breaking.
Jesus was crucified by the materialistic world’s hatred of his divinity. His grace and power to bring peace and healing to the world was unsurpassed and something human power could not control. It tried to silence his holy message by crucifying him. But how he reacted to such evil intent was an example to us all. He responded with the lovingkindness, calmness and confidence that could only come from the deepest understanding that evil cannot conquer goodness any more than the darkness can conquer the light.
For three days it seemed like evil had won. Then, when even the disciples had given up hope, Jesus emerged from the tomb alive.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Christian Science church, described this surprising re-appearance, when she said, ‘The lonely precincts of the tomb gave Jesus a refuge from his foes, a place in which to solve the great problems of being… He proved Life to be deathless and Love to be the master of hate.’
In the resurrection, Jesus proved that there is life beyond what we see, like someone journeying on after they have sailed out of our sight. I think of it like writing a sum on a page, say 2+2=4. If we destroy the page, is the truth that sum represents also destroyed, or is it eternally true and untouched? Jesus showed us that each one of us has just such an eternally true identity, something that the outward appearance only hints at, something that never dies. What a glorious message.
He also showed that to react with love instead of hate or anger, disempowers evil. This love, however, is more than human love or kindness. It is a love that has its source in God, a God that the Bible tells us is Love itself. Hatred and evil, being a lack of love, can no more stand in the face of divine Love than the darkest night can stand in the presence of the light of the dawn. Not reacting stops evil from spreading. That’s why Jesus counteracted the old thought of ‘eye for an eye’ with ‘turn the other cheek’ – don’t ever react to evil, stop it in its tracks. Is this not a message the world needs to remember and live by much more consistently? Is this not a message that could bring peace to our world? Is this not the ‘Golden Rule’ – ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’?
The true meaning of Easter is of the utmost importance to our own lives and to the world. If we remember it in our hearts and live it in our lives, then that precious sacrifice made by Jesus is not lost but still as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago.
by Beth Packer, CS,
Practitioner of Christian Science Healing, listed in the world-wide Journal of healers and Member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship
You are so welcome to attend the Easter Service this Sunday at First Church of Christ Scientist, Canberra which is located on the corner of Macquarie and Bligh Streets in Barton from 10.00-11.00 am.
