Annual Meeting: Meeting the universal need of hope

Judith Hedrick

How essential hope is to human progress! Indeed the Apostle Paul wrote, “We are saved by hope” (Romans 8:24).

But what can we do if we don't have hope and feel discouraged? We can lift thought from a material sense of life to gain a spiritual sense and place our hopes in God, Spirit. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Psalms 42:5).

Today God’s law or Christian Science is acting in our lives, in our churches, and the world.

Can God fail us? No. Has Christ or Christian Science failed us? No, they remain just as powerful and true as ever. We can build our hope on the spiritual foundation of Christ-healing, on the teachings and practice of Christ Jesus, and on Christian Science. God’s laws don’t fail us, nor can we fail to understand and live them since He created us in His own image and likeness.

Mary Baker Eddy refers to Christian Science as the higher law of God. In her article “‘Choose Ye,’” she writes, “This Science is a law of divine Mind, a persuasive animus, an unerring impetus, an ever-present help. Its presence is felt, for it acts and acts wisely, always unfolding the highway of hope, faith, understanding” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 3:15-19).

Today God’s law or Christian Science is acting in our lives, in our churches, and the world. It is the higher hope and remains untouched by the material sense of things. Turning to God, hoping in Spirit, we find His ever-present help for ourselves and our churches.

While Annual Meeting isn’t designed to increase our hope or meet the universal need of humanity, it is an opportunity for us to think deeply about Christ-healing and Christian Science which do meet this need. And it is an opportunity to think deeply about our Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist. Mrs. Eddy ended her article with this statement: “... this church is the one edifice on earth which most prefigures self-abnegation, hope, faith; love catching a glimpse of glory” (My. 6:27-29).

Please join the conversation on Monday, June 2, at 1 p.m. Boston time. For more informaiton, please go to christianscience.com/annualmeeting.

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