Article March 12, 1910 Issue

CHURCH WORK

HORACE H. THAYER, JR.

The Christian Science text-book defines the church as "the structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle" (p. 583). The church is, therefore, the universe as God made it and as he sees it; and every activity which helps to bring this universe to conscious realization might well be called church work. In our daily activities we can do much to bring about God's kingdom on earth, but how much of our time can we consider as truly devoted to work for God when measured by the Master's rule: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.... But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Church work is the definite support of that which declares and proves the one God, and man as His image and likeness. To the Christian Scientist it is the support of all Christian Science activities in which he is privileged to share, chief among which is his local church or society. Every such church or society is an organized effort to see and realize God's universe—the structure of Truth and Love—and to unsee materiality and its contradictory sense testimony. To do this demands earnest work on the part of its members,—work prompted by love of God and of one's fellow-man, by gratitude for the fruits of the labors of others in this same vineyard, and gratitude for the consciousness of one's ability through Christian Science to assist in bringing God's kingdom to earth in the healing of the sick, sinning, and sorrowing.

However important our daily tasks, they are largely of and for the day. Even the most stupendous achievements of engineering have their end; while church work is a work for all eternity, and the fruit of this work cannot be measured, but must continue to multiply on and on in endless progression. In his second epistle to Timothy Paul writes: "The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." In Malachi we read: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." This opening of the windows of heaven is the inevitable result of the realization of God's universe. God created everything and pronounced everything good, and this truth has but to be realized to be brought home to us in all its fulness. Every overthrowing of the falsehoods which influence and govern mankind helps in this realization and is a tithe brought into the storehouse.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

THE PRESENT POSSIBILITY OF PERFECTION