Article July 28, 1934 Issue

Ushering

EILEEN SHEILAH PEYTON

As the spiritual concept of Church grows clearer to our consciousness, as set forth in the beautiful and inspired definition given us by our Leader in the Glossary of Science and Health (p. 583), "The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle," we begin to interpret church activities through this lens. Each church activity becomes more important to us when seen in its spiritual signification as a necessary part of the healing and redeeming of mankind, through the Church, represented in the same definition to be "that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick."

We begin to apprehend that just as the true Church is confined to no spot and unlimited by time or space, so church activity, exemplified, among other activities, in ushering, is not confined in its magnitude and scope by time or space, for it is taking place every time the receptive heart opens to receive a glimpse of real being. The welcome of the Father is surely taking place every time those enlightened by the truth as revealed in Christian Science reach out to illumine the lives of those who are beginning to awaken from the dream of material sense.

As the ushers and all members of the church catch even a glimpse of this welcome accorded to God's children, so beautifully portrayed by Jesus in the story of the prodigal son, and experience its comfort and healing in their own lives; and as they share their understanding of this divine activity in their daily contact with their fellow men, reaching out beyond the portals of their churches to make their welcome far-reaching enough to draw all mankind, there will be no empty seats in our churches, and the duty of welcoming will become full of the joy and spontaneity so often felt by those entering a Christian Science church for the first time.

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