Church Alive January 10, 2011 Issue

The following was written in support of Church Alive, a focus of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, that explores the meaning and possibilities of awakening to the spiritual basis and impact of Church.

Your questions about church

Tom Asher, Judi Bell

RESPONSE 1: TOM ASHER

Recently, while praying about lack, this message came to my thought: “Don’t be mesmerized by the one pot of oil.” This relates to a Bible story that tells of a woman who was so impoverished she listed her assets as a single pot of oil (see II Kings 4:2). Elisha came to this woman with a totally different perspective. He evidently saw opportunity and abundance right where destitution appeared to her, for the single pot of oil ultimately led to many containers of oil. Similarly, you can expect one heartfelt expression of thanks to God at a testimony meeting to engender many others.

At the Wednesday meeting, and at various times through the week, I like to affirm that our church is “full”—full of unselfishness, full of inspiration, full of healing, full of gratitude. I think of each member and visitor as bursting with good because I know God has not surrendered His control of any one of us to some form of emptiness. The Creator of abundant good is not the Creator of lack. God forms us to be complete and not beguiled by evidence of limitation.