In the Christian Science Bible Lesson May 12, 2014 Issue

Grounded on the rock of Christ

For the Lesson titled “Mortals and Immortals” from May 12 - 18, 2014

Deanna Mummert

Spending time at the ocean this spring, I often woke to dark, thunderous waves rising ten feet high, then pounding down on the beach. Within a few days, the view changed to one of peace as blue-green waves swayed, barely touching the sand, yet depositing a serendipitous assortment of sea treasures. It reminded me of the mortal picture of our human experience—sometimes beautifully adorned, sometimes destructive, always subject to change.

Armed with examples from the Bible, this week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson, titled “Mortals and Immortals,” encourages us to see our lives on the rock of immortality, rather than the changing sands of mortality. Turning away from the mortal view of life and holding our thought with Christ, Truth, unfolds our true, immortal existence, which is consistently good. We read in the Golden Text that when we are “in Christ,” we become a new person, in fact, “all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).

As the Responsive Reading suggests, there is little value in vain outward beauty such as the color of our hair, or clothes that adorn our bodies. Instead, God gives us something more valuable to display—“the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (I Peter 3:4, Responsive Reading). Ezekiel displayed this type of meekness
—controlled power, humility—at a time when the Israelites experienced great despair and confusion. The Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and used idols as a way to obtain prosperity and peace. When Ezekiel asked the Israelites to “turn yourselves from your idols” (Ezekiel 14:6, citation 2), he was telling them to choose God, to trust that God would guide them through this difficult time.