June 3, 2015
http://www.christianscienceneworleans.org/ArchiveWedReadings2015.html
The title for this week’s readings came about as I was thinking about the different offerings of Cain and Abel. Yes, sheep do listen to their shepherd’s voice (receptivity). In a Christian Science periodical from 1919, “Cain and Abel,” the author wrote, “Abel is a primitive type of the Christ; his acceptable offering prefigures the living sacrifice,” and then he quotes Mrs. Eddy’s definition of Abel as ‘watchfulness, self-offering; surrendering to the creator the early fruits of experience.” (SH p. 579)
I was just thinking…When a testimony is given in church or shared through the media, is that also the testifier’s watchfulness and self-offering and surrendering to God of the fruits of his or her own experience? Are we being ABLE/ABEL? (Pun intended.)
The same article compares Cain/Abel and Judas/Jesus, pointing out that Jesus knew how to deal with the problem of evil. One of the citations in our readings is from Hebrews 12:24 which is paraphrased in The Message as:
The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel’s—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace.
Isn’t Jesus’ forgiveness a wonderful explanation for his own resurrection? I think I will have to follow up these readings with forgiving and forgetting next week!
CMoore-Reflections 