A YOUNG Christian Scientist was on her way to a Wednesday evening meeting in the branch Church of Christ, Scientist, of which she was a member. Contrary to her usual happy state of thought, this particular evening she was oppressed by a heavy mental load. It had been a trying day, not a single detail of which had worked out rightly. As she walked up the steps to the church entrance, she thought, "It will be quiet and restful inside, and I shall have opportunity to straighten out my thinking and find out what is the matter." Immediately these words came to her, as though someone had spoken them: "Could ye not watch with me one hour?" Startled, she stepped aside for a moment to ponder this question. Suddenly a smile, the first one that day, came to her lips as she replied, "Yes, dear God, I will leave my troubles here and watch with You this hour."
Joyously the girl entered the auditorium and sat down to follow through the thoughts that were unfolding with such clarity and inspiration in her consciousness. She was grateful that she had arrived early so that this was possible. First she pondered the Rule given in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy which reads (Art. VIII, Sect. 5), "The prayers in Christian Science churches shall be offered for the congregations collectively and exclusively." She saw that this Rule would forestall just such selfish use of prayer as she had planned to utter for herself that evening. In gratitude she lifted her thought to God for His goodness in revealing Himself to meet humanity's need through His beloved Son, Christ Jesus, and in this age through the revelation of Christian Science. She thanked God for the Church of Christ, Scientist, which Mrs. Eddy founded—the Church which reveals the nothingness of evil and demonstrates the allness of God. She reflected that divine Love was drawing to this meeting those who would hear with unprejudiced ears the healing message from the Bible and from "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy. She saw that each attendant could be uplifted by the music and the words of the hymns and encouraged and inspired by each testimony. She recalled our Leader's words regarding testimony of healing (ibid.. Art. VIII, Sect. 24), "More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, 'who healeth all thy diseases' (Psalm 103:3)."
"Upon whom does the responsibility for this meeting rest?" she asked herself. "Upon the First Reader only?" Truly, it must rest with everyone present who has been blessed by Christian Science. And so she rejoiced that she was there with her offering of love and gratitude, her spiritual contribution to the Cause of Christian Science, which is blessing the entire world.
When this student left the church that evening after an active, inspiring meeting, she could not find her troubles which she thought she had left outside the door. They had completely vanished. This experience occurred some years ago, but the lesson has remained to bless her. For since then it has been a rule with this worker to take with her into a church service nothing of a personal nature that would prevent her from watching with the Christ one hour. Jeremiah proclaims (Jer. 17:21), "Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem."
Church membership, entailing as it does alert, continuous watchfulness of one's thinking so that it will bear witness to God's glory and allness and thus measure up to the high standard of Christian Science, affords one glorious opportunities to learn to work in harmony with fellow members for the good of the whole world. It is a means of growth, grace, and protection, a bulwark against the enemy— mortal mind. Our wise and loving Leader opens the door of membership in The Mother Church to children when twelve years old (see Manual, Art. IV, Sect. 3), which reminds us that the boy Jesus at twelve was found at Jerusalem "in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions" (Luke 2:46).
In the recent global war many young sailors, soldiers, marines, Waves and Wacs, and others in the service—yes, and many brave civilian defenders, too—learned the importance of watching. There was the fire watch, the airplane watch, standing watch in camp or on the bridge at sea—always the necessity to be on the alert against enemy attacks. Many thousands of lives were saved by this watchfulness, and we are grateful for such devotion to duty.
Christ Jesus and our ever alert Leader both have much to say to us on the subject of true watching. In her interesting article in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," entitled "Watching versus Watching Out" (pp. 232, 233), Mrs. Eddy refers to the following two sayings of Christ Jesus: "What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch," and, "If the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through." Her conclusion, and if we are wise and teachable it will be ours, is this: "Can watching as Christ demands harm you? It cannot. Then should not 'watching out' mean, watching against a negative watch, alias, no watch, and gaining the spirit of true watching, even the spirit of our Master's command? It must mean that."
Praying without ceasing for a consecrated sense of alertness and vigilance, we shall not be caught napping with regard to our church services or fail in any crisis to follow in the way charted by our beloved Master and our faithful Leader. We shall not merit the heartbreaking rebuke, "Could ye not watch with me one hour?" but rather Love's tender assurance (Matt. 25: 23), "Thou hast been faithful."
