This year has marked the centennial of The First Church of Christ, Scientist. The Manual of The Mother Church includes this record: "On the twenty-third day of September, 1892, at the request of Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, twelve of her students and Church members met and reorganized, under her jurisdiction, the Christian Science Church and named it, The First Church of Christ, Scientist." Church Manual by Mrs. Eddy, p. 18.
On that particular day—September 23, 1892—events were happening in the world that would surely have seemed more notable than this handful of people reorganizing a church. But Christian Scientists had earlier committed "To organize a church designed to commemorate the word and works of our Master, which should reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing." Ibid., p. 17. And during the following one hundred years, this commitment became an example, something immensely significant, to hundreds of thousands of people—affecting the very fabric of their lives and of the world itself. Christian Scientists today are greatly appreciative of the contribution of these pioneers. Any commitment to spirituality, however, has always been made, and is always to be made, individually. History has shown us wonderful examples of people pledged to spiritual-mindedness, but it's up to each of us to make his or her own demonstration of it.
The ultimate example of spirituality in life and practice is Christ Jesus. He proved unequivocally that spirituality is the only route to salvation. His life was the very embodiment of a spiritual purity that leads humanity out of the dead-end elements of materialism. Clearly, he knew the depth of satisfaction, the spiritual peace, that go hand in hand with healing the sick and sinning. Yet, with everything he did, he couldn't actually make people, either then or now, hunger for spiritual-mindedness. They themselves needed a heartfelt willingness to know the things of Spirit. Just after his crucifixion and resurrection he found his disciples, not healing or preaching, but just out in a boat—fishing. He knew he would soon be leaving them, and it seemed that he wished to "pass the torch," to cause the disciples to further God's work. When eating bread and fish with them on the shore, he asked Peter, "Lovest thou me more than these?" Although Peter's actions hadn't always proved it, he answered, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." In fact, Jesus asked him similarly two more times and, following each instance, told Peter to "Feed my sheep." John 21:2–17.
