Every Sunday morning, I get ready and rush to beat the traffic in Nairobi to attend the weekly service at my branch Church of Christ, Scientist. When I arrive there, we all sit together as we wait for the Readers to share the Christian Science Lesson-Sermon with the congregation. After the service is over, we ask one another how each other’s week was, and after a few minutes, we all leave with the hope to wait and meet again the following Sunday.
For me, this service never ends. Church is a continuous occurrence that happens in my consciousness as I go daily about my Father’s business. Though the church service is a multi-faceted activity that culminates in a gathering on Sundays for us to celebrate and affirm the Sermon’s healing message for the week, it also gives us an opportunity to provide an enabling environment in which we may be fully nourished with spiritual ideas.
The church service is synonymous with serving the church community. It is not a scenario where one just goes to sit and receive inspiration from the pulpit; one also has a responsibility to give. I began thinking about how I may be able to effectively share the inspiration and healings that I had so far received from my practice of Christian Science. Through prayer, I’ve been able to metaphysically support the service and its healing message as well as support the idea of Church. Mrs. Eddy wrote, “The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science . . .” (Science and Health, p. 583). This aspect of Church in our lives helps us experience Church every day and eliminates any suggestion that it’s just a routine for us every Sunday.
