"counselor, comforter, keeper...."

"counselor,
comforter, keeper;
Spirit we long to embrace.

You offer hope
when our hearts have
hopeless lost their way..."

Yes, this is the same song from the previous post. But sometimes a song begs to be heard, until every word has blessed the listener. Selah's "Wonderful, Merciful Savior"  is one of those songs for me.

I have written about this song's lessons of redemption and mercy before. But tonight, it's all about "counselor." As someone who loves camp and couldn't be more grateful for the counselors that have nurtured my daughters over the years - I've always thought of a camp counselor when I've heard Christ referred to as "counselor."  And over the years, I thought I'd fully plumbed that relationship.

But listening to its message again tonight, I was touched by the song's call to revisit its  Scriptural inspiration -- Isaiah 9:6:

"For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government
shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace."

But this time it wasn't a camp counselor that came to mind, but the defense counsel in a court of law.

I've written before about my love for law, my desire to enter the practice of law as a human rights attorney, and the moment I discovered that the word "comforter," -- as it appears in Scripture -- is translated from the original Aramaic as:

"counsel for the defense"

It was a pivotal moment in my life. One that clarified the course of my life's purpose -- forever. In that moment, I realized that as a Christian Science practitioner, I was already in the practice of law.

I had already been to law school -- through Christian Science class instruction.  I had a copy of Science and Health withKey to the Scriptures -- which continued to teach me everything I needed to know about the practice of spiritual law.  I had the Bible -- filled with every precedent-setting case I would ever need.  Yes, I was already engaged in defending the spiritual rights of humanity in my work serving the chief Counsel -- Christ.

I was not a partner in the firm -- partnership was never going to be an option.  There was only one "Counselor." At any given moment, I was the receptionist, the law librarian, the paralegal, the billing clerk in this sacred office. But the Christ -- operating in the hearts and minds of each client -- was the only "Counsel for the defense."

Since that day, almost thirty years ago, I have arrived at work each day with a clear sense that I serve in a law office. I have not modeled its operation after a clinical practice, but a law practice. This clear sense of what is practiced here has never failed to provide the structure and discipline for an office that is engaged in defending innocence, rather than fixing brokenness. Here, the Christ rests each case on cited Scriptural precedence.

Yet, even after thirty years of serving in this law office, I had not seen the reference to "counselor," -- in the passage from Isaiah -- as scriptural validation. The prophet's vision for Christ's promise, was not one of reparation, but of spiritual exoneration -- defending innocence and freedom -- for all.

The real comfort of the Comforter, is found in its coincidence with the law-based activity of the "Counselor." Isaiah prophetically brings the operation of the Comforter into partnership with the office of the Counselor.

We each face times when we are falsely accused of being mortal -- of being born into heredity, predisposed to poverty through socio-economic "beginnings," forever defined by our mistakes and choices. But Christ's love frees us from bondage. Stands with us in the court of Spirit, and defends our pre-existent, God-established, invariable perfection and purity. Christ lifts our hearts to hear the God-proclaimed verdict, "You are innocent. You are free."

Serving in this office is a joy. Opening the door each day, researching precedence, answering calls and taking messages, listening for guidance, and helping to prepare briefs [or treatments] for court - it is my greatest joy. Each client's innocence is constitutionally guaranteed under the higher law of Love. And the Christ never loses a case.


offered with Love,

Kate

"Your love defends me..."

"Your love
defends me..."

A friend's recent inspiration, along with Matt Maher's beautiful song,  "Your Love Defends Me,"  brought to mind an earlier post from 2008 titled,"Our Meek and Bold Defender..." I'm reposting the substance of it here as a reminder of Who it is that does the defending of our spiritual rights in the court of Spirit. I hope you will find it helpful:

I had always wanted to be an attorney. A civil liberties attorney to be specific. I wanted to argue cases in defense of human rights and social justice.  I wanted to stand with those who were facing intimidation and persecution -- before a judge, and a jury of their peers. I wanted to be Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Don't get me wrong, teaching school, book and media publishing, practicing spiritual healing, and volunteering in my community, were all wonderful chapters in my life story, but someday - sigh.  Yes, someday I would graduate from law school, take the bar exam, and hang my shingle. I couldn't imagine anything more fulfilling than defending the innocent, and defeating injustice.

Of course, there was no question -- I would continue practicing spiritual healing part-time -- weekends and evenings. Hadn't I always held more than one job?   This chapter would be no different.

A few decades ago, everything seemed poised for finally realizing this dream. I was between secondary careers. I thought I had it all figured out.  I would shift my practice of spiritual healing to a more part-time schedule.  A schedule that would blend with the demands of law school.

Having passed the LSATs, I found a law school within a reasonable commute of our home.  I filled out the application, and was accepted.  All I needed to do was send in the enrollment deposit - which would hold my place while I sought financial aid, loans, scholarships, grants, etc.  I was ready to do whatever it took. But that's right where God jumped in and stopped me in my tracks.

It was a clear, crisp winter day. I had spent the morning studying Scripture, praying for clear direction, and listening for inspiration. It seemed as if the way was clear for taking the next step. I pulled my checkbook from the desk drawer, wrote the modest deposit check to the University for what - at the time - seemed to be so much more than we could afford.  I popped it in the pre-addressed envelope, and pulled on my jacket before heading down the stairs.  I almost out the door and on my way to the post office. It was just a baby step, but I was ready to take it.

As I headed down the long flight of stairs - from our loft to the street level entrance of our building - an inner voice suggested, "Why don't you look up the word "Comforter" in Strong's Bible Concordance before you leave?"

In my Bible study that morning there had been a citation that included a reference to the promised "Comforter." As I'd read it, it had occured to me that I had never really gotten a solid sense of the word's meaning in the original language - as it related to the context of Jesus' message.

At the time, I had been too busy thinking about law school, and whether we could afford for me to write that deposit check. Much too busy in my listening for direction, to stop and grab the concordance off the shelf. I'd do it later. And here it was, later. But now I needed to get to the post office, or I might never - again - have the confidence to even begin thinking that I deserved to live out this dream.

As I continued down the stairs, and placed my hand on the doorknob, it was as if someone had wired that doorknob with an electrical current. As I grabbed it, the voice came again. And this time, it was so forceful that it seemed almost audible, "Go look up the word Comforter!" Well, I may be headstrong, but I am not disobedient.

I sprinted up the stairs.  Now in a hurry to do what I was being strongly urged to do -- since I still needed to get to the post office before the end of the day so that the deposit would reach the University before the deadline. So, I pulled the heavy volume off the shelf, quickly finding the related Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic definitions of the word "Comforter."

As my eyes fell on the last definition, I almost gasped. It read, "counsel for the defense". I sat back, heavily, in my chair, and folded my hands in my lap. A stillness descended over my shoulders like a soft mantle of clarity and peace.

"This is the kind of Law I really want to practice," I thought. "This is the Law I believe in and love. I can work in this Law office forever."

I could see that God, divine Love was the only Law. And that the Christ was the Comforter, -- the "counsel for the defense." I could be working for this law office from that day forward. From then on, my spiritual practice was no longer modeled after a healthcare provider/clinic, but a law firm -- no longer therapeutic, but constitutional.

It was easy to set aside my dream-practice with the American Civil Liberties Union. For me, this was the ultimate practice of defending human rights and advocating for Truth. This would be like clerking for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. And yes, I knew there would be moments when I would be the receptionist, then the stenographer, the bookkeeper, the public relations liaison, the office janitor, the law clerk - with her head buried in the law library. But I also knew that the Christ would always be the head of the firm -- the one and only Chief Counsel.

As I looked at the books lying open on my desk that day -- the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy -- I realized that I had a complete law library sitting right in front of me. The Bible gave me a complete and comprehensive resume of precedent setting cases to cite in the court of Spirit. And Science and Health told me how to write a brief -- a treatment, in defense of man's inalienable spiritual right to freedom from sin, sickness and death.

Years earlier, I had taken two weeks of class-instruction with an experienced and wise "law professor," a teacher of Christian Science. This "law school," had fully prepared me for hanging my shingle. I would work for the one, and only, original Public Defender.

I never sent that check to the University. And I have never regretted it. I committed my life to an unwavering career in spiritual law, from that day forward.

In the ensuing decades, I have enjoyed a rich and satisfying career in this practice of spiritual Law. Each client who has crossed the threshold of this office has had the benefit of being lovingly cared for by our Chief Counsel - divine Truth and Love. As the receptionist I hope that I have received each client warmly and with grace. As His paralegal, I have taken careful notes that I could go over with Him, in prayerful consultation within the sanctuary of His chambers. As His law clerk, I have never found the Bible wanting, as I searched for a precendent-setting cases to cite, when defending our client's divine rights in the courtroom of Spirit. As His billing clerk -- well, I am still learning much -- as this is the job that I have struggled with most.

I love this office. I have a great boss who cares for His clients' spiritual liberties with a Father-like devotion to justice, and a Mother-like perseverence in defense of Her children's divine rights. I serve a Chief Justice who never leaves anyone languishing in prison because of an unjust sentence. And even when a harsh sentence might seems reasonable, He lovingly reminds us all that justice is always "the handmaid of mercy."

So, it's back to work.

offered with Love,

Kate