Service for Sunday, May 6, 2012

Subject: Adam and Fallen Man

 Hymn 5 

 Irving C. Tomlinson

 A voice from heaven we have heard,

   The call to rise from earth;

 Put armor on, the sword now gird,

   And for the fight go forth.

 The foe in ambush claims our prize,

   Then heed high heaven's call.

 Obey the voice of Truth, arise,

   And let not fear enthrall.

 The cause requires unswerving might:

   With God alone agree.

 Then have no other aim than right;

   End bondage, O be free.

 Depart from sin, awake to love:

   Your mission is to heal.

 Then all of Truth you must approve,

   And only know the real.

The scriptural selection is from Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:1,2,6‑15,19,20

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Silent prayer, followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s prayer, with its spiritual interpretation as given in the Christian Science textbook.

Our Father which art in heaven,

Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Adorable One.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Enable us to know – as in heaven, so on earth

God is omnipotent, supreme.

Give us this day our daily bread;

Give us grace for today; feed the famished affections;

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And Love is reflected in love;

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;

And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all, and All.

 Hymn 181 

 Rosemary B. Hackett

 Loving Father, we Thy children

   Look to Thee in fear's dark night

 While the angels of Thy presence

   Guide us upward to the light.

 Then we feel the power that lifts us

   To Thy holy secret place,

 Where our gloom is lost in glory

   As we see Thee face to face.

 We would learn, O gracious Father,

   To reflect Thy healing love.

 May we all awake to praise Thee

   For Thy good gifts from above.

 Make us strong to bear the message

   To Thy children far and near:

 Fear shall have no more dominion.                                       

   God is All, and heaven is here.

A Rule for Motives and Acts
 

This being the first Sunday of the month, Article VIII , Section 1, is read from the Manual of The Mother Church: 

 
“Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness. The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.” 

Solo: “Awake, Thou That Sleepest”                    

The lesson-sermon from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, read by the First and Second Readers.

The content of the Lesson Sermon may be found in the Christian Science Quarterly. You may also read the Lesson-Sermon for this week online by clicking here.

 Hymn 72

 Charles Wesley and John Taylor – Adapted

 Glory be to God on high,

 God whose glory fills the sky;

 Peace on earth to man is given,

 Man, the well‑beloved of heaven.

 Gracious Father, in Thy love,

 Send Thy blessings from above;

 Let Thy light, Thy truth, Thy peace

 Bid all strife and tumult cease.

 Mark the wonders of His hand:

 Power no empire can withstand;

 Wisdom, angels' glorious theme;

 Goodness one eternal stream.

 All ye people, raise the song,

 Endless thanks to God belong;

 Hearts o'erflowing with His praise

 Join the hymns your voices raise.

"The Scientific Statement of Being" (S&H p. 468} and the correlative scripture according to I John 3:1-3.

There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p.468

1John.3

[1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

[3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Benediction

Psalms 139:17,18

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.