Service for Wednesday, May 16, 2012


Theme: Rejoice

 Hymn 10
 Frederic W. Root – Based on hymn by Martin Luther

 All power is given unto our Lord,
   On Him we place reliance;
 With truth from out His sacred word
   We bid our foes defiance.
     With Him we shall prevail,
     Whatever may assail;
     He is our shield and tower,
     Almighty is His power;
     His kingdom is forever.

 Rejoice, ye people, praise His name,
   His care doth e'er surround us.
 His love to error's thralldom came,
   And from its chains unbound us.
     Our Lord is God alone,
     No other power we own;
     No other voice we heed,
     No other help we need;
     His kingdom is forever.

 O then give thanks to God on high,
   Who life to all is giving;
 The hosts of death before Him fly,
   In Him we all are living.
     Then let us know no fear,
     Our King is ever near;
     Our stay and fortress strong,
     Our strength, our hope, our song;
     His kingdom is forever.

Readings from the Bible.

I Chronicles 16:7‑12 David,23‑32
 David delivered first this psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.  Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.  Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.  Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.  Declare his glory among the heathen: his marvellous works among all nations.  For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the people are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.  Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth.  Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.

Psalms 5:1‑3,11,12
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. 

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.  For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalms 9:1,2,7‑11 the,14 I will
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.  I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. 

the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.  The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.  Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

 I will rejoice in thy salvation.

Psalms 32:11
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

Psalms 33:1‑9
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.  Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.  Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.  For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth.  He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.  By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.  He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.  Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

Psalms 40:16
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.

Psalms 70:1‑4
Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.  Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.  Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

Isaiah 35:1‑10
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.  It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.  #Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.  And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Philippians 3:1 (to 1st .)
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

15:25
  Christians rejoice in secret beauty and bounty, hidden from the world, but known to God.  Self‑forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers.  Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessings.  Trustworthiness is the foundation of enlightened faith.  Without a fitness for holiness, we cannot receive holiness. 

22:11‑29
  "Work out your own salvation," is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you.  "Occupy till I come!"  Wait for your reward, and "be not weary in well doing."  If your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race. 
  When the smoke of battle clears away, you will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving.  Love is not hasty to deliver us from temptation, for Love means that we shall be tried and purified. 
  Final deliverance from error, whereby we rejoice in immortality, boundless freedom, and sinless sense, is not reached through paths of flowers nor by pinning one's faith without works to another's vicarious effort.  Whosoever believeth that wrath is righteous or that divinity is appeased by human suffering, does not understand God. 

28:32
  There is too much animal courage in society and not sufficient moral courage.  Christians must take up arms against error at home and abroad.  They must grapple with sin in themselves and in others, and continue this warfare until they have finished their course.  If they keep the faith, they will have the crown of rejoicing. 

34:29‑18
  What a contrast between our Lord's last supper and his last spiritual breakfast with his disciples in the bright morning hours at the joyful meeting on the shore of the Galilean Sea!  His gloom had passed into glory, and his disciples' grief into repentance,‑‑hearts chastened and pride rebuked.  Convinced of the fruitlessness of their toil in the dark and wakened by their Master's voice, they changed their methods, turned away from material things, and cast their net on the right side.  Discerning Christ, Truth, anew on the shore of time, they were enabled to rise somewhat from mortal sensuousness, or the burial of mind in matter, into newness of life as Spirit. 
  This spiritual meeting with our Lord in the dawn of a new light is the morning meal which Christian Scientists commemorate.  They bow before Christ, Truth, to receive more of his reappearing and silently to commune with the divine Principle, Love.  They celebrate their Lord's victory over death, his probation in the flesh after death, its exemplification of human probation, and his spiritual and final ascension above matter, or the flesh, when he rose out of material sight. 

140:4‑13
  That God is a corporeal being, nobody can truly affirm.  The Bible represents Him as saying: "Thou canst not see My face; for there shall no man see Me, and live."  Not materially but spiritually we know Him as divine Mind, as Life, Truth, and Love.  We shall obey and adore in proportion as we apprehend the divine nature and love Him understandingly, warring no more over the corporeality, but rejoicing in the affluence of our God.  Religion will then be of the heart and not of the head.

249:6
Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy.  Let us rejoice that we are subject to the divine "powers that be." Such is the true Science of being.  Any other theory of Life, or God, is delusive and mythological. 

265:23‑5
  Who that has felt the loss of human peace has not gained stronger desires for spiritual joy?  The aspiration after heavenly good comes even before we discover what belongs to wisdom and Love.  The loss of earthly hopes and pleasures brightens the ascending path of many a heart.  The pains of sense quickly inform us that the pleasures of sense are mortal and that joy is spiritual. 
  The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away false pleasurable beliefs and transplant the affections from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good, "rejoicing the heart."  Such is the sword of Science, with which Truth decapitates error, materiality giving place to man's higher individuality and destiny.

342:16‑28
  If Christianity is not scientific, and Science is not of God, then there is no invariable law, and truth becomes an accident.  Shall it be denied that a system which works according to the Scriptures has Scriptural authority? 
  Christian Science awakens the sinner, reclaims the infidel, and raises from the couch of pain the helpless invalid.  It speaks to the dumb the words of Truth, and they answer with rejoicing.  It causes the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and the blind to see.  Who would be the first to disown the Christliness of good works, when our Master says, "By their fruits ye shall know them"? 

561:32‑21
  John the Baptist prophesied the coming of the immaculate Jesus, and John saw in those days the spiritual idea as the Messiah, who would baptize with the Holy Ghost,‑‑divine Science.  As Elias presented the idea of the fatherhood of God, which Jesus afterwards manifested, so the Revelator completed this figure with woman, typifying the spiritual idea of God's motherhood.  The moon is under her feet.  This idea reveals the universe as secondary and tributary to Spirit, from which the universe borrows its reflected light, substance, life, and intelligence. 
  The spiritual idea is crowned with twelve stars.  The twelve tribes of Israel with all mortals,‑‑separated by belief from man's divine origin and the true idea,‑‑will through much tribulation yield to the activities of the divine Principle of man in the harmony of Science.  These are the stars in the crown of rejoicing.  They are the lamps in the spiritual heavens of the age, which show the workings of the spiritual idea by healing the sick and the sinning, and by manifesting the light which shines "unto the perfect day" as the night of materialism wanes. 

572:23‑574:2
  The Revelator had not yet passed the transitional stage in human experience called death, but he already saw a new heaven and a new earth.  Through what sense came this vision to St. John?  Not through the material visual organs for seeing, for optics are inadequate to take in so wonderful a scene.  Were this new heaven and new earth terrestrial or celestial, material or spiritual?  They could not be the former, for the human sense of space is unable to grasp such a view.  The Revelator was on our plane of existence, while yet beholding what the eye cannot see,‑‑that which is invisible to the uninspired thought.  This testimony of Holy Writ sustains the fact in Science, that the heavens and earth to one human consciousness, that consciousness which God bestows, are spiritual, while to another, the unillumined human mind, the vision is material.  This shows unmistakably that what the human mind terms matter and spirit indicates states and stages of consciousness. 
  Accompanying this scientific consciousness was another revelation, even the declaration from heaven, supreme harmony, that God, the divine Principle of harmony, is ever with men, and they are His people.  Thus man was no longer regarded as a miserable sinner, but as the blessed child of God.  Why?  Because St. John's corporeal sense of the heavens and earth had vanished, and in place of this false sense was the spiritual sense, the subjective state by which he could see the new heaven and new earth, which involve the spiritual idea and consciousness of reality.  This is Scriptural authority for concluding that such a recognition of being is, and has been, possible to men in this present state of existence,‑‑that we can become conscious, here and now, of a cessation of death, sorrow, and pain.  This is indeed a foretaste of absolute Christian Science.  Take heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and in some way.  There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away.  When you read this, remember Jesus' words, "The kingdom of God is within you."  This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility. 

Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer. Hymn 304

 "Feed My Sheep" – Mary Baker Eddy

 Shepherd, show me how to go
   O'er the hillside steep,
 How to gather, how to sow,‑‑
   How to feed Thy sheep;
 I will listen for Thy voice,
   Lest my footsteps stray;
 I will follow and rejoice
   All the rugged way.

 Thou wilt bind the stubborn will,
   Wound the callous breast,
 Make self‑righteousness be still,
   Break earth's stupid rest.
 Strangers on a barren shore,
   Lab'ring long and lone,
 We would enter by the door,
   And Thou know'st Thine own;

 So, when day grows dark and cold,
   Tear or triumph harms,
 Lead Thy lambkins to the fold,
   Take them in Thine arms;
 Feed the hungry, heal the heart,
   Till the morning's beam;
 White as wool, ere they depart,
   Shepherd, wash them clean.

Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.


 Hymn 263 
 From the Swedish of J. O. Wallin

 Only God can bring us gladness,
   Only God can give us peace;
 Joys are vain that end in sadness,
   Joy divine shall never cease.
 Mid the shade of want and sorrow
   Undisturbed, our hearts rejoice;
 Patient, wait the brighter morrow;
   Faithful, heed the Father's voice.

 As the stars in order going,
   All harmonious, He doth move;
 Heavenly calm and comfort showing,
   Comes the healing word of Love.
 Who the word of wisdom heareth
   Feels the Father Love within,
 Where as dawn the shadow cleareth,
   Love outshines the night of sin.

 So we find the true atonement,
   Know in God the perfect Friend;
 For in Love is our at‑one‑ment,
   Where all hearts in Him may blend.
 Here from prisoning pain and sorrow
   Have we all a sure release,
 Only God can bring us gladness,
   Only God can give us peace.

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