Service for Sunday, June 3, 2012


Subject: God the Only Cause 
and Creator

 Hymn 216 
 From the German of Georg Neumark

 O he who trusts in God's protection
   And hopes in Him when fears alarm,
 Is sheltered by His lovingkindness,
   Delivered by His mighty arm;
 If ye God's law can understand,
 Ye have not builded on the sand.

 O wait on Him with veneration,
   Be silent in humility;
 He leads you after His own counsel,
   His will is done and still shall be;
 All good for you His wisdom planned;
 O trust in God and understand.

The scriptural selections are from Psalms.

Psalms 24:1‑6 (to 1st .),7‑10 (to 1st .)
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.  For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.  Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?  He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.  This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

Psalms 29:1,2,11
Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. 

The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

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 269
 Frederic W. Root 

 Our God is Love, unchanging Love,
   And can we ask for more?
 Our prayer for Love's increase is vain;
   'Twas infinite before.
 Ask not the Lord with breath of praise
   For more than we accept;
 The open fount is free to all,
   God's promises are kept.

 Our God is Mind, the perfect Mind,
   Intelligence divine;
 Shall mortal man ask Him to change
   His infinite design?
 The heart that yearns for righteousness,
   With longing unalloyed,
 In such desire sends up a prayer
   That ne'er returneth void.

 O loving Father, well we know
   That words alone are vain,
 That those who seek Thy will to do,
   The true communion gain.
 Then may our deeds our pure desire
   For growth in grace express,
 That we may know how Love divine
   Forever waits to bless.

A Rule for Motives and Acts
 
This is from Article VIII, Section 1, of the Manual of the Mother Church, and is read as part of the service of the first Sunday in each month.
 
“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:   "Be Strong in the Lord"                

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 65 
 Frances R. Havergal – Adapted

 From glory unto glory,
   Be this our joyous song;
 From glory unto glory,
   'Tis Love that leads us on;
 As wider yet and wider,
   The rising splendors glow,
 What wisdom is revealed to us,
   What freedom we may know.

 The fullness of His blessing
   Encompasseth our way;
 The fullness of His promise
   Crowns every dawning day;
 The fullness of His glory
   Is shining from above,
 While more and more we learn to know
   The fullness of His love.

 From glory unto glory,
   What great things He hath done,
 What wonders He hath shown us,
   What triumphs Love hath won.
 From glory unto glory,
   From strength to strength we go,
 While grace for grace abundantly
   Doth from His fullness flow.

"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 62:7
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

No comments: