Theme: Rising
Hymn 35
Charles Wesley
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the perfect Light,
Sun of righteousness, arise,
Triumph o'er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near,
Daystar, in my heart appear.
Dark and cheerless is the morn
Uncompanioned, Lord, by thee;
Joyless is the day's return,
Till thy mercy's beams I see;
Till they inward light impart,
Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
Visit then this soul of mine,
Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
Fill me, radiancy divine,
Scatter all my unbelief;
More and more thyself display,
Shining to the perfect day.
Readings from the Bible.
Isaiah 60:1‑7,18,19
Arise, shine; for thy light
is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the
earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and
his glory shall be seen upon thee. And
the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy
rising. Lift up thine eyes round about,
and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall
come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and
thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall
be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the
dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall
bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered
together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall
come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my
glory.
Violence shall no more be
heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt
call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall
the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting
light, and thy God thy glory.
Micah 4:1‑7 in,11 (to 1st
,),12,13
in the last days it shall
come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established
in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and
people shall flow unto it. And many nations
shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to
the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem.
#And he shall judge
among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat
their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall
not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine
and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the
Lord of hosts hath spoken it. For all
people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name
of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I
will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will
make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation:
and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for
ever.
#Now also many nations are
gathered against thee,
But they know not the
thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather
them as the sheaves into the floor.
Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron,
and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and
I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord
of the whole earth.
Micah 7:7 I will,8
I will look unto the Lord; I
will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. #Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I
fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.
Malachi 4:1 behold,2 (to ;)
behold, the day cometh, that
shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall
be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. #But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun
of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;
Matthew 9:2-8 behold
behold they brought to him a
man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto
the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said
within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your
hearts? For whether is easier, to say,
Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath
power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,)
Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they
marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
Matthew 17:1‑8
And after six days Jesus
taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the
sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with
him.
Then answered Peter, and said unto
Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three
tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on
their face, and were sore afraid. And
Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they
saw no man, save Jesus only.
Luke 7:11‑15
#And it came to pass the day
after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went
with him, and much people. Now when he
came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city
was with her. And when the Lord saw her,
he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they
that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to
speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
Ephesians 5:6‑14
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.
II Peter 1:19‑21
We have also a more sure word
of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. For the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
vii:1‑21
To those leaning on the sustaining infinite,
to‑day is big with blessings. The
wakeful shepherd beholds the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full
radiance of a risen day. So shone the
pale star to the prophet‑shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where,
in cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human herald of Christ,
Truth, who would make plain to benighted understanding the way of salvation
through Christ Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morning
beams and shine the guiding star of being.
The Wisemen were led to behold and to follow this daystar of divine
Science, lighting the way to eternal harmony.
The time for thinkers has come. Truth, independent of doctrines and time‑honored
systems, knocks at the portal of humanity.
Contentment with the past and the cold conventionality of materialism
are crumbling away. Ignorance of God is
no longer the stepping‑stone to faith.
The only guarantee of obedience is a right apprehension of Him whom to
know aright is Life eternal. Though
empires fall, "the Lord shall reign forever."
94:12‑23
The eastern empires and nations owe their
false government to the misconceptions of Deity there prevalent. Tyranny, intolerance, and bloodshed, wherever
found, arise from the belief that the infinite is formed after the pattern of
mortal personality, passion, and impulse.
The progress of truth confirms its claims,
and our Master confirmed his words by his works. His healing‑power evoked denial, ingratitude,
and betrayal, arising from sensuality.
Of the ten lepers whom Jesus healed, but one returned to give God
thanks,‑‑that is, to acknowledge the divine Principle which had healed
him.
123:11
The verity of Mind shows conclusively how it
is that matter seems to be, but is not.
Divine Science, rising above physical theories, excludes matter,
resolves ^things^ into ^thoughts^, and replaces the objects of material sense
with spiritual ideas.
238:12‑30
To fall away from Truth in times of
persecution, shows that we never understood Truth. From out the bridal chamber of wisdom there
will come the warning, "I know you not." Unimproved opportunities will rebuke us when
we attempt to claim the benefits of an experience we have not made our own, try
to reap the harvest we have not sown, and wish to enter unlawfully into the
labors of others. Truth often remains
unsought, until we seek this remedy for human woe because we suffer severely
from error.
Attempts to conciliate society and so gain
dominion over mankind, arise from worldly weakness. He who leaves all for Christ forsakes
popularity and gains Christianity.
Society is a foolish juror, listening only to
one side of the case. Justice often
comes too late to secure a verdict.
People with mental work before them have no time for gossip about false
law or testimony. To reconstruct timid
justice and place the fact above the falsehood, is the work of time.
256:1
Progress takes off human shackles. The finite must yield to the infinite. Advancing to a higher plane of action,
thought rises from the material sense to the spiritual, from the scholastic to
the inspirational, and from the mortal to the immortal. All things are created spiritually. Mind, not matter, is the creator. Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and
Mother of the universe, including man.
258:13
God expresses in man the infinite idea
forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a
boundless basis. Mind manifests all that
exists in the infinitude of Truth. We
know no more of man as the true divine image and likeness, than we know of
God.
393:12
Rise in the strength of
Spirit to resist all that is unlike good.
God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability
and power divinely bestowed on man.
397:23‑15
To heal the sick, one must be familiar with
the great verities of being. Mortals are
no more material in their waking hours than when they act, walk, see, hear,
enjoy, or suffer in dreams. We can never
treat mortal mind and matter separately, because they combine as one. Give up the belief that mind is, even temporarily,
compressed within the skull, and you will quickly become more manly or
womanly. You will understand yourself
and your Maker better than before.
Sometimes Jesus called a disease by name, as
when he said to the epileptic boy, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge
thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." It is added that "the spirit [error]
cried, and rent him sore and came out of him, and he was as one dead,"‑‑clear
evidence that the malady was not material.
These instances show the concessions which Jesus was willing to make to
the popular ignorance of spiritual Life‑laws.
Often he gave no name to the distemper he cured. To the synagogue ruler's daughter, whom they
called dead but of whom he said, "she is not dead, but sleepeth," he
simply said, "Damsel, I say unto thee, arise!" To the sufferer with the withered hand he
said, "Stretch forth thine hand," and it "was restored whole,
like as the other."
523:3
Because of its false basis, the mist of
obscurity evolved by error deepens the false claim, and finally declares that
God knows error and that error can improve His creation. Although presenting the exact opposite of
Truth, the lie claims to be truth. The
creations of matter arise from a mist or false claim, or from mystification,
and not from the firmament, or understanding, which God erects between the true
and false. In error everything comes
from beneath, not from above. All is
material myth, instead of the reflection of Spirit.
568:24‑14
For victory over a single sin, we give thanks
and magnify the Lord of Hosts. What
shall we say of the mighty conquest over all sin? A louder song, sweeter than has ever before
reached high heaven, now rises clearer and nearer to the great heart of Christ;
for the accuser is not there, and Love sends forth her primal and everlasting
strain. Self‑abnegation, by which we lay
down all for Truth, or Christ, in our warfare against error, is a rule in
Christian Science. This rule clearly
interprets God as divine Principle,‑‑as Life, represented by the Father; as
Truth, represented by the Son; as Love, represented by the Mother. Every mortal at some period, here or
hereafter, must grapple with and overcome the mortal belief in a power opposed
to God.
The Scripture, "Thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many," is literally
fulfilled, when we are conscious of the supremacy of Truth, by which the
nothingness of error is seen; and we know that the nothingness of error is in
proportion to its wickedness. He that
touches the hem of Christ's robe and masters his mortal beliefs, animality, and
hate, rejoices in the proof of healing,‑‑in a sweet and certain sense that God
is Love.
574:10‑6
This ministry of Truth, this message from
divine Love, carried John away in spirit.
It exalted him till he became conscious of the spiritual facts of being
and the "New Jerusalem, coming down from God, out of heaven,"‑‑the
spiritual outpouring of bliss and glory, which he describes as the city which
"lieth foursquare." The beauty
of this text is, that the sum total of human misery, represented by the seven
angelic vials full of seven plagues, has full compensation in the law of Love. Note this,‑‑that the very message, or swift‑winged
thought, which poured forth hatred and torment, brought also the experience
which at last lifted the seer to behold the great city, the four equal sides of
which were heaven‑bestowed and heaven‑bestowing.
Think of this, dear reader, for it will lift
the sackcloth from your eyes, and you will behold the soft‑winged dove
descending upon you. The very
circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love
can make an angel entertained unawares.
Then thought gently whispers: "Come hither! Arise from your false consciousness into the
true sense of Love, and behold the Lamb's wife,‑‑Love wedded to its own
spiritual idea." Then cometh the
marriage feast, for this revelation will destroy forever the physical plagues
imposed by material sense.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 62
Isaac Watts*
From all that dwell below the skies
Let the Creator's praise arise;
Let the Redeemer's name be sung
Through every land, by every tongue.
Eternal are Thy mercies, Lord;
Eternal truth attends Thy word;
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
Till suns shall rise and set no more.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
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.
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