Theme: Open
Hymn 64
Violet Hay
From sense to Soul my pathway lies before me,
From mist and shadow into Truth's clear day;
The dawn of all things real is breaking o'er
me,
My heart is singing: I have found the way.
I reach Mind's open door, and at its portal
I know that where I stand is holy ground;
I feel the calm and joy of things immortal,
The loveliness of Love is all around.
The way leads upward and its goal draws
nearer,
Thought soars enraptured, fetterless and
free;
The vision infinite to me grows clearer,
I touch the fringes of eternity.
Readings from the Bible.
Deuteronomy 28:1‑12 it (to :)
it shall come to pass, if
thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe
and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy
God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these
blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the
voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt
thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and
the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine,
and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed
shall be thy basket and thy store.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be
when thou goest out. The Lord shall
cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face:
they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee
in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall
bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people
unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments
of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name
of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy
body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the
land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The Lord shall open unto thee his good
treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless
all the work of thine hand:
II Kings 6:15‑17 when
when the servant of the man
of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both
with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how
shall we do? And he answered, Fear not:
for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray
thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young
man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of
fire round about Elisha.
Psalms 40:5‑11
Many, O Lord my God, are thy
wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us‑ward:
they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of
them, they are more than can be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou
opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the
book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is
within my heart. I have preached
righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O
Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy
righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy
salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great
congregation. Withhold not thou thy
tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth
continually preserve me.
Psalms 119:12‑18
Blessed art thou, O Lord:
teach me thy statutes. With my lips have
I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have
respect unto thy ways. I will delight
myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Deal bountifully with thy
servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Isaiah 26:1‑4
In that day shall this song
be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint
for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the
gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the
Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Isaiah 35:3‑10
#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.
Isaiah 42:5‑9
#Thus saith God the Lord, he
that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the
earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people
upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for
a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes,
to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out
of the prison house. I am the Lord: that
is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to
graven images. Behold, the former things
are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell
you of them.
Isaiah 61:1‑3
The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort
all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the
planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Matthew 5:1‑12 seeing (to 2nd
:)
seeing the multitudes, he
went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And
he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit
the earth. Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall
obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God. Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven:
Luke 11:9,10
And I say unto you, Ask, and
it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you. For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.
II Corinthians 3:4‑6 such
such trust have we through
Christ to God‑ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing
as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able
ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the
letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
2:23
God is Love.
Can we ask Him to be more? God is
intelligence. Can we inform the infinite
Mind of anything He does not already comprehend? Do we expect to change perfection? Shall we plead for more at the open fount,
which is pouring forth more than we accept? The unspoken desire does bring us
nearer the source of all existence and blessedness.
10:5‑16
The world must grow to the spiritual
understanding of prayer. If good enough
to profit by Jesus' cup of earthly sorrows, God will sustain us under these
sorrows. Until we are thus divinely
qualified and are willing to drink his cup, millions of vain repetitions will
never pour into prayer the unction of Spirit in demonstration of power and
"with signs following." Christian Science reveals a necessity for
overcoming the world, the flesh, and evil, and thus destroying all error.
Seeking is not sufficient. It is striving that enables us to enter. Spiritual attainments open the door to a
higher understanding of the divine Life.
23:32‑10
The Hebrew verb to believe means also to be
firm or to be constant. This certainly applies to Truth and Love
understood and practised. Firmness in
error will never save from sin, disease, and death.
Acquaintance with the original texts, and
willingness to give up human beliefs (established by hierarchies, and
instigated sometimes by the worst passions of men), open the way for Christian
Science to be understood, and make the Bible the chart of life, where the buoys
and healing currents of Truth are pointed out.
90:24
The admission to one's self that man is God's
own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea. This conviction shuts the door on death, and
opens it wide towards immortality. The
understanding and recognition of Spirit must finally come, and we may as well
improve our time in solving the mysteries of being through an apprehension of
divine Principle. At present we know not
what man is, but we certainly shall know this when man reflects God.
98:31
The way through which immortality and life
are learned is not ecclesiastical but Christian, not human but divine, not
physical but metaphysical, not material but scientifically spiritual. Human philosophy, ethics, and superstition
afford no demonstrable divine Principle by which mortals can escape from sin;
yet to escape from sin, is what the Bible demands. "Work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling," says the apostle, and he straightway adds: "for it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians
ii. 12, 13). Truth has furnished the key
to the kingdom, and with this key Christian Science has opened the door of the
human understanding. None may pick the
lock nor enter by some other door. The
ordinary teachings are material and not spiritual. Christian Science teaches only that which is
spiritual and divine, and not human.
Christian Science is unerring and Divine; the human sense of things errs
because it is human.
174:9
The footsteps of thought, rising above
material standpoints, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller; but
the angels of His presence‑‑the spiritual intuitions that tell us when
"the night is far spent, the day is at hand"‑‑are our guardians in
the gloom. Whoever opens the way in
Christian Science is a pilgrim and stranger, marking out the path for
generations yet unborn.
216:3
Who shall say that man is alive to‑day, but
may be dead to‑morrow? What has touched
Life, God, to such strange issues? Here
theories cease, and Science unveils the mystery and solves the prob‑lem of
man. Error bites the heel of truth, but
cannot kill truth. Truth bruises the
head of error‑‑destroys error.
Spirituality lays open siege to materialism. On which side are we fighting?
224:22‑4
A higher and more practical Christianity,
demonstrating justice and meeting the needs of mortals in sickness and in
health, stands at the door of this age, knocking for admission. Will you open or close the door upon this
angel visitant, who cometh in the quiet of meekness, as he came of old to the
patriarch at noonday?
Truth brings the elements of liberty. On its banner is the Soul‑inspired motto,
"Slavery is abolished." The
power of God brings deliverance to the captive.
No power can withstand divine Love.
What is this supposed power, which opposes itself to God? Whence cometh it? What is it that binds man with iron shackles
to sin, sickness, and death? Whatever
enslaves man is opposed to the divine government. Truth makes man free.
366:30
If we would open their prison doors for the
sick, we must first learn to bind up the broken‑hearted. If we would heal by the Spirit, we must not
hide the talent of spiritual healing under the napkin of its form, nor bury the
morale of Christian Science in the
grave‑clothes of its letter. The tender
word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears
and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories,
stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so
many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love.
495:1‑24
God will heal the sick
through man, whenever man is governed by God.
Truth casts out error now as surely as it did nineteen centuries
ago. All of Truth is not understood;
hence its healing power is not fully demonstrated.
If sickness is true or the idea of Truth, you
cannot destroy sickness, and it would be absurd to try. Then classify sickness and error as our
Master did, when he spoke of the sick, "whom Satan hath bound," and
find a sovereign antidote for error in the life‑giving power of Truth acting on
human belief, a power which opens the prison doors to such as are bound, and
sets the captive free physically and morally.
When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts
you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea.
Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your
clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious‑‑as Life
eternally is‑‑can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life
is not. Let Christian Science, instead
of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding
will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence
discord with harmony.
506:18
Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into
their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals
of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.
535:10
Divine Science deals its chief blow at the
supposed material foundations of life and intelligence. It dooms idolatry. A belief in other gods, other creators, and
other creations must go down before Christian Science. It unveils the results of sin as shown in
sickness and death. When will man pass
through the open gate of Christian Science into the heaven of Soul, into the
heritage of the first born among men?
Truth is indeed "the way."
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 201
Charles Parsons
O do not bar your mind
Against the light of good;
But open wide, let in the Word,
And Truth will be your food.
Truth will from error free
Your long enslaved mind,
And bring the light of liberty
Where it shall be enshrined.
Hid treasures it reveals
To all who know its power;
And all who will may light receive
In this most gracious hour.
Then open wide your heart
To Truth and Light and Love;
You then shall know your life is hid
With Christ in God above.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
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.
