Theme: Care
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.
Isaiah 51:1‑6
Hearken to me, ye that follow
after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are
hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah
that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will
comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and
her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found
therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
#Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a
law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of
the people. My righteousness is near; my
salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall
wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for
the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a
garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation
shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
Mark 8:22‑25 he
he cometh to Bethsaida; and
they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and
led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands
upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his
eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
Luke 10:30‑37 A
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded
him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw
him, he passed by on the other side. And
likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed
by on the other side. But a certain
Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had
compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and
wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of
him. And on the morrow when he departed,
he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care
of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay
thee. Which now of these three, thinkest
thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him.
Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
I Corinthians 12:4‑25
Now there are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit. And there
are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but
it is the same God which worketh all in all.
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit
withal. For to one is given by the
Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the
same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to
another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another
the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame
Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many
members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so
also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond
or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but
many. If the foot shall say, Because I
am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not
the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the
hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of
them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one
body. And the eye cannot say unto the
hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of
you. Nay, much more those members of the
body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the
body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant
honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God
hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part
which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members
should have the same care one for another.
I Peter 5:2‑11
Feed the flock of God which
is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly;
not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of
glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to
another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth
grace to the humble. Humble yourselves
therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom
resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us
unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while,
make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
62:20
We must not attribute more and more
intelligence to matter, but less and less, if we would be wise and
healthy. The divine Mind, which forms
the bud and blossom, will care for the human body, even as it clothes the lily;
but let no mortal interfere with God's government by thrusting in the laws of
erring, human concepts.
66:6
Trials teach mortals not to lean on a
material staff,‑‑a broken reed, which pierces the heart. We do not half remember this in the sunshine
of joy and prosperity. Sorrow is
salutary. Through great tribulation we
enter the kingdom. Trials are proofs of
God's care. Spiritual development germinates not from seed sown in the soil of
material hopes, but when these decay, Love propagates anew the higher joys of
Spirit, which have no taint of earth.
Each successive stage of experience unfolds new views of divine goodness
and love.
153:25
We weep because others weep, we yawn because
they yawn, and we have smallpox because others have it; but mortal mind, not
matter, contains and carries the infection.
When this mental contagion is understood, we shall be more careful of
our mental conditions, and we shall avoid loquacious tattling about disease, as
we would avoid advocating crime. Neither
sympathy nor society should ever tempt us to cherish error in any form, and
certainly we should not be error's advocate.
231:20‑2
To hold yourself superior to sin, because God
made you superior to it and governs man, is true wisdom. To fear sin is to misunderstand the power of
Love and the divine Science of being in man's relation to God,‑‑to doubt His
government and distrust His omnipotent care.
To hold yourself superior to sickness and death is equally wise, and is
in accordance with divine Science. To
fear them is impossible, when you fully apprehend God and know that they are no
part of His creation.
Man, governed by his Maker, having no other
Mind,‑‑planted on the Evangelist's statement that "all things were made by
Him [the Word of God]; and without Him was not anything made that was
made,"‑‑can triumph over sin, sickness, and death.
369:5‑22
In proportion as matter loses to human sense
all entity as man, in that proportion does man become its master. He enters into a diviner sense of the facts,
and comprehends the theology of Jesus as demonstrated in healing the sick,
raising the dead, and walking over the wave.
All these deeds manifested Jesus' control over the belief that matter is
substance, that it can be the arbiter of life or the constructor of any form of
existence.
We never read that Luke or Paul made a
reality of disease in order to discover some means of healing it. Jesus never asked if disease were acute or
chronic, and he never recommended attention to laws of health, never gave
drugs, never prayed to know if God were willing that a man should live. He understood man, whose Life is God, to be
immortal, and knew that man has not two lives, one to be destroyed and the
other to be made indestructible.
382:5‑8
If half the attention given to hygiene were
given to the study of Christian Science and to the spiritualization of thought,
this alone would usher in the millennium.
383:3
We need a clean body and a clean mind,‑‑a
body rendered pure by Mind as well as washed by water. One says: "I take good care of my
body." To do this, the pure and exalting influence of the divine Mind on
the body is requisite, and the Christian Scientist takes the best care of his
body when he leaves it most out of his thought, and, like the Apostle Paul, is
"willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the
Lord."
444:13‑19
Students are advised by the author to be
charitable and kind, not only towards differing forms of religion and medicine,
but to those who hold these differing opinions.
Let us be faithful in pointing the way through Christ, as we understand
it, but let us also be careful always to "judge righteous judgment,"
and never to condemn rashly.
554:29
It is the general belief that the lower
animals are less sickly than those possessing higher organizations, especially
those of the human form. This would
indicate that there is less disease in proportion as the force of mortal mind
is less pungent or sensitive, and that health attends the absence of mortal
mind. A fair conclusion from this might
be, that it is the human belief, and not the divine arbitrament, which brings
the physical organism under the yoke of disease.
S&H 454:14‑2
He, who understands in a sufficient degree
the Principle of Mind‑healing, points out to his student error as well as
truth, the wrong as well as the right practice.
Love for God and man is the true incentive in both healing and
teaching. Love inspires, illumines,
designates, and leads the way. Right
motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and
action. Love is priestess at the altar
of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love
to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept. Patience must "have her perfect
work."
Do not dismiss students at the close of a
class term, feeling that you have no more to do for them. Let your loving care and counsel support all
their feeble footsteps, until your students tread firmly in the straight and
narrow way. The superiority of spiritual
power over sensuous is the central point of Christian Science. Remember that the letter and mental argument
are only human auxiliaries to aid in bringing thought into accord with the
spirit of Truth and Love, which heals the sick and the sinner.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 402
Philip Doddridge – Adapted
How gentle God's commands,
How kind His precepts are;
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord,
And trust His constant care.
Beneath His watchful eye
His saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears creation up
Shall guard His children well.
His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day:
I drop my burden at His feet,
And bear a song away.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 224
John Ryland – Adapted
O Lord, I would delight in Thee,
And on Thy care depend;
To Thee in every trouble flee,
My best, my ever Friend.
When all material streams are dried,
Thy fullness is the same;
May I with this be satisfied,
And glory in Thy name.
All good, where'er it may be found,
Its source doth find in Thee;
I must have all things and abound,
While God is God to me.
O that I had a stronger faith,
To look within the veil,
To credit what my Saviour saith,
Whose word can never fail.
He that has made my heaven secure,
Will here all good provide;
While Christ is rich, can I be poor?
What can I want beside?
O God, I cast my care on Thee;
I triumph and adore;
Henceforth my great concern shall be
To love and praise Thee more.
