Theme: Listen
Hymn 136
Violet Hay
I love Thy way of freedom, Lord,
To serve Thee is my choice,
In Thy clear light of Truth I rise
And, listening for Thy voice,
I hear Thy promise old and new,
That bids all fear to cease:
My presence still shall go with thee
And I will give thee peace.
Though storm or discord cross my path
Thy power is still my stay,
Though human will and woe would check
My upward‑soaring way;
All unafraid I wait, the while
Thy angels bring release,
For still Thy presence is with me,
And Thou dost give me peace.
I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind,
To soar o'er time and space;
I yet shall know as I am known
And see Thee face to face.
Till time and space and fear are naught
My quest shall never cease,
Thy presence ever goes with me
And Thou dost give me peace.
Readings from the Bible
Psalms 34:11‑18
Come, ye children, hearken
unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see
good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy
lips from speaking guile. Depart from
evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their cry. The face of the Lord is
against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the
earth. The righteous cry, and the Lord
heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a
broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psalms 103:1‑22
Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy
life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender
mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is
renewed like the eagle's. The Lord
executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts
unto the children of Israel. The Lord is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he
keep his anger for ever. He hath not
dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so
great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us. Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that
we are dust. As for man, his days are as
grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over
it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's
children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his
commandments to do them. The Lord hath
prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in
strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye
ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the
Lord, O my soul.
Proverbs 8:32‑35
Now therefore hearken unto
me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it
not. Blessed is the man that heareth me,
watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall
obtain favour of the Lord.
Isaiah 28:23
#Give ye ear, and hear my
voice; hearken, and hear my speech.
Isaiah 34:1
Come near, ye nations, to
hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the
world, and all things that come forth of it.
Isaiah 46:9,10,12,13
Remember the former things of
old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure:
#Hearken unto me, ye
stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness:
it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place
salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
Isaiah 49:1 (to 2nd ;),8‑13
Listen, O isles, unto me; and
hearken, ye people, from far;
Thus saith the Lord, In an
acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped
thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to
establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; That thou
mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew
yourselves. They shall feed in the ways,
and their pastures shall be in all high places.
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite
them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of
water shall he guide them. And I will
make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo,
these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. #Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and
break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people,
and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
Isaiah 51:1‑8
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. #Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither
be ye afraid of their revilings. For the
moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool:
but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to
generation.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
8:28‑24
We should examine ourselves and learn what is
the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what
we honestly are. If a friend informs us
of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are
"not as other men"? During
many years the author has been most grateful for merited rebuke. The wrong lies in unmerited censure,‑‑in the
falsehood which does no one any good.
The test of all prayer lies in the answer to these questions: Do we love
our neighbor better because of this asking?
Do we pursue the old selfishness, satisfied with having prayed for
something better, though we give no evidence of the sincerity of our requests
by living consistently with our prayer?
If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor
unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great
duty simply by asking that it may be done.
There is a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition of our
hope and faith.
Dost thou "love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"? This command includes much, even the
surrender of all merely material sensation, affection, and worship. This is the El Dorado of Christianity. It involves the Science of Life, and
recognizes only the divine control of Spirit, in which Soul is our master, and
material sense and human will have no place.
232:26
In the sacred sanctuary of Truth are voices
of solemn import, but we heed them not.
It is only when the so‑called pleasures and pains of sense pass away in
our lives, that we find unquestionable signs of the burial of error and the
resurrection to spiritual life.
236:28‑22
Jesus loved little children because of their
freedom from wrong and their receptiveness of right. While age is halting between two opinions or
battling with false beliefs, youth makes easy and rapid strides towards
Truth.
A little girl, who had occasionally listened
to my explanations, badly wounded her finger.
She seemed not to notice it. On
being questioned about it she answered ingenuously, "There is no sensation
in matter." Bounding off with
laughing eyes, she presently added, "Mamma, my finger is not a bit
sore."
It might have been months or years before her
parents would have laid aside their drugs, or reached the mental height their
little daughter so naturally attained.
The more stubborn beliefs and theories of parents often choke the good
seed in the minds of themselves and their offspring. Superstition, like "the fowls of the
air," snatches away the good seed before it has sprouted.
Children should be taught the Truth‑cure,
Christian Science, among their first lessons, and kept from discussing or
entertaining theories or thoughts about sickness. To prevent the experience of error and its
sufferings, keep out of the minds of your children either sinful or diseased
thoughts. The latter should be excluded
on the same principle as the former.
This makes Christian Science early available.
299:7
My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at
the door of some sepulchre, in which human belief has buried its fondest
earthly hopes. With white fingers they
point upward to a new and glorified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys. Angels are God's representatives. These upward‑soaring beings never lead
towards self, sin, or materiality, but guide to the divine Principle of all
good, whither every real individuality, image, or likeness of God,
gathers. By giving earnest heed to these
spiritual guides they tarry with us, and we entertain "angels
unawares."
321:6‑2
The Hebrew Lawgiver, slow of speech,
despaired of making the people understand what should be revealed to him. When, led by wisdom to cast down his rod, he
saw it become a serpent, Moses fled before it; but wisdom bade him come back
and handle the serpent, and then Moses' fear departed. In this incident was seen the actuality of
Science. Matter was shown to be a belief
only. The serpent, evil, under wisdom's
bidding, was destroyed through understanding divine Science, and this proof was
a staff upon which to lean. The illusion
of Moses lost its power to alarm him, when he discovered that what he
apparently saw was really but a phase of mortal belief.
It was scientifically demonstrated that
leprosy was a creation of mortal mind and not a condition of matter, when Moses
first put his hand into his bosom and drew it forth white as snow with the
dread disease, and presently restored his hand to its natural condition by the
same simple process. God had lessened
Moses' fear by this proof in divine Science, and the inward voice became to him
the voice of God, which said: "It shall come to pass, if they will not
believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will
believe the voice of the latter sign."
And so it was in the coming centuries, when the Science of being was
demonstrated by Jesus, who showed his students the power of Mind by changing
water into wine, and taught them how to handle serpents unharmed, to heal the
sick and cast out evils in proof of the supremacy of Mind.
326:3‑22
If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must
be in the way of God's appointing. Jesus
said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do
also." He, who would reach the source and find the divine remedy for every
ill, must not try to climb the hill of Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's love to man, but man
cannot love God supremely and set his whole affections on spiritual things,
while loving the material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.
We must forsake the foundation of material
systems, however time‑honored, if we would gain the Christ as our only
Saviour. Not partially, but fully, the
great healer of mortal mind is the healer of the body.
The purpose and motive to live aright can be
gained now. This point won, you have
started as you should. You have begun at
the numeration‑table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can
hinder your advancement. Working and
praying with true motives, your Father will open the way. "Who did hinder you, that ye should not
obey the truth?"
359:18
True Christianity is to be honored wherever
found, but when shall we arrive at the goal which that word implies? From Puritan parents, the discoverer of
Christian Science early received her religious education. In childhood, she often listened with joy to
these words, falling from the lips of her saintly mother, "God is able to
raise you up from sickness;" and she pondered the meaning of that
Scripture she so often quotes: "And these signs shall follow them that
believe; . . . they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
409:27
We have no right to say that life depends on
matter now, but will not depend on it after death. We cannot spend our days here in ignorance of
the Science of Life, and expect to find beyond the grave a reward for this
ignorance. Death will not make us
harmonious and immortal as a recompense for ignorance. If here we give no heed to Christian Science,
which is spiritual and eternal, we shall not be ready for spiritual Life
hereafter.
462:9
If the student goes away to practise Truth's
teachings only in part, dividing his interests between God and mammon and
substituting his own views for Truth, he will inevitably reap the error he
sows. Whoever would demonstrate the
healing of Christian Science must abide strictly by its rules, heed every
statement, and advance from the rudiments laid down. There is nothing difficult nor toilsome in this
task, when the way is pointed out; but self‑denial, sincerity, Christianity,
and persistence alone win the prize, as they usually do in every department of
life.
570:14‑21 np
Millions of unprejudiced minds‑‑simple
seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert‑‑are waiting and
watching for rest and drink. Give them a
cup of cold water in Christ's name, and never fear the consequences. What if the old dragon should send forth a
new flood to drown the Christ‑idea? He
can neither drown your voice with its roar, nor again sink the world into the
deep waters of chaos and old night. In
this age the earth will help the woman; the spiritual idea will be
understood. Those ready for the blessing
you impart will give thanks. The waters
will be pacified, and Christ will command the wave.
When God heals the sick or the sinning, they
should know the great benefit which Mind has wrought. They should also know the great delusion of
mortal mind, when it makes them sick or sinful.
Many are willing to open the eyes of the people to the power of good
resident in divine Mind, but they are not so willing to point out the evil in
human thought, and expose evil's hidden mental ways of accomplishing
iniquity.
Why this backwardness, since exposure is
necessary to ensure the avoidance of the evil?
Because people like you better when you tell them their virtues than
when you tell them their vices. It re‑quires
the spirit of our blessed Master to tell a man his faults, and so risk human
displeasure for the sake of doing right and benefiting our race. Who is telling mankind of the foe in
ambush? Is the informer one who sees the
foe? If so, listen and be wise. Escape from evil, and designate those as
unfaithful stewards who have seen the danger and yet have given no
warning.
At all times and under all circumstances,
overcome evil with good. Know thyself,
and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil. Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred
cannot reach you. The cement of a higher
humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity.
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 237
Fay Linn
O may we be still and seek Him,
Seek with consecration whole,
Listening thus to hear the message,
Far from sense and hid in Soul.
He hath promised we shall find Him,
Love divine its promise keeps;
God is watching with the watchful,
God is Life that never sleeps.
If we pray to Him in secret,
Lift to Him the heart's desire,
We shall find our earthly longings
All made pure by Love's pure fire.
Then upon the precious metal
God's own image will appear,
Faithfully to Him reflected,
One with Him forever near.
