Service for Wednesday, March 20, 2013


Theme: Heed

 Hymn 58 
 Elizabeth C. Adams

 Father, we Thy loving children
   Lift our hearts in joy today,
 Knowing well that Thou wilt keep us
   Ever in Thy blessed way.
 Thou art Love and Thou art wisdom,
   Thou art Life and Thou art All;
 In Thy Spirit living, moving,
   We shall neither faint nor fall.

 Come we daily then, dear Father,
   Open hearts and willing hands,
 Eager ears, expectant, joyful,
   Ready for Thy right commands.
 We would hear no other voices,
   We would heed no other call;
 Thou alone art good and gracious,
   Thou our Mind and Thou our All.

 In Thy house securely dwelling,
   Where Thy children live to bless,
 Seeing only Thy creation,
   We can share Thy happiness,
 Share Thy joy and spend it freely.
   Loyal hearts can feel no fear;
 We Thy children know Thee, Father,
   Love and Life forever near.

Readings from the Bible.

II Chronicles 19:4‑7 Jehoshaphat
Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem: and he went out again through the people from Beersheba to mount Ephraim, and brought them back unto the Lord God of their fathers.  And he set judges in the land throughout all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city, And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment.  Wherefore now let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Matthew 6:1‑8
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 

#And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Matthew 16:1‑3,5‑12
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.  And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 

And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  

#Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.  Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?  Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?  Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?  How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?  Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Matthew 24:1‑6,11‑13
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  

#And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Mark 13:1‑9,23,30,31,33 (to :)
And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?  

And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 

#But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 

But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 

Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 

Take ye heed, watch and pray:

Luke 11:33‑36
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.  The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.  Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.  If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

Luke 21:33‑36
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. #And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

I Corinthians 3:6‑11
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

I Timothy 4:4‑16 every
every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.  If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.  But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.  

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.  These things command and teach.  Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.  Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Readings from Science and Health with Key the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

225:5
  You may know when first Truth leads by the fewness and faithfulness of its followers.  Thus it is that the march of time bears onward freedom's banner.  The powers of this world will fight, and will command their sentinels not to let truth pass the guard until it subscribes to their systems; but Science, heeding not the pointed bayonet, marches on.  There is always some tumult, but there is a rallying to truth's standard. 

232:16‑7
  In our age Christianity is again demonstrating the power of divine Principle, as it did over nineteen hundred years ago, by healing the sick and triumphing over death.  Jesus never taught that drugs, food, air, and exercise could make a man healthy, or that they could destroy human life; nor did he illustrate these errors by his practice.  He referred man's harmony to Mind, not to matter, and never tried to make of none effect the sentence of God, which sealed God's condemnation of sin, sickness, and death. 
  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. 
  There is neither place nor opportunity in Science for error of any sort.  Every day makes its demands upon us for higher proofs rather than professions of Christian power.  These proofs consist solely in the destruction of sin, sickness, and death by the power of Spirit, as Jesus destroyed them.  This is an element of progress, and progress is the law of God, whose law demands of us only what we can certainly fulfil. 

298:25‑17
  Angels are not etherealized human beings, evolving animal qualities in their wings; but they are celestial visitants, flying on spiritual, not material, pinions.  Angels are pure thoughts from God, winged with Truth and Love, no matter what their individualism may be.  Human conjecture confers upon angels its own forms of thought, marked with superstitious outlines, making them human creatures with suggestive feathers; but this is only fancy.  It has behind it no more reality than has the sculptor's thought when he carves his "Statue of Liberty," which embodies his conception of an unseen quality or condition, but which has no physical antecedent reality save in the artist's own observation and "chambers of imagery."
  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."

340:4
  This text in the book of Ecclesiastes conveys the Christian Science thought, especially when the word duty, which is not in the original, is omitted: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep His commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man."  In other words:  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  love God and keep His commandments:  for this is the whole of man in His image and likeness.  Divine Love is infinite.  Therefore all that really exists is in and of God, and manifests His love. 

400:9‑29
  Mortals obtain the harmony of health, only as they forsake discord, acknowledge the supremacy of divine Mind, and abandon their material beliefs.  Eradicate the image of disease from the perturbed thought before it has taken tangible shape in conscious thought, alias the body, and you prevent the development of disease.  This task becomes easy, if you understand that every disease is an error, and has no character nor type, except what mortal mind assigns to it.  By lifting thought above error, or disease, and contending persistently for truth, you destroy error.    When we remove disease by addressing the disturbed mind, giving no heed to the body, we prove that thought alone creates the suffering.  Mortal mind rules all that is mortal.  We see in the body the images of this mind, even as in optics we see painted on the retina the image which becomes visible to the senses.  The action of so‑called mortal mind must be destroyed by the divine Mind to bring out the harmony of being.  Without divine control there is discord, manifest as sin, sickness, and death. 

409:27‑21
  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. 
  "This is life eternal," says Jesus,‑‑is, not shall be; and then he defines everlasting life as a present knowledge of his Father and of himself,‑‑the knowledge of Love, Truth, and Life.  "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."  The Scriptures say, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," showing that Truth is the actual life of man; but mankind objects to making this teaching practical. 
  Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger.  The more difficult seems the material condition to be overcome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love.  The Apostle John says: "There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear. . . . He that feareth is not made perfect in Love."  Here is a definite and inspired proclamation of Christian Science. 

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. 

525:17
  In the Gospel of John, it is declared that all things were made through the Word of God, "and without Him [the logos, or word] was not anything made that was made."  Everything good or worthy, God made.  Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make,‑‑hence its unreality.  In the Science of Genesis we read that He saw everything which He had made, "and, behold, it was very good."  The corporeal senses declare otherwise; and if we give the same heed to the history of error as to the records of truth, the Scriptural record of sin and death favors the false conclusion of the material senses.  Sin, sickness, and death must be deemed as devoid of reality as they are of good, God. 

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 329 
 Frederic W. Root

 The heavens declare the glory
   Of Him who made all things;
 Each day repeats the story,
   Each night its tribute brings.
 To earth's remotest border
   His mighty power is known;
 In beauty, grandeur, order,
   His handiwork is shown.

 His law man's pathway brightens,
   His judgments all are pure,
 His Word the thought enlightens,
   And ever shall endure.
 To heed His testimony,
   And Wisdom's way to hold,
 Is sweeter far than honey,
   And better far than gold.

 In daily contemplation
   Of Thee, I take delight;
 O, let my meditation
   Lay hold of Thee aright.
 O, aid me in suppression
   Of idle thought or word;
 O, keep me from transgression,
   Redeemer, strength, and Lord.

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