Service for Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013

Subject: Christ Jesus

 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.

The scriptural selection is from Romans.

Romans 8:1‑6,8‑11,16‑19,28,35,37‑39
THERE is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint‑heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Silent prayer, followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s prayer, with its spiritual interpretation as given in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy


Our Father which art in heaven,
Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Adorable One.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Enable us to know – as in heaven, so on earth
God is omnipotent, supreme.
Give us this day our daily bread;
Give us grace for today; feed the famished affections;
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And Love is reflected in love;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
   For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all, and All.


 Hymn 254
 Christ My Refuge –  Mary Baker Eddy

 O'er waiting harpstrings of the mind
       There sweeps a strain,
 Low, sad, and sweet, whose measures bind
       The power of pain,

 And wake a white‑winged angel throng
       Of thoughts, illumed
 By faith, and breathed in raptured song,
       With love perfumed.

 Then His unveiled, sweet mercies show
       Life's burdens light.
 I kiss the cross, and wake to know
       A world more bright.

 And o'er earth's troubled, angry sea
       I see Christ walk,
 And come to me, and tenderly,
       Divinely talk.

 Thus Truth engrounds me on the rock,
       Upon Life's shore,
 'Gainst which the winds and waves can shock,
       Oh, nevermore!

 From tired joy and grief afar,
       And nearer Thee,‑‑
 Father, where Thine own children are,
       I love to be.

 My prayer, some daily good to do
       To Thine, for Thee;
 An offering pure of Love, whereto
       God leadeth me.

This being the first Sunday of the month, Article VIII , Section 1, is read from the Manual of The Mother Church:
A Rule for Motives and Acts.
Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church.  In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness.  The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.

Solo: Love (Words by Mary Baker Eddy)            


Friends:
The Bible and the Christian Science textbook are our only preachers. We shall now read Scriptural texts, and their correlative passages from our denominational textbook; these comprise our sermon.

The canonical writings, together with the word of our textbook, corroborating and explaining the Bible texts in their spiritual import and application to all ages, past, present, and future, constitute a sermon undivorced from truth, uncontaminated and unfettered by human hypotheses, and divinely authorized.

The lesson-sermon from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, read by the First and Second Readers.

The content of the Lesson Sermon may be found in the Christian Science Quarterly. You may also read the Lesson-Sermon for this week online by clicking here.

 Hymn 59
 John S. B. Monsell* 

 Fight the good fight with all thy might,
 Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;
 Lay hold on Life, and it shall be
 Thy joy and crown eternally.

 Run the straight race through God's good grace,
 Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;
 Life with its way before us lies,
 Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

 Faint not nor fear, His arms are near;
 He changeth not, and thou art dear;
 On Him rely and thou shalt see
 That Christ is all in all to thee.

"The Scientific Statement of Being" (S&H p. 468} and the correlative scripture according to I John 3:1-3.

There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p.468

1John.3

[1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
[3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Benediction
   
Romans 1:7 Grace

 Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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