Service for Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013

 Subject: Probation After Death

 Hymn 99 
 Ninety‑First Psalm I – Adapted from Tate and Brady

 He that hath God his guardian made,
 Shall underneath th' Almighty's shade
   Fearless and undisturbed abide;
 Thus to myself of Him I'll say,
 He is my fortress, shield and stay,
   My God; in Him I will confide.

 His tender love and watchful care
 Shall free thee from the fowler's snare,
   From every harm and pestilence.
 He over thee His wings shall spread
 To cover thy unguarded head.
   His truth shall be thy strong defense.

 He gives His angels charge o'er thee,
 No evil therefore shalt thou see;
   Thy refuge shall be God most high;
 Dwelling within His secret place,
 Thou shalt behold His power and grace,
   See His salvation ever nigh.

The scriptural selections are from Psalms

Psalms 18:1,2,16,17,19,20,30‑33,35,46
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 

He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.  The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.  For who is God save the Lord?  or who is a rock save our God?  It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.  He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. 

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. 

The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 

Psalms 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

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 412
 Rosa M. Turner

 O dreamer, leave thy dreams for joyful waking,
   O captive, rise and sing, for thou art free;
 The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking,
   Unloosing bonds of all captivity.

 He comes to bless thee on his wings of healing;
   To banish pain, and wipe all tears away;
 He comes anew, to humble hearts revealing
   The mounting footsteps of the upward way.

 He comes to give thee joy for desolation,
   Beauty for ashes of the vanished years;
 For every tear to bring full compensation,
   To give thee confidence for all thy fears.

 He comes to call the dumb to joyful singing;
   The deaf to hear; the blinded eyes to see;
 The glorious tidings of salvation bringing.
   O captive, rise, thy Saviour comes to thee.

Solo: “Awake, Thou That Sleepest”            

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 204 
 Based on the Swedish of Lina Sandell Berg

 O Father, Thy kingdom is come upon earth,
   Thou rulest in all Thy creation;
 Thou sendest Thy witnesses, telling Thy worth,
   To call and entreat every nation,
     With news of Thy mighty salvation.

 They lift up a light amid shadows of fear,
   And Love is Thy banner above them;
 No trouble shall touch them, no foes that appear
   Shall e'er from their loyalty move them;
     'Tis Thou dost uphold and approve them.

 They go in Thy strength, and they speak in Thy name,
   With power of Thy promise forth faring,
 And during the battle the victory claim,‑‑
   Their trust in Thy truth is their daring,
     Salvation to all men declaring.

"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
    
Psalms 62:1

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

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