Service for Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013

Theme: Secure

 Hymn 104 
 Duncan Sinclair

 Help us, O Lord, to bear the cross,
   The cross our Master bore;
 To brave the senses' angry shock,
 Our faith secure upon the rock
   Of Christ, forevermore.

 Grant us, O Love, the strength to drink
   Thy cup on earth below,
 The inspiration that it brings,
 The hope serene that from it springs
   To lighten every woe.

 Give us, O Truth, Thou light of men,
   Thy benediction rare,
 That courage may sustain our way
 Out of the darkness into day,
   Thy day, celestial, fair.

 Thus shall our Spirit, Mind divine,
   Lead us to heaven's bowers:
 The cross laid down; the victory won
 O'er sense and self; revealed the Son;
   The crown forever ours.

Readings from the Bible.

Leviticus 26:3‑6 (to :)
If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.  And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.  And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid:

Judges 18:2‑10 the
 the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.  When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?  And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.  And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.  And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein ye go.  

#Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.  And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?  And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.  When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.

Job 11:7‑19 (to ;)
Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?  It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?  The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.  If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?  For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?  For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt.  If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.  For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.  And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.  Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;

Psalms 4:1‑8
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.  O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.  But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.  Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.  There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.  Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.  I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalms 33:16‑22
There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.  An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.  Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.  Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.  For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.  Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Psalms 119:105‑117
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.  I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.  Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me thy judgments.  My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.  The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.  Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.  I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end. 

I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.  Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.  Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.  Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.  Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

Proverbs 21:31 safety
safety is of the Lord. 

Ezekiel 34:20 thus (to ;),22‑28
 thus saith the Lord God unto them;

Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.  And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.  And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.  And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.  And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.  And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.  And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.

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

11:21
  Petitions bring to mortals only the results of mortals' own faith.  We know that a desire for holiness is requisite in order to gain holiness; but if we desire holiness above all else, we shall sacrifice everything for it.  We must be willing to do this, that we may walk securely in the only practical road to holiness.  Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth, nor can prayer alone give us an understanding of Truth; but prayer, coupled with a fervent habitual desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us into all Truth.  Such a desire has little need of audible expression.  It is best expressed in thought and in life. 

19:17
  Every pang of repentance and suffering, every effort for reform, every good thought and deed, will help us to understand Jesus' atonement for sin and aid its efficacy; but if the sinner continues to pray and repent, sin and be sorry, he has little part in the atonement,‑‑in the at‑one‑ment with God,‑‑for he lacks the practical repentance, which reforms the heart and enables man to do the will of wisdom.  Those who cannot demonstrate, at least in part, the divine Principle of the teachings and practice of our Master have no part in God.  If living in disobedience to Him, we ought to feel no security, although God is good. 

60:24‑11
  An ill‑attuned ear calls discord harmony, not appreciating concord.  So physical sense, not discerning the true happiness of being, places it on a false basis.  Science will correct the discord, and teach us life's sweeter harmonies. 
  Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul.  Higher enjoyments alone can satisfy the cravings of immortal man.  We cannot circumscribe happiness within the limits of personal sense.  The senses confer no real enjoyment. 
  The good in human affections must have ascendency over the evil and the spiritual over the animal, or happiness will never be won.  The attainment of this celestial condition would improve our progeny, diminish crime, and give higher aims to ambition.  Every valley of sin must be exalted, and every mountain of selfishness be brought low, that the highway of our God may be prepared in Science.

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. 

201:1‑19
  The best sermon ever preached is Truth practised and demonstrated by the destruction of sin, sickness, and death.  Knowing this and knowing too that one affection would be supreme in us and take the lead in our lives, Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters."
  We cannot build safely on false foundations.  Truth makes a new creature, in whom old things pass away and "all things are become new."  Passions, selfishness, false appetites, hatred, fear, all sensuality, yield to spirituality, and the superabundance of being is on the side of God, good. 
  We cannot fill vessels already full.  They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error.  Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us. 
  The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood‑tides of Love.  Christian perfection is won on no other basis. 

232:3
  Many theories relative to God and man neither make man harmonious nor God lovable.  The beliefs we commonly entertain about happiness and life afford no scatheless and permanent evidence of either.  Security for the claims of harmonious and eternal being is found only in divine Science. 

384:16
  If exposure to a draught of air while in a state of perspiration is followed by chills, dry cough, influenza, congestive symptoms in the lungs, or hints of inflammatory rheumatism, your Mind‑remedy is safe and sure.  If you are a Christian Scientist, such symptoms are not apt to follow exposure; but if you believe in laws of matter and their fatal effects when transgressed, you are not fit to conduct your own case or to destroy the bad effects of your belief. When the fear subsides and the conviction abides that you have broken no law, neither rheumatism, consumption, nor any other disease will ever result from exposure to the weather.  In Science this is an established fact which all the evidence before the senses can never overrule. 

456:3
  Teaching or practising in the name of Truth, but contrary to its spirit or rules, is most dangerous quackery.  Strict adherence to the divine Principle and rules of the scientific method has secured the only success of the students of Christian Science.  This alone entitles them to the high standing which most of them hold in the community, a reputation experimentally justified by their efforts.  Whoever affirms that there is more than one Principle and method of demonstrating Christian Science greatly errs, ignorantly or intentionally, and separates himself from the true conception of Christian Science healing and from its possible demonstration. 

514:26
  Understanding the control which Love held over all, Daniel felt safe in the lions' den, and Paul proved the viper to be harmless.  All of God's creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible.  A realization of this grand verity was a source of strength to the ancient worthies.  It supports Christian healing, and enables its possessor to emulate the example of Jesus.  "And God saw that it was good."

518:13
  God gives the lesser idea of Himself for a link to the greater, and in return, the higher always protects the lower.  The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good. Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud.  All the varied expressions of God reflect health, holiness, immortality‑‑infinite Life, Truth, and Love. 

Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.


 Hymn 176 
 Based on the Danish of Nikolaj F. S. Grundtvig

 Long hast thou stood, O church of God,
   Long mid the tempest's assailing,
 Founded secure on timeless rock
   Rises thy light, never failing;
 Shining that all may understand
 What has been wrought by God's command,
   O'er night and chaos prevailing.

 Let there be light, and light was there,
   Clear as the Word that declared it;
 Healing and peace to all it gave,
   Who in humility shared it.
 Ah, they were faithful, they who heard,
 Steadfast their trust in God's great Word,
   Steadfast the Love that prepared it.

 Let there be light, the Word shines forth,
   Lo, where the new morning whitens;
 O church of God, with Book unsealed,
   How its page beacons and brightens.
 Living stones we, each in his place,
 May we be worthy such a grace,
   While Truth the wide earth enlightens.

Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.


 Hymn 293
 Frederic W. Root – Based on hymn by A. M. Toplady

 Rock of Ages, Truth divine,
 Be Thy strength forever mine;
 Let me rest secure on Thee,
 Safe above life's raging sea.
 Rock of Ages, Truth divine,
 Be Thy strength forever mine.

 Rock of Truth, our fortress strong,
 Thou our refuge from all wrong,
 When from mortal sense I flee,
 Let me hide myself in Thee.
 Rock of Ages, Truth divine,
 Be Thy strength forever mine.

 Christ, the Truth, foundation sure,
 On this rock we are secure;
 Peace is there our life to fill,
 Cure is there for every ill.
 Rock of Ages, Truth divine,

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