Theme: Affection
Hymn 370
Nellie B. Mace
We are hid with Christ forever
In the Father's holy plan.
In this pure eternal union
We behold the perfect man;
And we know that sin can never
Overthrow the sacred rod
Of dominion over evil:
We are hid with Christ in God.
Hid with Christ in God, O gladness:
O the meekness and the might,
When the risen Christ has lifted
All our thoughts into the light,
Light of Truth wherein no sadness
Dims the radiant peace we find,
As we set our whole affection
On the beauteous things of Mind.
Readings from the Bible:
I Chronicles 29:1-13 David
David the king said unto all
the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and
tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord
God. Now I have prepared with all my
might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the
silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for
things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set,
glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones,
and marble stones in abundance.
Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have
of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of
my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, Even three
thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of
refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: The gold for things
of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be
made by the hands of artificers. And who
then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?
#Then the chief of the fathers and princes of
the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the
rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, And gave for the service of the
house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of
silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one
hundred thousand talents of iron. And
they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the
house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they
offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the
Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
#Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all
the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our
father, for ever and ever. Thine, O
Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the
majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the
kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou
reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it
is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and
praise thy glorious name.
Psalms 33:1-9,11,12,20-22
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye
righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with
the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. For the word of the Lord is right; and all
his works are done in truth. He loveth
righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens
made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together
as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
The counsel of the Lord
standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord:
and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
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.
II Corinthians 7:1-16 dearly
dearly beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God. Receive us;
we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man. I speak not this to condemn you: for I have
said before, that ye are in our hearts to die and live with you. Great is my boldness of speech toward you,
great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in
all our tribulation. For, when we were
come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side;
without were fightings, within were fears.
Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us
by the coming of Titus; And not by his coming only, but by the consolation
wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your
mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more. For though
I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I
perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a
season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were
made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a
godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to
salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh
death. For behold this selfsame thing,
that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea,
what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what
vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have
approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had
done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for
you in the sight of God might appear unto you.
Therefore we were comforted in your comfort: yea, and exceedingly the
more joyed we for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you
all. For if I have boasted any thing to
him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even
so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth. And his inward affection is more abundant
toward you, whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling
ye received him. I rejoice therefore
that I have confidence in you in all things.
Colossians
3:1-4,9,10,12-17,23,24
If ye then be risen with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth.
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Lie not one to another,
seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new
man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Put on therefore, as the
elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of
mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one
another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so
also do ye. And above all these things
put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
And whatsoever ye do, do it
heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall
receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
II Timothy 3:1-5 in,14-17
in the last days perilous
times shall come. For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
But continue thou in the
things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou
hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be
perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
I John 4:1,2,4,6-14,16,18 (to
:)
Beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Ye are of God, little
children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he
that is in the world.
We are of God: he that
knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we
the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward
us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through him. Herein is love, not
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if
God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love
one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he
in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the
Saviour of the world.
And we have known and
believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in
love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
There is no fear in love; but
perfect love casteth out fear:
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.
15:25-30
Christians rejoice in secret beauty and
bounty, hidden from the world, but known to God. Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are
constant prayers. Practice not
profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of
omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessings.
53:25-13
Jesus bore our sins in his body. He knew the mortal errors which constitute
the material body, and could destroy those errors; but at the time when Jesus
felt our infirmities, he had not conquered all the beliefs of the flesh or his
sense of material life, nor had he risen to his final demonstration of
spiritual power.
Had he shared the sinful beliefs of others,
he would have been less sensitive to those beliefs. Through the magnitude of his human life, he
demonstrated the divine Life. Out of the
amplitude of his pure affection, he defined Love. With the affluence of Truth, he vanquished
error. The world acknowledged not his
righteousness, seeing it not; but earth received the harmony his glorified
example introduced.
Who is ready to follow his teaching and
example? All must sooner or later plant
themselves in Christ, the true idea of God.
That he might liberally pour his dear-bought treasures into empty or
sin-filled human storehouses, was the inspiration of Jesus' intense human
sacrifice.
57:22
Human affection is not poured forth vainly,
even though it meet no return. Love
enriches the nature, enlarging, purifying, and elevating it. The wintry blasts of earth may uproot the
flowers of affection, and scatter them to the winds; but this severance of
fleshly ties serves to unite thought more closely to God, for Love supports the
struggling heart until it ceases to sigh over the world and begins to unfold
its wings for heaven.
61:4
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.
The offspring of heavenly-minded parents inherit more intellect, better
balanced minds, and sounder constitutions.
102:30-2
Mankind must learn that evil is not
power. Its so-called despotism is but a
phase of nothingness. Christian Science
despoils the kingdom of evil, and pre-eminently promotes affection and virtue
in families and therefore in the community.
147:24
Our Master healed the sick, practised
Christian healing, and taught the generalities of its divine Principle to his
students; but he left no definite rule for demonstrating this Principle of
healing and preventing disease. This
rule remained to be discovered in Christian Science. A pure affection takes form in goodness, but
Science alone reveals the divine Principle of goodness and demonstrates its
rules.
183:16
The supposed laws which result in weariness
and disease are not His laws, for the legitimate and only possible action of
Truth is the production of harmony. Laws
of nature are laws of Spirit; but mortals commonly recognize as law that which
hides the power of Spirit. Divine Mind
rightly demands man's entire obedience, affection, and strength. No reservation is made for any lesser
loyalty. Obedience to Truth gives man
power and strength. Submission to error
superinduces loss of power.
239:16
To ascertain our progress, we must learn
where our affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and obey as God. If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer,
and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and the spirit we
manifest reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning.
265:1
Man is the offspring, not of
the lowest, but of the highest qualities of Mind. Man understands spiritual existence in
proportion as his treasures of Truth and Love are enlarged. Mortals must gravitate Godward, their
affections and aims grow spiritual,--they must near the broader interpretations
of being, and gain some proper sense of the infinite,--in order that sin and
mortality may be put off.
365:15
If the Scientist reaches his patient through
divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the
disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning
sunshine. If the Scientist has enough
Christly affection to win his own pardon, and such commendation as the Magdalen
gained from Jesus, then he is Christian enough to practise scientifically and
deal with his patients compassionately; and the result will correspond with the
spiritual intent.
451:16
If our hopes and affections
are spiritual, they come from above, not from beneath, and they bear as of old
the fruits of the Spirit.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 65
Frances R. Havergal – Adapted
From glory unto glory,
Be this our joyous song;
From glory unto glory,
'Tis Love that leads us on;
As wider yet and wider,
The rising splendors glow,
What wisdom is revealed to us,
What freedom we may know.
The fullness of His blessing
Encompasseth our way;
The fullness of His promise
Crowns every dawning day;
The fullness of His glory
Is shining from above,
While more and more we learn to know
The fullness of His love.
From glory unto glory,
What great things He hath done,
What wonders He hath shown us,
What triumphs Love hath won.
From glory unto glory,
From strength to strength we go,
While grace for grace abundantly
Doth from His fullness flow.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 381
William P. McKenzie
What brightness dawned in resurrection
And shone in Mary's wondering eyes!
Her heart was thrilled with new affection,
She saw her Lord in life arise.
She knew the Christ, undimmed by dying,
Alive forevermore to save;
Creative Mind, all good supplying,
Had triumphed over cross and grave.
With hope and faith, like exiles yearning
For homelands loved through patient years,
The hearts of men are homeward turning
To God Who giveth rest from fears.
Assured and safe in Love's protection,
Great peace have they, and unsought joy;
They rise from sin in resurrection,
And works of love their hands employ.
