Works
Hymn 12
Violet Hay
Arise ye people, take your stand,
Cast out your idols from the land,
Above all doctrine, form or creed
Is found the Truth that meets your need.
Christ's promise stands: they that believe
His works shall do, his power receive.
Go forward then, and as ye preach
So let your works confirm your speech,
And prove to all with following sign
The Word of God is power divine.
In love and healing ministry
Show forth the Truth that makes men free.
O Father‑Mother God, whose plan
Hath given dominion unto man,
In Thine own image we may see
Man pure and upright, whole and free.
And ever through our work shall shine
That light whose glory, Lord, is Thine.
Readings from the Bible.
Deuteronomy 2:7 the (to 1st
:)
the Lord thy God hath blessed
thee in all the works of thy hand:
I Chronicles 16:7‑12 David,23‑28
David delivered first this
psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his
name, make known his deeds among the people.
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous
works. Glory ye in his holy name: let
the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath
done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
Sing unto the Lord, all the
earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation. Declare his glory among the heathen: his
marvellous works among all nations. For
great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all
gods. For all the gods of the people are
idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his
place. Give unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory
and strength.
Psalms 8:1,3‑6,9
O Lord our Lord, how
excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the
heavens.
When I consider thy heavens,
the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What
is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest
him? For thou hast made him a little
lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the
works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
O Lord our Lord, how
excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Psalms 33:1‑9
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.
Psalms 77:11‑14
I will remember the works of
the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and
talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is
in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou
hast declared thy strength among the people.
Psalms 104:24
O Lord, how manifold are thy
works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
Psalms 105:1‑5
O give thanks unto the Lord;
call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye
of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in
his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his
face evermore. Remember his marvellous
works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
Psalms 107:8,9,15,20,21
Oh that men would praise the
Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and
filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
Oh that men would praise the
Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
He sent his word, and healed
them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his
goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalms 145:1‑18
I will extol thee, my God, O
king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will
praise thy name for ever and ever. Great
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to
another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous
works. And men shall speak of the might
of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy
great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion;
slow to anger, and of great mercy. The
Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and
thy saints shall bless thee. They shall
speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the
sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and
thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth
up all those that be bowed down. The
eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the
desire of every living thing. The Lord
is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon
him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Matthew 5:13‑16
#Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it
is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men. Ye are the light of the
world. A city that is set on an hill
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.
John 10:37,38
If I do not the works of my
Father, believe me not. But if I do,
though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe,
that the Father is in me, and I in him.
I Timothy 6:17‑19
Charge them that are rich in
this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in
the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good,
that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come,
that they may lay hold on eternal life.
II Timothy 3:16,17
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.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
xi:9‑21
The physical healing of Christian Science
results now, as in Jesus' time, from the operation of divine Principle, before
which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear
as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to
reformation. Now, as then, these mighty
works are not supernatural, but supremely natural. They are the sign of Immanuel, or "God
with us,"‑‑a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and
repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime,
To preach deliverance to the captives [of
sense],
And recovering of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty them that are
bruised.
14:12
Become conscious for a single moment that
Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,‑‑neither in nor of matter,‑‑and the
body will then utter no complaints. If
suffering from a belief in sickness, you will find yourself suddenly well. Sorrow is turned into joy when the body is
controlled by spiritual Life, Truth, and Love.
Hence the hope of the promise Jesus bestows: "He that believeth on
me, the works that I do shall he do also; . . . because I go unto my
Father,"‑‑[because the Ego is absent from the body, and present with Truth
and Love.] The Lord's Prayer is the
prayer of Soul, not of material sense.
37:16
When will Jesus' professed followers learn to
emulate him in all his ways and to
imitate his mighty works? Those who
procured the martyrdom of that righteous man would gladly have turned his
sacred career into a mutilated doctrinal platform. May the Christians of to‑day take up the more
practical import of that career! It is
possible,‑‑yea, it is the duty and privilege of every child, man, and woman,‑‑to
follow in some degree the example of the Master by the demonstration of Truth
and Life, of health and holiness. Chris‑tians
claim to be his followers, but do they follow him in the way that he
commanded? Hear these imperative
commands: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect!" "Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature!" "Heal
the sick!"
52:19
The "man of sorrows" best
understood the nothingness of material life and intelligence and the mighty
actuality of all‑inclusive God, good.
These were the two cardinal points of Mind‑healing, or Christian
Science, which armed him with Love. The
highest earthly representative of God, speaking of human ability to reflect
divine power, prophetically said to his disciples, speaking not for their day
only but for all time: "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall
he do also;" and "These signs shall follow them that believe."
131:26
The mission of Jesus confirmed prophecy, and
explained the so‑called miracles of olden time as natural demonstrations of the
divine power, demonstrations which were not understood. Jesus' works established his claim to the
Messiahship. In reply to John's inquiry,
"Art thou he that should come," Jesus returned an affirmative reply,
recounting his works instead of referring to his doctrine, confident that this
exhibition of the divine power to heal would fully answer the question. Hence his reply: "Go and show John again
those things which ye do hear and see:
the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them. And blessed is
he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." In other words, he gave his benediction to
any one who should not deny that such effects, coming from divine Mind, prove
the unity of God,‑‑the divine Principle which brings out all harmony.
145:31
The theology of Christian Science includes
healing the sick. Our Master's first article
of faith propounded to his students was healing, and he proved his faith by his
works. The ancient Christians were
healers. Why has this element of
Christianity been lost? Because our
systems of religion are governed more or less by our systems of medicine. The first idolatry was faith in matter. The schools have rendered faith in drugs the
fashion, rather than faith in Deity. By
trusting matter to destroy its own discord, health and harmony have been
sacrificed. Such systems are barren of
the vitality of spiritual power, by which material sense is made the servant of
Science and religion becomes Christlike.
209:31
Spiritual sense is a conscious, constant
capacity to understand God. It shows the
superiority of faith by works over faith in words. Its ideas are expressed only in "new
tongues;" and these are interpreted by the translation of the spiritual
original into the language which human thought can comprehend.
326:3
If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must
be in the way of God's appointing. Jesus
said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do
also." He, who would reach the source and find the divine remedy for every
ill, must not try to climb the hill of Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's love to man, but man
cannot love God supremely and set his whole affections on spiritual things,
while loving the material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.
342:21
Christian Science awakens the sinner,
reclaims the infidel, and raises from the couch of pain the helpless
invalid. It speaks to the dumb the words
of Truth, and they answer with rejoicing.
It causes the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and the blind to see. Who would be the first to disown the
Christliness of good works, when our Master says, "By their fruits ye
shall know them"?
360:28
Of old, the Jews put to death the Galilean
Prophet, the best Christian on earth, for the truth he spoke and demonstrated,
while to‑day, Jew and Christian can unite in doctrine and denomination on the
very basis of Jesus' words and works.
The Jew believes that the Messiah or Christ has not yet come; the
Christian believes that Christ is God.
Here Christian Science intervenes, explains these doctrinal points,
cancels the disagreement, and settles the question. Christ, as the true spiritual idea, is the
ideal of God now and forever, here and everywhere. The Jew who believes in the First Commandment
is a monotheist; he has one omnipresent God.
Thus the Jew unites with the Christian's doctrine that God is come and
is present now and forever. The
Christian who believes in the First Commandment is a monotheist. Thus he virtually unites with the Jew's
belief in one God, and recognizes that Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus
himself declared, but is the Son of God.
This declaration of Jesus, understood, conflicts not at all with another
of his sayings: "I and my Father are one,"‑‑that is, one in quality,
not in quantity. As a drop of water is
one with the ocean, a ray of light one with the sun, even so God and man,
Father and son, are one in being. The
Scripture reads: "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being."
483:22
Because the Science of Mind seems to bring
into dishonor the ordinary scientific schools, which wrestle with material
observations alone, this Science has met with opposition; but if any system
honors God, it ought to receive aid, not opposition, from all thinking
persons. And Christian Science does
honor God as no other theory honors Him, and it does this in the way of His
appointing, by doing many wonderful works through the divine name and
nature. One must fulfil one's mission
without timidity or dissimulation, for to be well done, the work must be done
unselfishly. Christianity will never be
based on a divine Principle and so found to be unerring, until its absolute
Science is reached. When this is
accomplished, neither pride, prejudice, bigotry, nor envy can wash away its
foundation, for it is built upon the rock, Christ.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 178
Based on the Danish of Nikolaj F. S. Grundtvig
Love is life's true crown and glory,
Love the splendor of the light,
Truly is God's counsel gentle,
Truly all His ways are bright;
Jesus knew the law of kindness,
Healing mind and heart of blindness;
And in heavenly wisdom taught
Holy works of love he wrought.
Love, the Golden Rule of living,
Showeth forth the perfect Mind;
Love, our debt to God who gives it,
All compassion is, and kind;
Charity the law fulfilleth,
Mid the nations rancor stilleth;
Loving hearts in friendship blend,
One in Him, our heavenly Friend.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 221
Margaret Glenn Matters
O Jesus, our dear Master,
Thy works, now understood,
Reveal their full effulgence
Through love and brotherhood.
Today Christ's precious Science
Thy healing power makes plain:
With joy may all obey thee
And cast out sin and pain.
The Christ, eternal manhood,
As God's own Son beloved,
A tender ever‑presence
Within each heart is proved.
O God, our Father‑Mother,
Thy name we see expressed
By man, who in Thy Science
Is perfect, holy, blessed.
O Science, God‑sent message
To tired humanity,
Thou art Love's revelation
Of Truth that makes us free.
Thy kingdom, God, within us
Shows forth Love's sweet control.
God's idea, man, rejoices;
He knows the reign of Soul.
