Theme: Watch
Hymn 183
Horatius Bonar – Adapted
Make haste, O man, to do
Whatever must be done;
Thou hast no time to lose in sloth,
When all to Truth must come.
The useful and the great,
The thing that never dies,
The silent toil that is not lost,‑‑
Set these before thine eyes.
Up, face the task and work;
Fling ease and self away;
This is no time for thee to sleep;
Up, watch, and work, and pray.
Readings from the Bible.
Nehemiah 4:7‑9 it
it came to pass, that when
Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites,
heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to
be stopped, then they were very wroth, And conspired all of them together to
come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God,
and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
Psalms 141:1‑4 (to :)
Lord, I cry unto thee: make
haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as
incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep
the door of my lips. Incline not my
heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity:
Proverbs 8:32‑35
Now therefore hearken unto
me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it
not. Blessed is the man that heareth me,
watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall
obtain favour of the Lord.
Habakkuk 2:1‑3
I will stand upon my watch,
and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and
what I shall answer when I am reproved.
And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain
upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall
speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come,
it will not tarry.
Matthew 24:42‑47
#Watch therefore: for ye know
not what hour your Lord doth come. But
know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief
would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be
broken up. Therefore be ye also ready:
for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom
his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due
season? Blessed is that servant, whom
his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
Matthew 26:36‑41
#Then cometh Jesus with them
unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here,
while I go and pray yonder. And he took
with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very
heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his
face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth
them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one
hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not
into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Mark 13:31‑37
Heaven and earth shall pass
away: but my words shall not pass away. #But of that day and that hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray:
for ye know not when the time is. For
the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave
authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter
to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye
know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at
the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you
sleeping. And what I say unto you I say
unto all, Watch.
I Corinthians 16:13
Watch ye, stand fast in the
faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Ephesians 6:13‑18 take
take unto you the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand. Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all,
taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery
darts of the wicked. And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
I Thessalonians 5:5‑10
Ye are all the children of
light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of
darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as
do others; but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night. But let us, who
are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for
an helmet, the hope of salvation. For
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live
together with him.
Correlative passages from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
1:1
The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals
the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God,‑‑a spiritual
understanding of Him, an unselfed love.
Regardless of what another may say or think on this subject, I speak
from experience. Prayer, watching, and
working, combined with self‑immolation, are God's gracious means for
accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and
health of mankind.
4:17
Simply asking that we may love God will never
make us love Him; but the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily
watchfulness and in striving to assimilate more of the divine character, will
mould and fashion us anew, until we awake in His likeness. We reach the Science of Christianity through
demonstration of the divine nature; but in this wicked world goodness will
"be evil spoken of," and patience must bring experience.
15:14‑32
In order to pray aright, we must enter into
the closet and shut the door. We must
close the lips and silence the material senses.
In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead
God's allness. We must resolve to take
up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom,
Truth, and Love. We must "pray
without ceasing." Such prayer is
answered, in so far as we put our desires into practice. The Master's injunction is, that we pray in
secret and let our lives attest our sincerity.
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. Trustworthiness is the foundation of
enlightened faith. Without a fitness for
holiness, we cannot receive holiness.
47:31
During his night of gloom and glory in the
garden, Jesus realized the utter error of a belief in any possible material
intelligence. The pangs of neglect and
the staves of bigoted ignorance smote him sorely. His students slept. He said unto them: "Could ye not watch
with me one hour?" Could they not
watch with him who, waiting and struggling in voiceless agony, held
uncomplaining guard over a world? There
was no response to that human yearning, and so Jesus turned forever away from
earth to heaven, from sense to Soul.
253:32
The divine demand, "Be ye therefore
perfect," is scientific, and the human footsteps leading to perfection are
indispensable. Individuals are
consistent who, watching and praying, can "run, and not be weary; . .
. walk, and not faint," who gain
good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to
discouragement. God requires perfection,
but not until the battle between Spirit and flesh is fought and the victory
won. To stop eating, drinking, or being
clothed materially before the spiritual facts of existence are gained step by
step, is not legitimate. When we wait
patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path. Imperfect mortals grasp the ultimate of
spiritual perfection slowly; but to begin
aright and to continue the strife of demonstrating the great problem of being,
is doing much.
324:7
Unless the harmony and immortality of man are
becoming more apparent, we are not gaining the true idea of God; and the body
will reflect what governs it, whether it be Truth or error, understanding or
belief, Spirit or matter. Therefore
"acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace." Be watchful, sober,
and vigilant. The way is straight and
narrow, which leads to the understanding that God is the only Life. It is a warfare with the flesh, in which we
must conquer sin, sickness, and death, either here or hereafter,‑‑certainly
before we can reach the goal of Spirit, or life in God.
367:17‑29
A Christian Scientist occupies the place at
this period of which Jesus spoke to his disciples, when he said: "Ye are
the salt of the earth." "Ye
are the light of the world. A city that
is set on an hill cannot be hid."
Let us watch, work, and pray that this salt lose not its saltness, and
that this light be not hid, but radiate and glow into noontide glory.
The infinite Truth of the Christ‑cure has
come to this age through a "still, small voice," through silent
utterances and divine anointing which quicken and increase the beneficial
effects of Christianity. I long to see
the consummation of my hope, namely, the student's higher attainments in this
line of light.
446:24
Resisting evil, you overcome it and prove its
nothingness. Not human platitudes, but
divine beatitudes, reflect the spiritual light and might which heal the
sick. The exercise of will brings on a
hypnotic state, detrimental to health and integrity of thought. This must therefore be watched and guarded
against. Covering iniquity will prevent
prosperity and the ultimate triumph of any cause. Ignorance of the error to be eradicated
oftentimes subjects you to its abuse.
468:25‑6
Question.‑‑What
is Life?
Answer.‑‑Life
is divine Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit.
Life is without beginning and without end. Eternity, not time, expresses the thought of
Life, and time is no part of eternity.
One ceases in proportion as the other is recognized. Time is finite; eternity is forever infinite. Life is neither in nor of matter. What is termed matter is unknown to Spirit,
which includes in itself all substance and is Life eternal. Matter is a human concept. Life is divine Mind. Life is not limited. Death and finiteness are unknown to Life. If Life ever had a beginning, it would also
have an ending.
497:24 we
we solemnly promise to watch,
and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto
others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and
pure.
570:14
Millions of unprejudiced minds‑‑simple
seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert‑‑are waiting and
watching for rest and drink. Give them a
cup of cold water in Christ's name, and never fear the consequences. What if the old dragon should send forth a
new flood to drown the Christ‑idea? He
can neither drown your voice with its roar, nor again sink the world into the
deep waters of chaos and old night. In
this age the earth will help the woman; the spiritual idea will be understood. Those ready for the blessing you impart will
give thanks. The waters will be
pacified, and Christ will command the wave.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 30
Love – Mary Baker Eddy
Brood o'er us with Thy shelt'ring wing,
'Neath which our spirits blend
Like brother birds, that soar and sing,
And on the same branch bend.
The arrow that doth wound the dove
Darts not from those who watch and love.
If thou the bending reed wouldst break
By thought or word unkind,
Pray that his spirit you partake,
Who loved and healed mankind:
Seek holy thoughts and heavenly strain,
That make men one in love remain.
Learn, too, that wisdom's rod is given
For faith to kiss, and know;
That greetings glorious from high heaven,
Whence joys supernal flow,
Come from that Love, divinely near,
Which chastens pride and earth‑born fear,
Through God, who gave that word of might
Which swelled creation's lay:
"Let there be light, and there was
light."
What chased the clouds away?
'Twas Love whose finger traced aloud
A bow of promise on the cloud.
Thou to whose power our hope we give,
Free us from human strife.
Fed by Thy love divine we live,
For Love alone is Life;
And life most sweet, as heart to heart
Speaks kindly when we meet and part.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 237
Fay Linn
O may we be still and seek Him,
Seek with consecration whole,
Listening thus to hear the message,
Far from sense and hid in Soul.
He hath promised we shall find Him,
Love divine its promise keeps;
God is watching with the watchful,
God is Life that never sleeps.
If we pray to Him in secret,
Lift to Him the heart's desire,
We shall find our earthly longings
All made pure by Love's pure fire.
Then upon the precious metal
God's own image will appear,
Faithfully to Him reflected,
One with Him forever near.
