Service for Wednesday, April 10, 2013


Theme: Glory

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.

I Chronicles 16:8-12,23-29,31,34,35
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.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. 

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. 

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.  And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

Psalms 8:1-9
O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.  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: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.  O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

Psalms 19:1-11
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.  The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.  Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Psalms 24:7-10 (to 1st .)
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

Psalms 29:1-4
Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.  Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.  The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

Psalms 57:5,8-11
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. 

Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.  I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.  For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.  Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

Psalms 62:1,5-8 (to 1st .)
Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.

Psalms 84:1-4 (to 1st .),11,12
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!  My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.  Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.  Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.  O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

Psalms 96:1-7,11-13
O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.  For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.  Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.  Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. 

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.  Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

Isaiah 40:4,5
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

Isaiah 60:1,2,18,19
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.  The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.

Romans 5:1-6 being
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

II Corinthians 3:18 we
we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

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

26:1
  While we adore Jesus, and the heart overflows with gratitude for what he did for mortals,--treading alone his loving pathway up to the throne of glory, in speechless agony exploring the way for us,--yet Jesus spares us not one individual experience, if we follow his commands faithfully; and all have the cup of sorrowful effort to drink in proportion to their demonstration of his love, till all are redeemed through divine Love. 

32:28-17
  The Passover, which Jesus ate with his disciples in the month Nisan on the night before his crucifixion, was a mournful occasion, a sad supper taken at the close of day, in the twilight of a glorious career with shadows fast falling around; and this supper closed forever Jesus' ritualism or concessions to matter. 
  His followers, sorrowful and silent, anticipating the hour of their Master's betrayal, partook of the heavenly manna, which of old had fed in the wilderness the persecuted followers of Truth.  Their bread indeed came down from heaven.  It was the great truth of spiritual being, healing the sick and casting out error.  Their Master had explained it all before, and now this bread was feeding and sustaining them.  They had borne this bread from house to house, breaking (explaining) it to others, and now it comforted themselves. 
  For this truth of spiritual being, their Master was about to suffer violence and drain to the dregs his cup of sorrow.  He must leave them.  With the great glory of an everlasting victory overshadowing him, he gave thanks and said, "Drink ye all of it."

42:15
  The resurrection of the great demonstrator of God's power was the proof of his final triumph over body and matter, and gave full evidence of divine Science,--evidence so important to mortals.  The belief that man has existence or mind separate from God is a dying error.  This error Jesus met with divine Science and proved its nothingness.  Because of the wondrous glory which God bestowed on His anointed, temptation, sin, sickness, and death had no terror for Jesus.  Let men think they had killed the body!  Afterwards he would show it to them unchanged.  This demonstrates that in Christian Science the true man is governed by God--by good, not evil--and is therefore not a mortal but an immortal.  Jesus had taught his disciples the Science of this proof.  He was here to enable them to test his still uncomprehended saying, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also."  They must understand more fully his Life-principle by casting out error, healing the sick, and raising the dead, even as they did understand it after his bodily departure. 

45:16
  Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts!  Christ hath rolled away the stone from the door of human hope and faith, and through the revelation and demonstration of life in God, hath elevated them to possible at-one-ment with the spiritual idea of man and his divine Principle, Love. 

143:26-5
  Mind is the grand creator, and there can be no power except that which is derived from Mind.  If Mind was first chronologically, is first potentially, and must be first eternally, then give to Mind the glory, honor, dominion, and power everlastingly due its holy name.  Inferior and unspiritual methods of healing may try to make Mind and drugs coalesce, but the two will not mingle scientifically.  Why should we wish to make them do so, since no good can come of it? 
  If Mind is foremost and superior, let us rely upon Mind, which needs no cooperation from lower powers, even if these so-called powers are real. 

209:10
  The world would collapse without Mind, without the intelligence which holds the winds in its grasp.  Neither philosophy nor skepticism can hinder the march of the Science which reveals the supremacy of Mind.  The immanent sense of Mind-power enhances the glory of Mind.  Nearness, not distance, lends enchantment to this view. 

247:10
  Beauty, as well as truth, is eternal; but the beauty of material things passes away, fading and fleeting as mortal belief.  Custom, education, and fashion form the transient standards of mortals.  Im-mortality, exempt from age or decay, has a glory of its own,--the radiance of Soul.  Immortal men and women are models of spiritual sense, drawn by perfect Mind and reflecting those higher conceptions of loveliness which transcend all material sense. 

261:31-16
  We should forget our bodies in remembering good and the human race.  Good demands of man every hour, in which to work out the problem of being.  Consecration to good does not lessen man's dependence on God, but heightens it.  Neither does consecration diminish man's obligations to God, but shows the paramount necessity of meeting them.  Christian Science takes naught from the perfection of God, but it ascribes to Him the entire glory.  By putting "off the old man with his deeds," mortals "put on immortality."
  We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God's creation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief.  We must reverse our feeble flutterings--our efforts to find life and truth in matter--and rise above the testimony of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal idea of God.  These clearer, higher views inspire the Godlike man to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being. 

322:26-12
  The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life of matter, as well as our disappointments and ceaseless woes, turn us like tired children to the arms of divine Love.  Then we begin to learn Life in divine Science.  Without this process of weaning, "Canst thou by searching find out God?"  It is easier to desire Truth than to rid one's self of error.  Mortals may seek the understanding of Christian Science, but they will not be able to glean from Christian Science the facts of being without striving for them.  This strife consists in the endeavor to forsake error of every kind and to possess no other consciousness but good. 
  Through the wholesome chastisements of Love, we are helped onward in the march towards righteousness, peace, and purity, which are the landmarks of Science.  Beholding the infinite tasks of truth, we pause,--wait on God.  Then we push onward, until boundless thought walks enraptured, and conception unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory. 

519:25-15
  God rests in action.  Imparting has not impoverished, can never impoverish, the divine Mind.  No exhaustion follows the action of this Mind, according to the apprehension of divine Science.  The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint, is in holy work. 
  Unfathomable Mind is expressed.  The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love fill all space.  That is enough!  Human language can repeat only an infinitesimal part of what exists.  The absolute ideal, man, is no more seen nor comprehended by mortals, than is his infinite Principle, Love.  Principle and its idea, man, are coexistent and eternal.  The numerals of infinity, called seven days, can never be reckoned according to the calendar of time.  These days will appear as mortality disappears, and they will reveal eternity, newness of Life, in which all sense of error forever disappears and thought accepts the divine infinite calculus. 

566:1
  As the children of Israel were guided triumphantly through the Red Sea, the dark ebbing and flowing tides of human fear,--as they were led through the wilderness, walking wearily through the great desert of human hopes, and anticipating the promised joy,--so shall the spiritual idea guide all right desires in their passage from sense to Soul, from a material sense of existence to the spiritual, up to the glory prepared for them who love God.  Stately Science pauses not, but moves before them, a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, leading to divine heights. 

571:15-2
  At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good.  Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil.  Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.  The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity. 
  Through trope and metaphor, the Revelator, immortal scribe of Spirit and of a true idealism, furnishes the mirror in which mortals may see their own image.  In significant figures he depicts the thoughts which he beholds in mortal mind.  Thus he rebukes the conceit of sin, and foreshadows its doom.  With his spiritual strength, he has opened wide the gates of glory, and illumined the night of paganism with the sublime grandeur of divine Science, outshining sin, sorcery, lust, and hypocrisy.  He takes away mitre and sceptre.  He enthrones pure and undefiled religion, and lifts on high only those who have washed their robes white in obedience and suffering. 

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 82 
Arthur C. Ainger

God is working His purpose out
   As year succeeds to year,
God is working His purpose out
   And the time is drawing near;
Nearer and nearer draws the time,
   The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
   As the waters cover the sea.

What can we do to work God's work,
   To prosper and increase
The brotherhood of all mankind,
   The reign of the Prince of Peace?
What can we do to hasten the time,
   The time that shall surely be,
When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
   As the waters cover the sea?

March we forth in the strength of God
   With the banner of Christ unfurled,
That the light of the glorious Gospel of truth
   May shine throughout the world;
Fight we the fight with sorrow and sin,
   To set their captives free,
That the earth may be filled with the glory of God
   As the waters cover the sea.

Service for Sunday, April 7, 2013


Subject: Unreality

 Hymn 216 
 From the German of Georg Neumark

 O he who trusts in God's protection
   And hopes in Him when fears alarm,
 Is sheltered by His lovingkindness,
   Delivered by His mighty arm;
 If ye God's law can understand,
 Ye have not builded on the sand.

 O wait on Him with veneration,
   Be silent in humility;
 He leads you after His own counsel,
   His will is done and still shall be;
 All good for you His wisdom planned;
 O trust in God and understand.

The scriptural selection is from Luke.

Luke 4:14‑22 Jesus (to .)
Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.  

#And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.  And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.  And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

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 175 
 Violet Hay

 Lo, He sent His Word and healed them,
   Still that Word of God is here.
 Still its tender healing message
   Speaks to every listening ear.
 Truth divine, that overcometh
   All the ills that seem to be,
 In our hearts Thy Word abiding,
   We may know Thee and be free.

 Love divine, that faileth never,
   Still Thy presence and Thy power
 Mighty are to save and heal us,
   Guard and guide us every hour.
 Life divine, Thy Word proclaimeth
   All true being one with Thee.
 Sinless, fearless, whole, rejoicing,
   Now and through eternity.

This being the first Sunday of the month, Article VIII , Section 1, is read from the Manual of The Mother Church:
A Rule for Motives and Acts.
Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church.  In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness.  The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.



Solo: “Seek Not Unto False Prophets”
            
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 115
 John M. Neale – Adapted

 Holy Father, Thou hast taught us
   We should live to Thee alone;
 Year by year, Thy hand hath brought us
   On through dangers oft unknown.
 When we wandered, Thou hast found us;
   When we doubted, sent us light;
 Still Thine arm has been around us,
   All our paths were in Thy sight.

 We would trust in Thy protecting,
   Wholly rest upon Thine arm,
 Follow wholly Thy directing,
   Thou our only guard from harm.
 Keep us from our own undoing,
   Help us turn to Thee when tried,
 Still our strength in Thee renewing,
   Keep us ever at Thy side.

"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 32:7 thou shalt (to 1st .)
 thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.