Theme: Strength
Hymn 6
William H. Burleigh – Adapted
Abide not in the realm of dreams,
O man, however fair it seems;
But with clear eye the present scan,
And hear the call of God and man.
Think not in sleep to fold thy hands,
Forgetful of thy Lord's commands:
From duty's claims no life is free,
Behold, today hath need of thee.
The present hour allots thy task,
For present strength and patience ask;
And trust His love whose sure supply
Meets all thy need abundantly.
Readings from the Bible.
Joshua 14:6‑11 the
the children of Judah came unto
Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him,
Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning
me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. Forty years
old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy
out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me
made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God.
And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely
the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy
children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive,
as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word
unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now,
lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me:
as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out,
and to come in.
II Samuel 22:26,29‑34,36,37,40,47
With the merciful thou wilt
shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself
upright.
For thou art my lamp, O Lord;
and the Lord will lighten my darkness.
For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a
wall. As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in
him. For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: and he maketh
my way perfect. He maketh my feet like
hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
Thou hast also given me the
shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that
my feet did not slip.
For thou hast girded me with
strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under
me.
The Lord liveth; and blessed
be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
I Chronicles 16:8‑12,27‑31
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;
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. Fear before him, all the earth: the world
also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say
among the nations, The Lord reigneth.
I Chronicles 29:11‑13
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 18:1‑3,32,33
I will love thee, O Lord, my
strength. The Lord is my rock, and my
fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my
buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the
Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
It is God that girdeth me
with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet,
and setteth me upon my high places.
Psalms 19:1‑14
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. Who can understand his
errors? cleanse thou me from secret
faults. Keep back thy servant also from
presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright,
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation
of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Psalms 27:1
The Lord is my light and my
salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom
shall I be afraid?
Psalms 29:11
The Lord will give strength
unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Psalms 62:5‑7
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.
Psalms 105:1‑4
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.
Revelation 12:7‑10
And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his
angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in
heaven. And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him. And I heard a loud voice saying in
heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and
the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
58:5
Ill‑arranged notes produce discord. Tones of the human mind may be different, but
they should be concordant in order to blend properly. Unselfish ambition, noble life‑motives, and
purity,‑‑these constituents of thought, mingling, constitute individually and
collectively true happiness, strength, and permanence.
79:29
Mind‑science teaches that mortals need
"not be weary in well doing."
It dissipates fatigue in doing good.
Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does
withholding enrich us. We have strength
in proportion to our apprehension of the truth, and our strength is not
lessened by giving utterance to truth. A
cup of coffee or tea is not the equal of truth, whether for the inspiration of
a sermon or for the support of bodily endurance.
165:1‑11
Physiology is one of the apples from
"the tree of knowledge." Evil
declared that eating this fruit would open man's eyes and make him as a god. Instead of so doing, it closed the eyes of
mortals to man's God‑given dominion over the earth.
To measure intellectual capacity by the size
of the brain and strength by the exercise of muscle, is to subjugate
intelligence, to make mind mortal, and to place this so‑called mind at the
mercy of material organization and non‑intelligent matter.
173:17
Anatomy declares man to be structural. Physiology continues this explanation,
measuring human strength by bones and sinews, and human life by material law. Man is spiritual, individual, and eternal;
material structure is mortal.
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.
192:17‑31
Moral and spiritual might belong to Spirit,
who holds the "wind in His fists;" and this teaching accords with
Science and harmony. In Science, you can
have no power opposed to God, and the physical senses must give up their false
testimony. Your influence for good
depends upon the weight you throw into the right scale. The good you do and embody gives you the only
power obtainable. Evil is not
power. It is a mockery of strength,
which erelong betrays its weakness and falls, never to rise.
We walk in the footsteps of Truth and Love by
following the example of our Master in the understanding of divine
metaphysics. Christianity is the basis
of true healing. Whatever holds human
thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.
293:21
There is no vapid fury of mortal mind‑‑expressed
in earthquake, wind, wave, lightning, fire, bestial ferocity ‑‑and this so‑called
mind is self‑destroyed. The
manifestations of evil, which counterfeit divine justice, are called in the
Scriptures, "The anger of the Lord."
In reality, they show the self‑destruction of error or matter and point
to matter's opposite, the strength and permanency of Spirit. Christian Science brings to light Truth and
its supremacy, universal harmony, the entireness of God, good, and the
nothingness of evil.
390:27
"Agree to disagree" with
approaching symptoms of chronic or acute disease, whether it is cancer,
consumption, or smallpox. Meet the
incipient stages of disease with as powerful mental opposition as a legislator
would employ to defeat the passage of an inhuman law. Rise in the conscious strength of the spirit
of Truth to overthrow the plea of mortal mind, alias matter, arrayed against the supremacy of Spirit. Blot out the images of mortal thought and its
beliefs in sickness and sin. Then, when
thou art delivered to the judgment of Truth, Christ, the judge will say,
"Thou art whole!"
393:4‑24
The body seems to be self‑acting, only
because mortal mind is ignorant of itself, of its own actions, and of their
results,‑‑ignorant that the predisposing, remote, and exciting cause of all bad
effects is a law of so‑called mortal mind, not of matter. Mind is the master of the corporeal senses,
and can conquer sickness, sin, and death.
Exercise this God‑given authority.
Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action. Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all
that is unlike good. God has made man
capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely
bestowed on man.
Be firm in your understanding that the divine
Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God's government. Have no fear that matter can ache, swell, and
be inflamed as the result of a law of any kind, when it is self‑evident that
matter can have no pain nor inflammation.
Your body would suffer no more from tension or wounds than the trunk of
a tree which you gash or the electric wire which you stretch, were it not for
mortal mind.
407:6
Man's enslavement to the most relentless
masters‑‑passion, selfishness, envy, hatred, and revenge‑‑is conquered only by
a mighty struggle. Every hour of delay
makes the struggle more severe. If man
is not victorious over the passions, they crush out happiness, health, and
manhood. Here Christian Science is the
sovereign panacea, giving strength to the weakness of mortal mind,‑‑strength
from the immortal and omnipotent Mind,‑‑and lifting humanity above itself into
purer desires, even into spiritual power and good‑will to man.
512:8
Spirit is symbolized by strength, presence,
and power, and also by holy thoughts, winged with Love. These angels of His presence, which have the
holiest charge, abound in the spiritual atmosphere of Mind, and consequently
reproduce their own characteristics.
Their individual forms we know not, but we do know that their natures
are allied to God's nature; and spiritual blessings, thus typified, are the
externalized, yet subjective, states of faith and spiritual understanding.
Silent prayer followed by the
audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 46
Josiah Conder*
Day by day the manna fell:
O, to learn this lesson well.
Still by constant mercy fed,
Give me, Lord, my daily bread.
Day by day the promise reads,
Daily strength for daily needs:
Cast foreboding fears away;
Take the manna of today.
Lord, my times are in Thy hand:
All my sanguine hopes have planned,
To Thy wisdom I resign,
And would mold my will to Thine.
Thou my daily task shalt give;
Day by day to Thee I live;
So shall added years fulfill
Not my own, my Father's will.
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.
