Theme: Ready
Hymn 58
Elizabeth C. Adams
Father, we Thy loving children
Lift
our hearts in joy today,
Knowing well that Thou wilt keep us
Ever in Thy blessed way.
Thou art Love and Thou art wisdom,
Thou art Life and Thou art All;
In Thy Spirit living, moving,
We shall neither faint nor fall.
Come we daily then, dear Father,
Open hearts and willing hands,
Eager ears, expectant, joyful,
Ready for Thy right commands.
We would hear no other voices,
We would heed no other call;
Thou alone art good and gracious,
Thou our Mind and Thou our All.
In Thy house securely dwelling,
Where Thy children live to bless,
Seeing only Thy creation,
We can share Thy happiness,
Share Thy joy and spend it freely.
Loyal hearts can feel no fear;
We Thy children know Thee, Father,
Love and Life forever near.
Readings from the Bible.
I Chronicles 29:1‑7 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.
Psalms 86:1‑10
Bow down thine ear, O Lord,
hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that
trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O
Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Rejoice
the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to
forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend
to the voice of my supplications. In the
day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto thee,
O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come
and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous
things: thou art God alone.
Isaiah 32:1‑4
Behold, a king shall reign in
righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from
the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as
the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them
that hear shall hearken. The heart also
of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall
be ready to speak plainly.
Matthew 24:35,36,42‑44
Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but my words shall not pass away. #But of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
#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.
Mark 14:32‑38 they
they came to a place which was named
Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall
pray. And he taketh with him Peter and
James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith
unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and
watch. And he went forward a little, and
fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass
from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all
things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not
what I will, but what thou wilt. And he
cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou?
couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch
ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the
flesh is weak.
I Timothy 6:12‑19
Fight the good fight of
faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast
professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who
quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate
witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot,
unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times
he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord
of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power
everlasting. Amen. 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.
I Peter 1:3‑9
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of
gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise
and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye
love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the
salvation of your souls.
I Peter 5:2,6‑11
Feed the flock of God which
is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly;
not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all
your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the
faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that
are in the world. But the God of all
grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye
have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
8:10‑30
If a man, though apparently fervent and
prayerful, is impure and therefore insincere, what must be the comment upon
him? If he reached the loftiness of his
prayer, there would be no occasion for comment.
If we feel the aspiration, humility, gratitude, and love which our words
express,‑‑this God accepts; and it is wise not to try to deceive ourselves or
others, for "there is nothing covered that shall not be
revealed." Professions and audible
prayers are like charity in one respect,‑‑they "cover the multitude of
sins." Praying for humility with
whatever fervency of expression does not always mean a desire for it. If we turn away from the poor, we are not
ready to receive the reward of Him who blesses the poor. We confess to having a very wicked heart and
ask that it may be laid bare before us, but do we not already know more of this
heart than we are willing to have our neighbor see?
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.
53:25‑10
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.
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.
131:13
Must Christian Science come through the
Christian churches as some persons insist?
This Science has come already, after the manner of God's appointing, but
the churches seem not ready to receive it, according to the Scriptural saying,
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not." Jesus once said: "I thank Thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes:
even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight." As aforetime, the spirit of the Christ, which
taketh away the ceremonies and doctrines of men, is not accepted until the
hearts of men are made ready for it.
170:22
Spiritual causation is the one question to be
considered, for more than all others spiritual causation relates to human
progress. The age seems ready to approach this subject, to ponder somewhat the
supremacy of Spirit, and at least to touch the hem of Truth's garment.
223:7‑19
Matter does not express Spirit. God is infinite omnipresent Spirit. If Spirit is all and is everywhere, what and where is matter? Remember that truth is greater than error,
and we cannot put the greater into the less.
Soul is Spirit, and Spirit is greater than body. If Spirit were once within the body, Spirit
would be finite, and therefore could not be Spirit.
The question, "What is Truth,"
convulses the world. Many are ready to
meet this inquiry with the assurance which comes of understanding; but more are
blinded by their old illusions, and try to "give it pause." "If the blind lead the blind, both shall
fall into the ditch."
322:3
When understanding changes the standpoints of
life and intelligence from a material to a spiritual basis, we shall gain the
reality of Life, the control of Soul over sense, and we shall perceive
Christianity, or Truth, in its divine Principle. This must be the climax before harmonious and
immortal man is obtained and his capabilities revealed. It is highly important‑‑in view of the
immense work to be accomplished before this recognition of divine Science can
come‑‑to turn our thoughts towards divine Principle, that finite belief may be
prepared to relinquish its error.
346:29
Material beliefs must be expelled to make
room for spiritual understanding. We
cannot serve both God and mammon at the same time; but is not this what frail
mortals are trying to do? Paul says:
"The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh." Who is ready to admit this?
353:13
The age has not wholly outlived the sense of
ghostly beliefs. It still holds them
more or less. Time has not yet reached
eternity, immortality, complete reality.
All the real is eternal.
Perfection underlies reality.
Without perfection, nothing is wholly real. All things will continue to disappear, until
perfection appears and reality is reached.
We must give up the spectral at all points. We must not continue to admit the
somethingness of superstition, but we must yield up all belief in it and be
wise. When we learn that error is not
real, we shall be ready for progress, "forgetting those things which are
behind."
409:27
We have no right to say that life depends on
matter now, but will not depend on it after death. We cannot spend our days here in ignorance of
the Science of Life, and expect to find beyond the grave a reward for this
ignorance. Death will not make us
harmonious and immortal as a recompense for ignorance. If here we give no heed to Christian Science,
which is spiritual and eternal, we shall not be ready for spiritual Life
hereafter.
458:11‑15 (to 1st .)
It is anything but scientifically Christian
to think of aiding the divine Principle of healing or of trying to sustain the
human body until the divine Mind is ready to take the case. Divinity is always ready.
494:15
The miracle of grace is no miracle to
Love. Jesus demonstrated the inability
of corporeality, as well as the infinite ability of Spirit, thus helping erring
human sense to flee from its own convictions and seek safety in divine Science. Reason, rightly directed, serves to correct
the errors of corporeal sense; but sin, sickness, and death will seem real
(even as the experiences of the sleeping dream seem real) until the Science of
man's eternal harmony breaks their illusion with the unbroken reality of
scientific being.
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.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 188
Elizabeth C. Adams
No eye hath seen, nor tongue declared,
Nor hath it entered heart of man,
To know what God hath here prepared
For them that love and trust His plan.
But He whose Spirit searcheth deep
Hath sent His Word to all mankind,
The Word that bids them find and keep
The priceless treasures of His Mind.
O come and find, the Spirit saith,
The Truth that maketh all men free.
The world is sad with dreams of death.
Lo, I am Life, come unto Me.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 318
Based on the Danish of Nikolaj F. S. Grundtvig
Suffer the children to come to me,
This was the Master's tender plea;
Gentle and loving, they are mine,
Ah, will not ye who see this sign
Come unto me?
He who receiveth the Word as they,
Teachable, ready to choose my way,
He shall have peace of sin forgiven,
He shall in this wise enter heaven;
Come unto me.
See ye the lilies, how fair they grow,
Clothed in a glory kings ne'er know;
They, like the sparrows, praise the Lord,
Publish my call with clear accord,
Come unto me.
