Theme: Prosper
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.
Readings from the Bible.
Genesis 39:2‑6 the
the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a
prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with
him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he
served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put
into his hand. And it came to pass from
the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had,
that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing
of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand;
and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a
goodly person, and well favoured.
Joshua 1:1‑7 after
after the death of Moses the
servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of
Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go
over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to
them, even to the children of Israel.
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I
given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the
river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward
the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy
life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor
forsake thee. Be strong and of a good
courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land,
which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from
it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever
thou goest.
II Chronicles 26:1‑5 all
all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was
sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah,
after that the king slept with his fathers.
Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned
fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight
of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah,
who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord,
God made him to prosper.
Psalms 1:1‑3
Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night. And he shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in
his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper.
Psalms 68:8‑11
The earth shook, the heavens
also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the
presence of God, the God of Israel.
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm
thine inheritance, when it was weary.
Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy
goodness for the poor. The Lord gave the
word: great was the company of those that published it.
Proverbs 3:5‑19
#Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths. #Be not wise in thine
own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with
the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with
plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. #My son, despise not the chastening of the
Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth;
even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
#Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth
understanding. For the merchandise of it
is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine
gold. She is more precious than rubies:
and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in
her left hand riches and honour. Her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold
upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by
understanding hath he established the heavens.
Isaiah 54:17
#No weapon that is formed
against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in
judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
Isaiah 55:6‑13
#Seek ye the Lord while he
may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon. #For my thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow
from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it
bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the
eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not
return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains
and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of
the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the
brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Jeremiah 23:3‑5 I will
I will gather the remnant of my flock out of
all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their
folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they
shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the
Lord. #Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign
and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
III John 1:2‑4
Beloved, I wish above all
things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when
the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou
walkest in the truth. I have no greater
joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
11:21
Petitions bring to mortals only the results
of mortals' own faith. We know that a
desire for holiness is requisite in order to gain holiness; but if we desire
holiness above all else, we shall sacrifice everything for it. We must be willing to do this, that we may
walk securely in the only practical road to holiness. Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth,
nor can prayer alone give us an understanding of Truth; but prayer, coupled
with a fervent habitual desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us
into all Truth. Such a desire has little
need of audible expression. It is best
expressed in thought and in life.
15:25
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.
167:20
The
"flesh lusteth against the Spirit."
The flesh and Spirit can no more unite in action, than good can coincide
with evil. It is not wise to take a
halting and half‑way position or to expect to work equally with Spirit and
matter, Truth and error. There is but
one way‑‑namely, God and His idea‑‑which leads to spiritual being. The scientific government of the body must be
attained through the divine Mind. It is
impossible to gain control over the body in any other way. On this fundamental point, timid conservatism
is absolutely inadmissible. Only through
radical reliance on Truth can scientific healing power be realized.
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.
258:19
The infinite Principle is reflected by the
infinite idea and spiritual individuality, but the material so‑called senses
have no cognizance of either Principle or its idea. The human capacities are enlarged and
perfected in proportion as humanity gains the true conception of man and
God.
263:32
The fading forms of matter, the mortal body
and material earth, are the fleeting concepts of the human mind. They have their day before the permanent
facts and their perfection in Spirit appear.
The crude creations of mortal thought must finally give place to the
glorious forms which we sometimes behold in the camera of divine Mind, when the
mental picture is spiritual and eternal.
Mortals must look beyond fading, finite forms, if they would gain the
true sense of things. Where shall the
gaze rest but in the unsearchable realm of Mind? We must look where we would walk, and we must
act as possessing all power from Him in whom we have our being.
264:32‑15
The universe of Spirit is peopled with
spiritual beings, and its government is divine Science. Man is the offspring, not of the lowest, but
of the highest qualities of Mind. Man
understands spiritual existence in proportion as his treasures of Truth and
Love are enlarged. Mortals must
gravitate Godward, their affections and aims grow spiritual,‑‑they must near
the broader interpretations of being, and gain some proper sense of the
infinite,‑‑in order that sin and mortality may be put off.
This scientific sense of being, forsaking
matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the
loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider
sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more
permanent peace.
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.
335:16 Soul
Soul and Spirit being one,
God and Soul are one, and this one never included in a limited mind or a
limited body. Spirit is eternal,
divine. Nothing but Spirit, Soul, can
evolve Life, for Spirit is more than all else.
Because Soul is immortal, it does not exist in mortality. Soul must be incorporeal to be Spirit, for
Spirit is not finite. Only by losing the
false sense of Soul can we gain the eternal unfolding of Life as immortality
brought to light.
458:32
Christianity causes men to turn naturally
from matter to Spirit, as the flower turns from darkness to light. Man then appropriates those things which
"eye hath not seen nor ear heard."
Paul and John had a clear apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no
worldly honors except by sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by
forsaking all worldliness. Then he will
have nothing in common with the worldling's affections, motives, and aims. Judge not the future advancement of Christian
Science by the steps already taken, lest you yourself be condemned for failing
to take the first step.
560:10‑15
Heaven represents harmony, and divine Science
interprets the Principle of heavenly harmony.
The great miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand
necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom
of heaven in man.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 238
John Greenleaf Whittier*
O, sometimes
gleams upon our sight,
Through present
wrong, th' eternal right;
And step by
step, since time began,
We see the
steady gain of man.
For all of good
the past hath had
Remains to make
our own time glad,
Our common,
daily life divine,
And every land
a Palestine.
Through the
harsh noises of our day,
A low sweet
prelude finds its way;
Through clouds
of doubt and creeds of fear
A light is
breaking, calm and clear.
Henceforth my
heart shall sigh no more
For olden time
and holier shore:
God's love and
blessing, then and there,
Are now and
here and everywhere.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 236
Irving C.
Tomlinson
O peace of the
world, O hope in each breast,
O Bethlehem
star that ages have blest,
A day of fresh
promise breaks over the land,
Gaunt warfare
is doomed, and God's kingdom at hand!
From cannon and
sword shape tillers of soil,
No more let
dire hate man's spirit despoil,
Let Truth be
proclaimed, let God's love be retold,
That men of
good will may their brethren uphold.
As stars in
their courses never contend,
As blossoms
their hues in harmony blend,
As bird voices
mingle in joyful refrain,
So God's loving
children in concord remain.
Our God is one
Mind, the Mind we adore;
Ineffable joy
His love doth outpour;
Let nations be
one in a union of love,
God's bountiful
peace, all earth's treasures above.
