Service for Sunday, June 8, 2014

Subject: God the Only Cause and Creator

 Hymn 10
 Frederic W. Root – Based on hymn by Martin Luther

 All power is given unto our Lord,
   On Him we place reliance;
 With truth from out His sacred word
   We bid our foes defiance.
     With Him we shall prevail,
     Whatever may assail;
     He is our shield and tower,
     Almighty is His power;
     His kingdom is forever.

 Rejoice, ye people, praise His name,
   His care doth e'er surround us.
 His love to error's thralldom came,
   And from its chains unbound us.
     Our Lord is God alone,
     No other power we own;
     No other voice we heed,
     No other help we need;
     His kingdom is forever.

 O then give thanks to God on high,
   Who life to all is giving;
 The hosts of death before Him fly,
   In Him we all are living.
     Then let us know no fear,
     Our King is ever near;
     Our stay and fortress strong,
     Our strength, our hope, our song;
     His kingdom is forever.

The scriptural selections are from Psalms.

Psalms 9:1,2,4,7‑11
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.  I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. 

For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right. 

But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.  The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.  Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

Psalms 149:1‑6 (to ,)
Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.  Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.  Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.  For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.  Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.  Let the high praises of God be in their 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 168 
 10th Century – Richard Mant, Tr. – Adapted

 Let all the earth with songs rejoice;
 Let heaven return the joyful voice;
 All mindful of our God's great name,
 Let every man His praise proclaim.

 Ye servants who once bore the light
 Of Gospel truth o'er darkest night,
 Still may our work that light impart,
 To glad the eyes and cheer the heart.

 O God, by whom to them was given
 The key that shuts and opens heaven,
 Our chains unbind, our loss repair,
 Reveal Thy power through answered prayer.

 For at Thy will they preached the Word
 Which cured disease, which health conferred:
 And now, that healing power once more
 Our peace and health to us restore.

Solo: "Song of Praise"



Explanatory Note
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 342 
 Laura Lee Randall

 This is the day the Lord hath made;
   Be glad, give thanks, rejoice;
 Stand in His presence, unafraid,
   In praise lift up your voice.
 All perfect gifts are from above,
   And all our blessings show
 The amplitude of God's dear love
   Which every heart may know.

 The Lord will hear before we call,
   And every need supply;
 Good things are freely given to all
   Who on His word rely.
 We come today to bring Him praise
   Not for such gifts alone,
 But for the higher, deeper ways
   In which His love is shown.

 For sin destroyed, for sorrow healed,
   For health and peace restored;
 For Life and Love by Truth revealed,
   We thank and bless the Lord.
 This is the day the Lord hath made,
   In praise lift up your voice.
 In shining robes of joy arrayed,
   Be glad, give thanks, rejoice.
           
"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 13:5 I have,6

I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.  I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

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