Service for Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014

Subject: Love

 Hymn 174 
 Maria Louise Baum

 Like as a mother, God comforteth His children;
   Comfort is calm, that bids all tumult cease;
 Comfort is hope and courage for endeavor,
   Comfort is love, whose home abides in peace.

 Love is true solace and giveth joy for sorrow,‑‑
   O, in that light, all earthly loss is gain;
 Joy must endure, Love's giving is forever;
   Life is of God, whose radiance cannot wane.

 O holy presence, that stills all our demanding,
   O love of God, that needs but to be known!
 Heaven is at hand, when thy pure touch persuades us,
   Comfort of God, that seeks and finds His own.

Readings from the Bible.

Psalms 23:1‑6
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Isaiah 51:3‑5 the
the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.  #Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.  My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

II Corinthians 1:2‑4
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

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 390 
 William F. Sherwin – Adapted

 Why is thy faith in God's great love so small?
 Why doth thy heart shrink back at duty's call?
 Art thou obeying this:  Abide in me;
 And doth the Master's word abide in thee?

 O blest assurance from our risen Lord;
 O precious comfort breathing from the Word.
 How great the promise, could there greater be?
 Ask what thou wilt, it shall be done for thee.

 Ask what thou wilt, but O, remember this,
 We ask and have not when we ask amiss.
 If weak in faith, we only half believe
 That what we ask we really shall receive.

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: “Brother James’Air”


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.

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 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
Isaiah 66:13

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

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