Service for Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014

Theme: Steadfast

 Hymn 37
 Samuel Johnson* 

 City of God, how broad and far
   Outspread thy walls sublime;
 The true thy chartered freemen are,
   Of every age and clime.

 One holy church, one army strong,
   One steadfast high intent,
 One working band, one harvest song,
   One King omnipotent.

 How gleam thy watch fires through the night,
   With never fainting ray;
 How rise thy towers, serene and bright,
   To meet the dawning day.

 In vain the surge's angry shock,
   In vain the drifting sands;
 Unharmed upon th' eternal Rock,
   The heavenly city stands.

Readings from the Bible.

Psalms 89:1,2,8,9,11‑18
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.  For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. 

O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?  Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. 

The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.  The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.  Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.  Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.  Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.  In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.  For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.  For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

Psalms 111:1‑10
Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.  The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.  His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.  He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.  He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.  He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.  The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.  They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.  He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 4:1,2,5‑13,20‑23,25‑27 (to :)
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.  For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.  Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.  Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.  She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.  Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.  I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.  When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.  Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. 

#My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.  #Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. 

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:

I Corinthians 16:13,23
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Galatians 5:1,7,13,14,16,22 the,23,25
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? 

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

 the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Philippians 4:1 my,4‑9,13,19 my,20 (to 1st .)
my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

 my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever.

I Thessalonians 5:16‑21
Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.  Despise not prophesyings.  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

II Thessalonians 2:1,2 (to 4th ,),3 (to 2nd ,),13‑17 we
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first,

we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.  Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. 

Hebrews 10:16,19‑24
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Revelation 3:11‑13
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

28:32
  There is too much animal courage in society and not sufficient moral courage.  Christians must take up arms against error at home and abroad.  They must grapple with sin in themselves and in others, and continue this warfare until they have finished their course.  If they keep the faith, they will have the crown of rejoicing. 

60:24‑3
  An ill‑attuned ear calls discord harmony, not appreciating concord.  So physical sense, not discerning the true happiness of being, places it on a false basis.  Science will correct the discord, and teach us life's sweeter harmonies. 
  Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul.  Higher enjoyments alone can satisfy the cravings of immortal man.  We cannot circumscribe happiness within the limits of personal sense.  The senses confer no real enjoyment. 

260:31
  If we look to the body for pleasure, we find pain; for Life, we find death; for Truth, we find error; for Spirit, we find its opposite, matter.  Now reverse this action.  Look away from the body into Truth and Love, the Principle of all happiness, harmony, and immortality.  Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts. 
414:21
The Scripture declares, "The Lord He is God [good]; there is none else beside Him."  Even so, harmony is universal, and discord is unreal.  Christian Science declares that Mind is substance, also that matter neither feels, suffers, nor enjoys.  Hold these points strongly in view.  Keep in mind the verity of being,‑‑that man is the image and likeness of God, in whom all being is painless and permanent.  Remember that man's perfection is real and unimpeachable, whereas imperfection is blameworthy, unreal, and is not brought about by divine Love. 

417:3
  Give sick people credit for sometimes knowing more than their doctors.  Always support their trust in the power of Mind to sustain the body.  Never tell the sick that they have more courage than strength.  Tell them rather, that their strength is in proportion to their courage.  If you make the sick realize this great truism, there will be no reaction from over‑exertion or from excited conditions.  Maintain the facts of Christian Science,‑‑that Spirit is God, and therefore cannot be sick; that what is termed matter cannot be sick; that all causation is Mind, acting through spiritual law.  Then hold your ground with the unshaken understanding of Truth and Love, and you will win.  When you silence the witness against your plea, you destroy the evidence, for the disease disappears.  The evidence before the corporeal senses is not the Science of immortal man. 

418:5‑25
  Stick to the truth of being in contradistinction to the error that life, substance, or intelligence can be in matter.  Plead with an honest conviction of truth and a clear perception of the unchanging, unerring, and certain effect of divine Science.  Then, if your fidelity is half equal to the truth of your plea, you will heal the sick. 
  It must be clear to you that sickness is no more the reality of being than is sin.  This mortal dream of sickness, sin, and death should cease through Christian Science.  Then one disease would be as readily destroyed as another.  Whatever the belief is, if arguments are used to destroy it, the belief must be repudiated, and the negation must extend to the supposed disease and to whatever decides its type and symptoms.  Truth is affirmative, and confers harmony.  All metaphysical logic is inspired by this simple rule of Truth, which governs all reality.  By the truthful arguments you employ, and especially by the spirit of Truth and Love which you entertain, you will heal the sick. 

461:31‑19
  Systematic teaching and the student's spiritual growth and experience in practice are requisite for a thorough comprehension of Christian Science.  Some individuals assimilate truth more readily than others, but any student, who adheres to the divine rules of Christian Science and imbibes the spirit of Christ, can demonstrate Christian Science, cast out error, heal the sick, and add continually to his store of spiritual understanding, potency, enlightenment, and success. 
  If the student goes away to practise Truth's teachings only in part, dividing his interests between God and mammon and substituting his own views for Truth, he will inevitably reap the error he sows.  Whoever would demonstrate the healing of Christian Science must abide strictly by its rules, heed every statement, and advance from the rudiments laid down.  There is nothing difficult nor toilsome in this task, when the way is pointed out; but self‑denial, sincerity, Christianity, and persistence alone win the prize, as they usually do in every department of life. 
494:30‑24
  Our Master cast out devils (evils) and healed the sick.  It should be said of his followers also, that they cast fear and all evil out of themselves and others and heal the sick.  God will heal the sick through man, whenever man is governed by God.  Truth casts out error now as surely as it did nineteen centuries ago.  All of Truth is not understood; hence its healing power is not fully demonstrated. 
  If sickness is true or the idea of Truth, you cannot destroy sickness, and it would be absurd to try.  Then classify sickness and error as our Master did, when he spoke of the sick, "whom Satan hath bound," and find a sovereign antidote for error in the life‑giving power of Truth acting on human belief, a power which opens the prison doors to such as are bound, and sets the captive free physically and morally. 
  When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea.  Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought.  Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious‑‑as Life eternally is‑‑can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not.  Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony. 

513:26‑19
  God creates all forms of reality.  His thoughts are spiritual realities.  So‑called mortal mind‑‑being non‑existent and consequently not within the range of immortal existence‑‑could not by simulating deific power invert the divine creation, and afterwards recreate persons or things upon its own plane, since nothing exists beyond the range of all‑inclusive infinity, in which and of which God is the sole creator.  Mind, joyous in strength, dwells in the realm of Mind.  Mind's infinite ideas run and disport themselves.  In humility they climb the heights of holiness. 
  Moral courage is "the lion of the tribe of Juda," the king of the mental realm.  Free and fearless it roams in the forest.  Undisturbed it lies in the open field, or rests in "green pastures, . . . beside the still waters."  In the figurative transmission from the divine thought to the human, diligence, promptness, and perseverance are likened to "the cattle upon a thousand hills."  They carry the baggage of stern resolve, and keep pace with highest purpose.  Tenderness accompanies all the might imparted by Spirit.

Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer. 

 Hymn 176 
 Based on the Danish of Nikolaj F. S. Grundtvig

 Long hast thou stood, O church of God,
   Long mid the tempest's assailing,
 Founded secure on timeless rock
   Rises thy light, never failing;
 Shining that all may understand
 What has been wrought by God's command,
   O'er night and chaos prevailing.

 Let there be light, and light was there,
   Clear as the Word that declared it;
 Healing and peace to all it gave,
   Who in humility shared it.
 Ah, they were faithful, they who heard,
 Steadfast their trust in God's great Word,
   Steadfast the Love that prepared it.

 Let there be light, the Word shines forth,
   Lo, where the new morning whitens;
 O church of God, with Book unsealed,
   How its page beacons and brightens.
 Living stones we, each in his place,
 May we be worthy such a grace,
   While Truth the wide earth enlightens.

Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.


 Hymn 327
 Author Unknown 

 The God who made both heaven and earth
   And all that they contain
 Will never quit His steadfast truth
   Nor make His promise vain.

 The poor and all oppressed by wrong
   Are saved by His decree;
 He gives the hungry needful food
   And sets the captive free.

 By Him the blind receive their sight,
   By Him the fallen rise;
 With constant care, His tender love

   All human need supplies.

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