Theme: Worthy
Hymn 15
Based on the Danish of Bernhard S. Ingemann
As gold by fire is tested,
Its purity shown forth,
So cleansing fires of Truth may prove
To man his native worth.
And as a mirror shows us
A likeness clear and bright,
So God forever sees His child
Revealed in radiant light.
'Twas thus the loving Master
Saw man's perfection shine,
Beheld God's child forever pure
In radiance all divine.
Readings from the Bible.
II Samuel 22:1‑7 David,17‑22
David spake unto the Lord the words of this
song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his
enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my
fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my
shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour;
thou savest me from violence. I will
call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine
enemies. When the waves of death
compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; The sorrows of hell compassed
me about; the snares of death prevented me; In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my
cry did enter into his ears.
He sent from above, he took
me; he drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and
from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity:
but the Lord was my stay. He brought me
forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in
me. The Lord rewarded me according to my
righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed
me. For I have kept the ways of the
Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Psalms 18:1‑6,16‑20,25,26,30‑32
I will love thee, O Lord, my
strength. The Lord is my rock, and my
fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my
buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the
Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the
floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented
me. In my distress I called upon the
Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry
came before him, even into his ears.
He sent from above, he took
me, he drew me out of many waters. He
delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were
too strong for me. They prevented me in
the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the
cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
With the merciful thou wilt
shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With
the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew
thyself froward.
As for God, his way is
perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust
in him. For who is God save the
Lord? or who is a rock save our
God? It is God that girdeth me with
strength, and maketh my way perfect.
Matthew 10:1,5‑14,16
And when he had called unto
him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast
them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
These twelve Jesus sent
forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and
into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. And as ye go,
preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the
dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass
in your purses, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes,
nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall
enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute
it. And if the house be worthy, let your
peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear
your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of
your feet.
#Behold, I send you forth as
sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as
doves.
Luke 15:11‑23 A
A certain man had two sons: And the younger of
them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to
me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took
his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous
living. And when he had spent all, there
arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen
of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with
the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How
many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish
with hunger! I will arise and go to my
father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before
thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired
servants. And he arose, and came to his
father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy
son. But the father said to his
servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his
hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and
let us eat, and be merry:
Luke 21:32,33,36
Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my
words shall not pass away.
Watch ye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Romans 8:16‑19
The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint‑heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Ephesians 4:1‑8
I therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one
another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace. There is one body, and one
Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith,
one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and
in you all. But unto every one of us is
given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on
high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Hebrews 3:1‑4
Wherefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also
Moses was faithful in all his house. For
this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath
builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but
he that built all things is God.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
4:3‑26
What we most need is the prayer of fervent
desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good
deeds. To keep the commandments of our
Master and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy
evidence of our gratitude for all that he has done. Outward worship is not of itself sufficient
to express loyal and heartfelt gratitude, since he has said: "If ye love
me, keep my commandments."
The habitual struggle to be always good is
unceasing prayer. Its motives are made
manifest in the blessings they bring,‑‑blessings which, even if not
acknowledged in audible words, attest our worthiness to be partakers of
Love.
Simply asking that we may love God will never
make us love Him; but the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily
watchfulness and in striving to assimilate more of the divine character, will
mould and fashion us anew, until we awake in His likeness. We reach the Science of Christianity through
demonstration of the divine nature; but in this wicked world goodness will
"be evil spoken of," and patience must bring experience.
22:11‑22
"Work out your own salvation," is
the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you. "Occupy till I come!" Wait for your reward, and "be not weary
in well doing." If your endeavors
are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to
error, nor become a sluggard in the race.
When the smoke of battle clears away, you
will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your
deserving. Love is not hasty to deliver
us from temptation, for Love means that we shall be tried and purified.
28:22
Remember, thou Christian martyr, it is enough
if thou art found worthy to unloose the sandals of thy Master's feet! To suppose that persecution for
righteousness' sake belongs to the past, and that Christianity to‑day is at
peace with the world because it is honored by sects and societies, is to
mistake the very nature of religion.
Error repeats itself. The trials
encountered by prophet, disciple, and apostle, "of whom the world was not
worthy," await, in some form, every pioneer of truth.
134:31
A miracle fulfils God's law, but does not
violate that law. This fact at present
seems more mysterious than the miracle itself.
The Psalmist sang: "What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou
fleddest? Thou Jordan, that thou wast
driven back? Ye mountains, that ye
skipped like rams, and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the
Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob." The miracle introduces no disorder, but
unfolds the primal order, establishing the Science of God's unchangeable
law. Spiritual evolution alone is worthy
of the exercise of divine power.
238:1
Motives and acts are not rightly valued
before they are understood. It is well
to wait till those whom you would benefit are ready for the blessing, for
Science is working changes in personal character as well as in the material
universe.
239:5
Take away wealth, fame, and social
organizations, which weigh not one jot in the balance of God, and we get
clearer views of Principle. Break up
cliques, level wealth with honesty, let worth be judged according to wisdom,
and we get better views of humanity.
251:15
We must learn how mankind govern the body,‑‑whether
through faith in hygiene, in drugs, or in will‑power. We should learn whether they govern the body
through a belief in the necessity of sickness and death, sin and pardon, or
govern it from the higher understanding that the divine Mind makes perfect,
acts upon the so‑called human mind through truth, leads the human mind to
relinquish all error, to find the divine Mind to be the only Mind, and the
healer of sin, disease, death. This
process of higher spiritual understanding improves mankind until error
disappears, and nothing is left which deserves to perish or to be
punished.
296:31‑15
Mortal belief is a liar from the beginning,
not deserving power. It says to mortals,
"You are wretched!" and they think they are so; and nothing can
change this state, until the belief changes.
Mortal belief says, "You are happy!" and mortals are so; and
no circumstance can alter the situation, until the belief on this subject
changes. Human belief says to mortals,
"You are sick!" and this testimony manifests itself on the body as
sickness. It is as necessary for a
health‑illusion, as for an illusion of sickness, to be instructed out of itself
into the understanding of what constitutes health; for a change in either a
health‑belief or a belief in sickness affects the physical condition.
Erroneous belief is destroyed by truth. Change the evidence, and that disappears
which before seemed real to this false belief, and the human consciousness
rises higher.
525:17
In the Gospel of John, it is declared that
all things were made through the Word of God, "and without Him [the logos, or word] was not anything made that was made." Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not
make,‑‑hence its unreality. In the
Science of Genesis we read that He saw everything which He had made, "and,
behold, it was very good." The
corporeal senses declare otherwise; and if we give the same heed to the history
of error as to the records of truth, the Scriptural record of sin and death
favors the false conclusion of the material senses. Sin, sickness, and death must be deemed as
devoid of reality as they are of good, God.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 204
Based on the Swedish of Lina
Sandell Berg
O Father, Thy kingdom is come upon earth,
Thou rulest in all Thy creation;
Thou sendest Thy witnesses, telling Thy worth,
To call and entreat every nation,
With news of Thy mighty salvation.
They lift up a light amid shadows of fear,
And Love is Thy banner above them;
No trouble shall touch them, no foes that
appear
Shall e'er from their loyalty move them;
'Tis Thou dost uphold and approve them.
They go in Thy strength, and they speak in Thy
name,
With power of Thy promise forth faring,
And during the battle the victory claim,‑‑
Their trust in Thy truth is their daring,
Salvation to all men declaring.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
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.
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