Service for Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014

Subject: God the Preserver of Man

 Hymn 216 
 From the German of Georg Neumark

 O he who trusts in God's protection
   And hopes in Him when fears alarm,
 Is sheltered by His lovingkindness,
   Delivered by His mighty arm;
 If ye God's law can understand,
 Ye have not builded on the sand.

 O wait on Him with veneration,
   Be silent in humility;
 He leads you after His own counsel,
   His will is done and still shall be;
 All good for you His wisdom planned;
 O trust in God and understand.

Readings from the Bible.

Luke 4:14‑21 Jesus
 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.  #And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.  And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Psalms 56:10‑13
In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word.  In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.  Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.  For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

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 381 
 William P. McKenzie

 What brightness dawned in resurrection
   And shone in Mary's wondering eyes!
 Her heart was thrilled with new affection,
   She saw her Lord in life arise.

 She knew the Christ, undimmed by dying,
   Alive forevermore to save;
 Creative Mind, all good supplying,
   Had triumphed over cross and grave.

 With hope and faith, like exiles yearning
   For homelands loved through patient years,
 The hearts of men are homeward turning
   To God Who giveth rest from fears.

 Assured and safe in Love's protection,
   Great peace have they, and unsought joy;
 They rise from sin in resurrection,
   And works of love their hands employ.

Solo: “Powerful Guardian”

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 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.

"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 32:7 (to 1st .)

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.

No comments: