Theme: Plenty
Hymn 97
Thomas Hastings – Adapted
He that goeth forth with weeping,
Bearing still the precious seed,
Never tiring, never sleeping,
Soon shall see his toil succeed;
Showers of rain will fall from heaven,
Then the cheering sun will shine;
So shall plenteous fruit be given,
Through an influence all divine.
Sow thy seed, be never weary,
Let not fear thy thoughts employ;
Though the prospect seem most dreary,
Thou shalt reap the fruits of joy:
Lo, the scene of verdure brightening,
See the rising grain appear;
Look again, the fields are whitening,
Harvest time is surely here.
Readings from the Bible.
Deuteronomy 28:1‑6 it,8‑14
it shall come to pass, if
thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe
and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy
God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these
blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the
voice of the Lord thy God. Blessed shalt
thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and
the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine,
and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed
shall be thy basket and thy store.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be
when thou goest out.
The Lord shall command the
blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand
unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee. The Lord shall establish thee an
holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the
commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that
thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in
goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the
fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give
thee. The Lord shall open unto thee his
good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to
bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and
thou shalt not borrow. And the Lord
shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and
thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the
Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And
thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to
the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Deuteronomy 30:9,10
And the Lord thy God will
make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and
in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the
Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If
thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments
and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn
unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
Psalms 86:1‑17
Bow down thine ear, O Lord,
hear me: for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that
trusteth in thee. Be merciful unto me, O
Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. Rejoice
the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to
forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend
to the voice of my supplications. In the
day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Among the gods there is none like unto thee,
O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come
and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. For thou art great, and doest wondrous
things: thou art God alone. Teach me thy
way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all
my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou
hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men
have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of
compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give
thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. Shew me a token for good; that they which
hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and
comforted me.
Psalms 103:1‑8,11‑13,20‑22
Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy
life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender
mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is
renewed like the eagle's. The Lord
executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts
unto the children of Israel. The Lord is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
For as the heaven is high
above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far
hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that
fear him.
Bless the Lord, ye his
angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the
voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord,
all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works in all places
of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.
Psalms 130:1‑7
Out of the depths have I
cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my
voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O
Lord, who shall stand? But there is
forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and
in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth
for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they
that watch for the morning. Let Israel
hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous
redemption.
Matthew 9:18‑31 behold
behold, there came a certain
ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and
lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. #And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with
an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his
garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall
be whole. But Jesus turned him about,
and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made
thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus came into the ruler's house,
and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give
place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went
in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that
land. #And when Jesus departed thence,
two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy
on us. And when he was come into the
house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I
am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According
to your faith be it unto you. And their
eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know
it. But they, when they were departed,
spread abroad his fame in all that country.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
4:3‑22
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.
10:5‑16
The world must grow to the spiritual
understanding of prayer. If good enough
to profit by Jesus' cup of earthly sorrows, God will sustain us under these
sorrows. Until we are thus divinely
qualified and are willing to drink his cup, millions of vain repetitions will
never pour into prayer the unction of Spirit in demonstration of power and
"with signs following." Christian Science reveals a necessity for
overcoming the world, the flesh, and evil, and thus destroying all error.
Seeking is not sufficient. It is striving that enables us to enter. Spiritual attainments open the door to a
higher understanding of the divine Life.
30:26
If we have triumphed sufficiently over the
errors of material sense to allow Soul to hold the control, we shall loathe sin
and rebuke it under every mask. Only in
this way can we bless our enemies, though they may not so construe our
words. We cannot choose for ourselves,
but must work out our salvation in the way Jesus taught. In meekness and might, he was found preaching
the gospel to the poor. Pride and fear
are unfit to bear the standard of Truth, and God will never place it in such
hands.
84:3
The ancient prophets gained their foresight
from a spiritual, incorporeal standpoint, not by foreshadowing evil and
mistaking fact for fiction,‑‑predicting the future from a groundwork of
corporeality and human belief. When
sufficiently advanced in Science to be in harmony with the truth of being, men
become seers and prophets involuntarily, controlled not by demons, spirits, or
demigods, but by the one Spirit. It is
the prerogative of the ever‑present, divine Mind, and of thought which is in
rapport with this Mind, to know the past, the present, and the future.
257:22
Finite mind manifests all sorts of errors,
and thus proves the material theory of mind in matter to be the antipode of
Mind. Who hath found finite life or love
sufficient to meet the demands of human want and woe,‑‑to still the desires, to
satisfy the aspirations? Infinite Mind
cannot be limited to a finite form, or Mind would lose its infinite character
as inexhaustible Love, eternal Life, omnipotent Truth.
266:6‑15
Would existence without personal friends be
to you a blank? Then the time will come
when you will be solitary, left without sympathy; but this seeming vacuum is
already filled with divine Love. When
this hour of development comes, even if you cling to a sense of personal joys,
spiritual Love will force you to accept what best promotes your growth. Friends will betray and enemies will slander,
until the lesson is sufficient to exalt you; for "man's extremity is God's
opportunity."
351:27
The Israelites centred their thoughts on the
material in their attempted worship of the spiritual. To them matter was substance, and Spirit was
shadow. They thought to worship Spirit
from a material standpoint, but this was impossible. They might appeal to Jehovah, but their
prayer brought down no proof that it was heard, because they did not
sufficiently understand God to be able to demonstrate His power to heal,‑‑to
make harmony the reality and discord the unreality.
454:14
He, who understands in a sufficient degree
the Principle of Mind‑healing, points out to his student error as well as
truth, the wrong as well as the right practice.
Love for God and man is the true incentive in both healing and
teaching. Love inspires, illumines,
designates, and leads the way. Right
motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and
action. Love is priestess at the altar
of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love
to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept. Patience must "have her perfect
work."
487:25‑6
The Apostle James said, "Show me thy
faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works." The
understanding that Life is God, Spirit, lengthens our days by strengthening our
trust in the deathless reality of Life, its almightiness and immortality.
This faith relies upon an understood
Principle. This Principle makes whole
the diseased, and brings out the enduring and harmonious phases of things. The result of our teachings is their sufficient
confirmation. When, on the strength of
these instructions, you are able to banish a severe malady, the cure shows that
you understand this teaching, and therefore you receive the blessing of Truth.
496:31‑27
The following is a brief
exposition of the important points, or religious tenets, of Christian Science:‑‑
1. As adherents of Truth, we take the
inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.
2. We acknowledge and adore one supreme and
infinite God. We acknowledge His Son,
one Christ; the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter; and man in God's image and
likeness.
3. We acknowledge God's forgiveness of sin in
the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as
unreal. But the belief in sin is
punished so long as the belief lasts.
4. We acknowledge Jesus' atonement as the
evidence of divine, efficacious Love, unfolding man's unity with God through
Christ Jesus the Way‑shower; and we acknowledge that man is saved through
Christ, through Truth, Life, and Love as demonstrated by the Galilean Prophet
in healing the sick and overcoming sin and death. 5. We acknowledge that the crucifixion of
Jesus and his resurrection served to uplift faith to understand eternal Life,
even the allness of Soul, Spirit, and the nothingness of matter.
6. And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray
for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as
we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.
520:3
Unfathomable Mind is expressed. The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty,
and glory of infinite Love fill all space.
That is enough! Human language
can repeat only an infinitesimal part of what exists. The absolute ideal, man, is no more seen nor
comprehended by mortals, than is his infinite Principle, Love. Principle and its idea, man, are coexistent
and eternal. The numerals of infinity,
called ^seven days^, can never be reckoned according to the calendar of time. These days will appear as mortality
disappears, and they will reveal eternity, newness of Life, in which all sense
of error forever disappears and thought accepts the divine infinite
calculus.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 169
John Henry Newman
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead Thou
me on;
The night is
dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou
me on.
Keep Thou my
feet; I do not ask to see
The distant
scene; one step enough for me.
I was not ever
thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst
lead me on;
I loved to
choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou
me on.
I loved the
garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my
will: remember not past years.
So long Thy
power hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead
me on
O'er moor and
fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night
is gone,
And with the
morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have
loved long since, and lost awhile.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 291
John Newton*
Quiet, Lord, my
froward heart,
Make me
gentle, pure, and mild,
Upright,
simple, free from art;
Make me as a
little child,
From distrust
and envy free,
Pleased with
all that pleaseth Thee.
What Thou shalt
today provide
Let me as a
child receive,
What tomorrow
may betide
Calmly to Thy
wisdom leave;
'Tis enough
that Thou wilt care,
Why should I
the burden bear?
As a little
child relies
On a care
beyond its own,
Being neither
strong nor wise,
Will not take
a step alone,
Let me thus
with Thee abide,
As my Father,
Friend, and Guide.
