Theme: Improve
Hymn 105
Charles Wesley
Help us to help each other, Lord,
Each other's cross to bear;
Let each his friendly aid afford,
And feel his brother's care.
Help us to build each other up,
Our little stock improve;
Increase our faith, confirm our hope,
And perfect us in love.
Up unto Thee, our living Head,
Let us in all things grow;
Till Thou hast made us free indeed,
And spotless here below.
Readings from the Bible.
Psalms 84:1‑4 (to 1st .),5‑8
(to 1st .),9‑12
How amiable are thy
tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul
longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh
crieth out for the living God. Yea, the
sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may
lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:
they will be still praising thee.
Blessed is the man whose
strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make
it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth
before God. O Lord God of hosts, hear my
prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.
Behold, O God our shield, and
look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a
thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in
the tents of wickedness. For the Lord
God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will
he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Psalms 118:1‑9
O give thanks unto the Lord;
for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth
for ever. Let the house of Aaron now
say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth for
ever. I called upon the Lord in
distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what
can man do unto me? The Lord taketh my
part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that
hate me. It is better to trust in the
Lord than to put confidence in man. It
is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Psalms 119:65‑72
Thou hast dealt well with thy
servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy
commandments. Before I was afflicted I
went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me: but I
will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law. It is good for me that I have been afflicted;
that I might learn thy statutes. The law
of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
Proverbs 3:11‑26
#My son, despise not the
chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord
loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. #Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and
the man that getteth understanding. For
the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain
thereof than fine gold. She is more
precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be
compared unto her. Length of days is in
her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all
her paths are peace. She is a tree of
life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth
her. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the
earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
#My
son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So
shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and
thy foot shall not stumble. When thou
liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep
shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden
fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and
shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 8:8‑19
All the words of my mouth are
in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth,
and right to them that find knowledge.
Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice
gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired
are not to be compared to it. I wisdom
dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride,
and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am
understanding; I have strength. By me
kings reign, and princes decree justice.
By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek
me early shall find me. Riches and honour
are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine
gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
6:3‑16
Divine Love corrects and governs man. Men may pardon, but this divine Principle
alone reforms the sinner. God is not
separate from the wisdom He bestows. The
talents He gives we must improve.
Calling on Him to forgive our work badly done or left undone, implies
the vain supposition that we have nothing to do but to ask pardon, and that
afterwards we shall be free to repeat the offence. To cause suffering as the result of sin, is
the means of destroying sin. Every
supposed pleasure in sin will furnish more than its equivalent of pain, until
belief in material life and sin is destroyed.
To reach heaven, the harmony of being, we must understand the divine
Principle of being.
25:22
Though demonstrating his control over sin and
disease, the great Teacher by no means relieved others from giving the
requisite proofs of their own piety. He
worked for their guidance, that they might demonstrate this power as he did and
understand its divine Principle.
Implicit faith in the Teacher and all the emotional love we can bestow
on him, will never alone make us imitators of him. We must go and do likewise, else we are not
improving the great blessings which our Master worked and suffered to bestow
upon us. The divinity of the Christ was
made manifest in the humanity of Jesus.
90:24
The admission to one's self that man is God's
own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea. This conviction shuts the door on death, and
opens it wide towards immortality. The
understanding and recognition of Spirit must finally come, and we may as well
improve our time in solving the mysteries of being through an apprehension of
divine Principle. At present we know not
what man is, but we certainly shall know this when man reflects God.
167:11
We cannot serve two masters nor perceive
divine Science with the material senses.
Drugs and hygiene cannot successfully usurp the place and power of the
divine source of all health and perfection.
If God made man both good and evil, man must remain thus. What can improve God's work? Again, an error in the premise must appear in
the conclusion. To have one God and
avail yourself of the power of Spirit, you must love God supremely.
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.
260:19‑22
Mortals must change their ideals in order to
improve their models. A sick body is
evolved from sick thoughts. Sickness,
disease, and death proceed from fear.
296:22
The knowledge obtained from the corporeal
senses leads to sin and death. When the
evidence of Spirit and matter, Truth and error, seems to commingle, it rests
upon foundations which time is wearing away.
Mortal mind judges by the testimony of the material senses, until
Science obliterates this false testimony.
An improved belief is one step out of error, and aids in taking the next
step and in understanding the situation in Christian Science.
371:22
No impossible thing do I ask
when urging the claims of Christian Science; but because this teaching is in
advance of the age, we should not deny our need of its spiritual
unfoldment. Mankind will improve through
Science and Christianity. The necessity
for uplifting the race is father to the fact that Mind can do it; for Mind can
impart purity instead of impurity, strength instead of weakness, and health
instead of disease. Truth is an
alterative in the entire system, and can make it "every whit whole."
442:16‑32
Neither animal magnetism nor hypnotism enters
into the practice of Christian Science, in which truth cannot be reversed, but
the reverse of error is true. An
improved belief cannot retrograde. When
Christ changes a belief of sin or of sickness into a better belief, then belief
melts into spiritual understanding, and sin, disease, and death disappear. Christ, Truth, gives mortals temporary food
and clothing until the material, transformed with the ideal, disappears, and
man is clothed and fed spiritually. St.
Paul says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:"
Jesus said, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure
to give you the kingdom." This
truth is Christian Science.
Christian Scientists, be a law to yourselves
that mental malpractice cannot harm you either when asleep or when awake.
545:7‑11
The condemnation of mortals to till the
ground means this,‑‑that mortals should so improve material belief by thought
tending spiritually upward as to destroy materiality. Man, created by God, was given dominion over
the whole earth.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 322
Caroline Gilman – Adapted
Sweet hour of holy, thoughtful prayer,
Thy peace and calm may we improve,
And in God's healing service share
The
truths revealed by His dear love.
Lord, may Thy truth upon the heart
Now fall and dwell as heavenly dew,
And flowers of grace in freshness start
Where once the weeds of error grew.
May prayer now lift her sacred wings,
Contented with that aim alone
Which bears her to the King of kings,
And rests her at His sheltering throne.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation..
Hymn 376
M. Fannie Whitney
We thank Thee, heavenly Father,
For Thy correcting rod,
Which guides us in our journey
And leads us home to God.
It tells us not of anger,
The weapon mortals sway,
But Love divine, that helps us
To keep the better way.
O may we tread the pathway,
Nor ever turn aside,
Allured by ways of error,
Whose paths are broad and wide.
Toward Thee, while pressing onward,
The way will brighter grow,
For Thou throughout the journey
Thy loving care wilt show.
