Theme: Open
Hymn 201
Charles Parsons
O do not bar your mind
Against the light of good;
But open wide, let in the Word,
And Truth will be your food.
Truth will from error free
Your long enslaved mind,
And bring the light of liberty
Where it shall be enshrined.
Hid treasures it reveals
To all who know its power;
And all who will may light receive
In this most gracious hour.
Then open wide your heart
To Truth and Light and Love;
You then shall know your life is hid
With Christ in God above.
Readings from the Bible.
II Kings 6:8‑17 the
the king of Syria warred against Israel, and
took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my
camp. And the man of God sent unto the
king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the
Syrians are come down. And the king of
Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and
saved himself there, not once nor twice. Therefore the heart of the king of
Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said
unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my lord,
O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel
the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
#And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And
it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. Therefore sent he thither horses, and
chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was
risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with
horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall
we do? And he answered, Fear not: for
they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray
thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young
man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of
fire round about Elisha.
Psalms 51:15‑17
O Lord, open thou my lips;
and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest
not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of
God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise.
Psalms 119:9‑18
Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let
me not wander from thy commandments. Thy
word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy
statutes. With my lips have I declared
all the judgments of thy mouth. I have
rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have
respect unto thy ways. I will delight
myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Deal bountifully with thy
servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Psalms 146:8‑10
The Lord openeth the eyes of
the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the
righteous: The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and
widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God,
O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
Isaiah 26:2‑4
Open ye the gates, that the
righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind
is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting
strength:
Isaiah 42:5‑12
#Thus saith God the Lord, he
that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the
earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people
upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the Lord have called thee in
righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for
a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes,
to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out
of the prison house. I am the Lord: that
is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to
graven images. Behold, the former things
are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell
you of them. #Sing unto the Lord a new
song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and
all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof
lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants
of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and
declare his praise in the islands.
Isaiah 61:1‑3
The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort
all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them
beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the
planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into
the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now
herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it.
Acts 26:1 Agrippa,13‑18
Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to
speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched
forth the hand, and answered for himself:
At midday, O king, I saw in
the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round
about me and them which journeyed with me.
And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto
me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And I said, Who art thou, Lord?
And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have
appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both
of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will
appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto
whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to
light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in
me.
Revelation 3:5‑8
He that overcometh, the same
shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the
book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his
angels. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith
he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that
openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy
works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for
thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my
name.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
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.
12:27
Does Deity interpose in behalf of one
worshipper, and not help another who offers the same measure of prayer? If the sick recover because they pray or are
prayed for audibly, only petitioners (per
se or by proxy) should get well. In
divine Science, where prayers are mental, all
may avail themselves of God as "a very present help in trouble." Love
is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals. It is the open fount which cries, "Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters."
24:4
Acquaintance with the original texts, and
willingness to give up human beliefs (established by hierarchies, and
instigated sometimes by the worst passions of men), open the way for Christian
Science to be understood, and make the Bible the chart of life, where the buoys
and healing currents of Truth are pointed out.
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.
174:9
The footsteps of thought, rising above
material standpoints, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller; but
the angels of His presence‑‑the spiritual intuitions that tell us when
"the night is far spent, the day is at hand"‑‑are our guardians in
the gloom. Whoever opens the way in
Christian Science is a pilgrim and stranger, marking out the path for
generations yet unborn.
224:22‑4
A higher and more practical Christianity,
demonstrating justice and meeting the needs of mortals in sickness and in
health, stands at the door of this age, knocking for admission. Will you open or close the door upon this
angel visitant, who cometh in the quiet of meekness, as he came of old to the
patriarch at noonday?
Truth brings the elements of liberty. On its banner is the Soul‑inspired motto,
"Slavery is abolished." The
power of God brings deliverance to the captive.
No power can withstand divine Love.
What is this supposed power, which opposes itself to God? Whence cometh it? What is it that binds man with iron shackles
to sin, sickness, and death? Whatever
enslaves man is opposed to the divine government. Truth makes man free.
326:16
The purpose and motive to live aright can be
gained now. This point won, you have
started as you should. You have begun at
the numeration‑table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can
hinder your advancement. Working and
praying with true motives, your Father will open the way. "Who did hinder you, that ye should not
obey the truth?"
366:30
If we would open their prison doors for the
sick, we must first learn to bind up the broken‑hearted. If we would heal by the Spirit, we must not
hide the talent of spiritual healing under the napkin of its form, nor bury the
morale of Christian Science in the
grave‑clothes of its letter. The tender
word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears
and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories,
stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so
many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love.
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.
506:18
Spirit, God, gathers unformed thoughts into
their proper channels, and unfolds these thoughts, even as He opens the petals
of a holy purpose in order that the purpose may appear.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 269
Frederic W. Root
Our God is Love, unchanging Love,
And can we ask for more?
Our prayer for Love's increase is vain;
'Twas infinite before.
Ask not the Lord with breath of praise
For more than we accept;
The open fount is free to all,
God's promises are kept.
Our God is Mind, the perfect Mind,
Intelligence divine;
Shall mortal man ask Him to change
His infinite design?
The heart that yearns for righteousness,
With longing unalloyed,
In such desire sends up a prayer
That ne'er returneth void.
O loving Father, well we know
That words alone are vain,
That those who seek Thy will to do,
The true communion gain.
Then may our deeds our pure desire
For growth in grace express,
That we may know how Love divine
Forever waits to bless.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 391
Charles H. Barlow
Why search the future and the past?
Why do ye look with tearful eyes
And seek far off for paradise?
Before your feet Life's pearl is cast.
As deathless as His spirit free,
The Perfect lives and works today
As in the ancient prophets' lay,
Where there's an open eye to see.
Of all that was and is to come
The present holds the Mind and Cause;
For God lives in eternal laws,
And here today upholds His throne.
Then rise and greet the signs that prove
Unreal the ages' long lament;
The "one far‑off divine event"
Is now, and that event is Love.
