Theme: Willing
Hymn 58
Elizabeth C. Adams
Father, we Thy loving children
Lift our hearts in joy today,
Knowing well that Thou wilt keep us
Ever in Thy blessed way.
Thou art Love and Thou art wisdom,
Thou art Life and Thou art All;
In Thy Spirit living, moving,
We shall neither faint nor fall.
Come we daily then, dear Father,
Open hearts and willing hands,
Eager ears, expectant, joyful,
Ready for Thy right commands.
We would hear no other voices,
We would heed no other call;
Thou alone art good and gracious,
Thou our Mind and Thou our All.
In Thy house securely dwelling,
Where Thy children live to bless,
Seeing only Thy creation,
We can share Thy happiness,
Share Thy joy and spend it freely.
Loyal hearts can feel no fear;
We Thy children know Thee, Father,
Love and Life forever near.
Readings from the Bible.
Exodus 35:1 Moses,4‑19,21
Moses gathered all the congregation of the
children of Israel together, and said unto them, These are the words which the
Lord hath commanded, that ye should do them.
#And Moses spake unto all the
congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the
Lord commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord:
whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the Lord;
gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen,
and goats' hair, And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim
wood, And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and for the sweet incense,
And onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod, and for the
breastplate. And every wise hearted
among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded; The
tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars,
his pillars, and his sockets, The ark, and the staves thereof, with the mercy
seat, and the vail of the covering, The table, and his staves, and all his
vessels, and the shewbread, The candlestick also for the light, and his
furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, And the incense altar,
and his staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging
for the door at the entering in of the tabernacle, The altar of burnt offering,
with his brasen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his foot,
The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, and the hanging for
the door of the court, The pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court,
and their cords, The cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, the
holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister
in the priest's office.
And they came, every one
whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and
they brought the Lord's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the
congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
I Chronicles 28:1‑10
David,20,21 (to 2nd :)
David assembled all the princes of Israel, the
princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies that ministered to the
king by course, and the captains over the thousands, and captains over the
hundreds, and the stewards over all the substance and possession of the king,
and of his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the
valiant men, unto Jerusalem. Then David
the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people:
As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the
covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for
the building: But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name,
because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood. Howbeit the Lord God of Israel chose me
before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath
chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my
father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all
Israel: And of all my sons, (for the Lord hath given me many sons,) he hath
chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over
Israel. And he said unto me, Solomon thy
son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son,
and I will be his father. Moreover I
will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my commandments
and my judgments, as at this day. Now
therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord, and in the
audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your
God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for
your children after you for ever. #And
thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a
perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and
understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will
be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee
to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.
And David said to Solomon his
son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for
the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor
forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house
of the Lord. And, behold, the courses of
the priests and the Levites, even they shall be with thee for all the service
of the house of God: and there shall be with thee for all manner of workmanship
every willing skilful man, for any manner of service:
Isaiah 1:16‑19
#Wash you, make you clean;
put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn
to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead
for the widow. Come now, and let us
reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat
the good of the land:
Matthew 26:36‑41
#Then cometh Jesus with them unto
a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I
go and pray yonder. And he took with him
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his
face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth
them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one
hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not
into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
II Corinthians 5:1‑8 we
we know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens. For in
this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is
from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan,
being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that
mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath
given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home
in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to
be present with the Lord.
II Corinthians 8:7‑14 as
as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and
utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see
that ye abound in this grace also. I
speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to
prove the sincerity of your love. For ye
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. And herein I give my advice: for this is
expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be
forward a year ago. Now therefore
perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be
a performance also out of that which ye have.
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a
man hath, and not according to that he hath not. For I mean not that other men be eased, and
ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a
supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want:
that there may be equality:
I Timothy 6:17‑19
Charge them that are rich in
this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in
the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good,
that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come,
that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Hebrews 13:15‑18 let
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not:
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they
watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with
joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. Pray for us: for we trust we have a good
conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
9:25‑13
Are you willing to leave all for Christ, for
Truth, and so be counted among sinners?
No! Do you really desire to
attain this point? No! Then why make long prayers about it and ask
to be Christians, since you do not care to tread in the footsteps of our dear
Master? If unwilling to follow his
example, why pray with the lips that you may be partakers of his nature? Consistent prayer is the desire to do
right. Prayer means that we desire to
walk and will walk in the light so far as we receive it, even though with
bleeding footsteps, and that waiting patiently on the Lord, we will leave our
real desires to be rewarded by Him.
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.
11:21‑15
Petitions bring to mortals only the results
of mortals' own faith. We know that a
desire for holiness is requisite in order to gain holiness; but if we desire
holiness above all else, we shall sacrifice everything for it. We must be willing to do this, that we may walk
securely in the only practical road to holiness. Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth,
nor can prayer alone give us an understanding of Truth; but prayer, coupled
with a fervent habitual desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us
into all Truth. Such a desire has little
need of audible expression. It is best
expressed in thought and in life.
"The prayer of faith shall save the
sick," says the Scripture. What is
this healing prayer? A mere request that
God will heal the sick has no power to gain more of the divine presence than is
always at hand. The beneficial effect of
such prayer for the sick is on the human mind, making it act more powerfully on
the body through a blind faith in God.
This, however, is one belief casting out another,‑‑a belief in the
unknown casting out a belief in sickness.
It is neither Science nor Truth which acts through blind belief, nor is
it the human understanding of the divine healing Principle as manifested in
Jesus, whose humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth,‑‑of
man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth and Love.
33:27
Christians, are you drinking his cup? Have you shared the blood of the New
Covenant, the persecutions which attend a new and higher understanding of God? If not, can you then say that you have
commemorated Jesus in his cup? Are all
who eat bread and drink wine in memory of Jesus willing truly to drink his cup,
take his cross, and leave all for the Christ‑principle? Then why ascribe this inspiration to a dead
rite, instead of showing, by casting out error and making the body "holy,
acceptable unto God," that Truth has come to the understanding? If Christ, Truth, has come to us in
demonstration, no other commemoration is requisite, for demonstration is
Immanuel, or God with us; and if a
friend be with us, why need we memorials of that friend?
216:28
When you say, "Man's body is
material," I say with Paul: Be
"willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the
Lord." Give up your material belief
of mind in matter, and have but one Mind, even God; for this Mind forms its own
likeness. The loss of man's identity
through the understanding which Science confers is impossible; and the notion
of such a possibility is more absurd than to conclude that individual musical
tones are lost in the origin of harmony.
271:26‑9
Those, who are willing to leave their nets or
to cast them on the right side for Truth, have the opportunity now, as
aforetime, to learn and to practise Christian healing. The Scriptures contain it. The spiritual import of the Word imparts this
power. But, as Paul says, "How shall
they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be
sent?" If sent, how shall they
preach, convert, and heal multitudes, except the people hear?
The spiritual sense of truth must be gained
before Truth can be understood. This
sense is assimilated only as we are honest, unselfish, loving, and meek. In the soil of an "honest and good
heart" the seed must be sown; else it beareth not much fruit, for the
swinish element in human nature uproots it.
Jesus said: "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures."
383:3
We need a clean body and a clean mind,‑‑a
body rendered pure by Mind as well as washed by water. One says: "I take good care of my
body." To do this, the pure and exalting influence of the divine Mind on
the body is requisite, and the Christian Scientist takes the best care of his
body when he leaves it most out of his thought, and, like the Apostle Paul, is
"willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the
Lord."
570:14‑21 np
Millions of unprejudiced minds‑‑simple
seekers for Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert‑‑are waiting and
watching for rest and drink. Give them a
cup of cold water in Christ's name, and never fear the consequences. What if the old dragon should send forth a
new flood to drown the Christ‑idea? He
can neither drown your voice with its roar, nor again sink the world into the
deep waters of chaos and old night. In
this age the earth will help the woman; the spiritual idea will be
understood. Those ready for the blessing
you impart will give thanks. The waters
will be pacified, and Christ will command the wave.
When God heals the sick or the sinning, they
should know the great benefit which Mind has wrought. They should also know the great delusion of
mortal mind, when it makes them sick or sinful.
Many are willing to open the eyes of the people to the power of good
resident in divine Mind, but they are not so willing to point out the evil in
human thought, and expose evil's hidden mental ways of accomplishing
iniquity.
Why this backwardness, since exposure is
necessary to ensure the avoidance of the evil?
Because people like you better when you tell them their virtues than
when you tell them their vices. It
requires the spirit of our blessed Master to tell a man his faults, and so risk
human displeasure for the sake of doing right and benefiting our race. Who is telling mankind of the foe in
ambush? Is the informer one who sees the
foe? If so, listen and be wise. Escape from evil, and designate those as unfaithful
stewards who have seen the danger and yet have given no warning.
At all times and under all circumstances,
overcome evil with good. Know thyself,
and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil. Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred
cannot reach you. The cement of a higher
humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 311
Robert Ellis Key
So brightly burns Love's holy glow,
So constant shines its light,
That none can claim he doth not know
The pathway through the night,
For see, 'tis lit by Love divine
To trace for us His wise design.
The lambs who wander by the way,
He taketh in His arm;
For in the darkness they did stray
Unconscious of their harm:
So cometh He to all who roam,
To lead them safely, surely home.
To God then praises let us sing
With glad and willing mind
For all the gifts His hand doth bring
To us and all mankind:
Forever doth His gift of love
Pour warmth and radiance from above.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 388
James Montgomery – Adapted
When like a stranger on our sphere
The lowly Jesus sojourned here,
Where'er he went affliction fled,
The sick were healed, the hungry fed.
With bounding steps the halt and lame
To hail their great deliverer came;
For him the grave could hold no dread,
He spoke the word and raised the dead.
Through paths of loving‑kindness led,
Where Jesus triumphed we would tread;
To all with willing hands dispense
The gifts of our benevolence.
