Theme: Hungry
Hymn 42
Jonathan Evans*
Come, Thou all‑transforming Spirit,
Bless the sower and the seed;
Let each heart Thy grace inherit;
Raise the weak, the hungry feed;
From the Gospel, from the Gospel
Now supply Thy people's need.
O, may all enjoy the blessing
Which Thy holy word doth give;
Let us all, Thy love possessing,
Joyfully Thy truth receive;
And forever, and forever
To Thy praise and glory live.
Readings from the Bible.
Psalms 37:3‑7 (to :)
Trust in the Lord, and do
good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he
shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to
pass. And he shall bring forth thy
righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:
Psalms 107:1‑9,20,21,35‑38,43
O give thanks unto the Lord,
for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he
hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And gathered them out of the lands,
from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary
way; they found no city to dwell in.
Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their
trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that
they might go to a city of habitation.
Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children of men!
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with
goodness.
He sent his word, and healed
them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his
goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
He turneth the wilderness
into a standing water, and dry ground into watersprings. And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that
they may prepare a city for habitation; And sow the fields, and plant
vineyards, which may yield fruits of increase.
He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; and
suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
Whoso is wise, and will
observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the
Lord.
Psalms 146:5‑10
Happy is he that hath the God
of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: Which made heaven,
and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth for ever:
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry.
The Lord looseth the prisoners: 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 49:8‑10
Thus saith the Lord, In an
acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped
thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to
establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; That thou
mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew
yourselves. They shall feed in the ways,
and their pastures shall be in all high places.
They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite
them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of
water shall he guide them.
Isaiah 58:6‑11
Is not this the fast that I
have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and
to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry,
and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest
the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own
flesh? #Then shall thy light break forth
as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy
righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy
rereward. Then shalt thou call, and the
Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take
away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and
speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the
afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as
the noonday: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in
drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and
like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Matthew 5:1‑18 seeing
seeing the multitudes, he
went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And
he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit
the earth. Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall
obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God. Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which
were before you. #Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it
is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men. Ye are the light of the
world. A city that is set on an hill
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a
candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. #Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfil. For verily I say unto
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled.
John 6:26‑35 Verily
Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the
loaves, and were filled. Labour not for
the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting
life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father
sealed. Then said they unto him, What
shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What sign
shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as
it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth
you the true bread from heaven. For the
bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the
world. Then said they unto him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread. And Jesus
said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never
hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
II Corinthians 9:9,10
(As it is written, He hath
dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for
ever. Now he that ministereth seed to
the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and
increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
Revelation 7:9‑17 I beheld
I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no
man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders
and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped
God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and
honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto
me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And
he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have
washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them. They shall
hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them,
nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in
the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
2:1
What are the motives for prayer? Do we pray to make ourselves better or to
benefit those who hear us, to enlighten the infinite or to be heard of men? Are we benefited by praying? Yes, the desire which goes forth hungering
after righteousness is blessed of our Father, and it does not return unto us
void.
16:24‑15
Here let me give what I understand to be the
spiritual sense of the Lord's Prayer:
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 to‑day; 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.
32:28‑12
The Passover, which Jesus ate with his
disciples in the month Nisan on the night before his crucifixion, was a
mournful occasion, a sad supper taken at the close of day, in the twilight of a
glorious career with shadows fast falling around; and this supper closed
forever Jesus' ritualism or concessions to matter.
His followers, sorrowful and silent,
anticipating the hour of their Master's betrayal, partook of the heavenly
manna, which of old had fed in the wilderness the persecuted followers of
Truth. Their bread indeed came down from
heaven. It was the great truth of
spiritual being, healing the sick and casting out error. Their Master had explained it all before, and
now this bread was feeding and sustaining them.
They had borne this bread from house to house, breaking (explaining) it to others, and now it comforted
themselves.
220:26‑28 np
The belief that either fasting or feasting
makes men better morally or physically is one of the fruits of "the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil," concerning which God said, "Thou
shalt not eat of it." Mortal mind
forms all conditions of the mortal body, and controls the stomach, bones,
lungs, heart, blood, etc., as directly as the volition or will moves the
hand.
I knew a person who when quite a child
adopted the Graham system to cure dyspepsia.
For many years, he ate only bread and vegetables, and drank nothing but
water. His dyspepsia increasing, he
decided that his diet should be more rigid, and thereafter he partook of but
one meal in twenty‑four hours, this meal consisting of only a thin slice of
bread without water. His physician also
recommended that he should not wet his parched throat until three hours after
eating. He passed many weary years in
hunger and weakness, almost in starvation, and finally made up his mind to die,
having exhausted the skill of the doctors, who kindly informed him that death
was indeed his only alternative. At this
point Christian Science saved him, and he is now in perfect health without a
vestige of the old complaint.
He learned that suffering and disease were
the self‑imposed beliefs of mortals, and not the facts of being; that God never
decreed disease,‑‑never ordained a law that fasting should be a means of
health. Hence semi‑starvation is not
acceptable to wisdom, and it is equally far from Science, in which being is
sustained by God, Mind. These truths,
opening his eyes, relieved his stomach, and he ate without suffering,
"giving God thanks;" but he never enjoyed his food as he had imagined
he would when, still the slave of matter, he thought of the flesh‑pots of
Egypt, feeling childhood's hunger and undisciplined by self‑denial and divine
Science.
232:16
In our age Christianity is again
demonstrating the power of divine Principle, as it did over nineteen hundred
years ago, by healing the sick and triumphing over death. Jesus never taught that drugs, food, air, and
exercise could make a man healthy, or that they could destroy human life; nor
did he illustrate these errors by his practice.
He referred man's harmony to Mind, not to matter, and never tried to
make of none effect the sentence of God, which sealed God's condemnation of
sin, sickness, and death.
234:1‑3 np
Spiritual draughts heal, while material
lotions interfere with truth, even as ritualism and creed hamper
spirituality. If we trust matter, we
distrust Spirit.
Whatever inspires with wisdom, Truth, or Love‑‑be
it song, sermon, or Science‑‑blesses the human family with crumbs of comfort
from Christ's table, feeding the hungry and giving living waters to the
thirsty.
We should become more familiar with good than
with evil, and guard against false beliefs as watchfully as we bar our doors
against the approach of thieves and murderers.
We should love our enemies and help them on the basis of the Golden Rule;
but avoid casting pearls before those who trample them under foot, thereby
robbing both themselves and others.
If mortals would keep proper ward over mortal
mind, the brood of evils which infest it would be cleared out. We must begin with this so‑called mind and
empty it of sin and sickness, or sin and sickness will never cease. The present codes of human systems disappoint
the weary searcher after a divine theology, adequate to the right education of
human thought.
Sin and disease must be thought before they
can be manifested. You must control evil
thoughts in the first instance, or they will control you in the second. Jesus declared that to look with desire on
forbidden objects was to break a moral precept.
He laid great stress on the action of the human mind, unseen to the senses.
Evil thoughts and aims reach no farther and
do no more harm than one's belief permits.
Evil thoughts, lusts, and malicious purposes cannot go forth, like
wandering pollen, from one human mind to another, finding unsuspected lodgment,
if virtue and truth build a strong defence.
388:12‑30
Admit the common hypothesis that food is the
nutriment of life, and there follows the necessity for another admission in the
opposite direction,‑‑that food has power to destroy Life, God, through a deficiency
or an excess, a quality or a quantity.
This is a specimen of the ambiguous nature of all material health‑theories. They are self‑contradictory and self‑destructive,
constituting a "kingdom divided against itself," which is
"brought to desolation." If
food was prepared by Jesus for his disciples, it cannot destroy life.
The fact is, food does not affect the
absolute Life of man, and this becomes self‑evident, when we learn that God is
our Life. Because sin and sickness are
not qualities of Soul, or Life, we have hope in immortality; but it would be
foolish to venture beyond our present understanding, foolish to stop eating
until we gain perfection and a clear comprehension of the living Spirit. In that perfect day of understanding, we
shall neither eat to live nor live to eat.
442:16
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.
530:5
In divine Science, man is sustained by God,
the divine Principle of being. The
earth, at God's command, brings forth food for man's use. Knowing this, Jesus once said, "Take no
thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink,"‑‑presuming
not on the prerogative of his creator, but recognizing God, the Father and
Mother of all, as able to feed and clothe man as He doth the lilies.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 304
"Feed My Sheep" – Mary Baker Eddy
Shepherd, show me how to go
O'er the hillside steep,
How to gather, how to sow,‑‑
How to feed Thy sheep;
I will listen for Thy voice,
Lest my footsteps stray;
I will follow and rejoice
All the rugged way.
Thou wilt bind the stubborn will,
Wound the callous breast,
Make self‑righteousness be still,
Break earth's stupid rest.
Strangers on a barren shore,
Lab'ring long and lone,
We would enter by the door,
And Thou know'st Thine own;
So, when day grows dark and cold,
Tear or triumph harms,
Lead Thy lambkins to the fold,
Take them in Thine arms;
Feed the hungry, heal the heart,
Till the morning's beam;
White as wool, ere they depart,
Shepherd, wash them clean.
Sharing of experiences,
testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.r
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.
