Theme: Perfect
Hymn 3
Ethel Wasgatt Dennis
A grateful heart a garden is,
Where there is always room
For every lovely, Godlike grace
To come to perfect bloom.
A grateful heart a fortress is,
A staunch and rugged tower,
Where God's omnipotence, revealed,
Girds man with mighty power.
A grateful heart a temple is,
A shrine so pure and white,
Where angels of His presence keep
Calm watch by day or night.
Grant then, dear Father‑Mother, God,
Whatever else befall,
This largess of a grateful heart
That loves and blesses all.
Readings from the Bible.
II Samuel 22:17‑27 (to ;),29‑33
He sent from above, he took
me; he drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and
from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity:
but the Lord was my stay. He brought me
forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in
me. The Lord rewarded me according to my
righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed
me. For I have kept the ways of the
Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me: and as
for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine
iniquity. Therefore the Lord hath
recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his
eye sight. With the merciful thou wilt
shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself
upright. With the pure thou wilt shew
thyself pure;
For thou art my lamp, O Lord;
and the Lord will lighten my darkness.
For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a
wall. As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in
him. For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: and he maketh
my way perfect.
Psalms 18:30‑33,35,36
As for God, his way is
perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust
in him. For who is God save the
Lord? or who is a rock save our
God? It is God that girdeth me with
strength, and maketh my way perfect. He
maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
Thou hast also given me the
shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy
gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast
enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Psalms 19:7‑11
The law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise
the simple. The statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening
the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous
altogether. More to be desired are they
than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and
in keeping of them there is great reward.
Psalms 37:37
Mark the perfect man, and
behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Psalms 138:1‑5,8
I will praise thee with my
whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and
praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast
magnified thy word above all thy name.
In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with
strength in my soul. All the kings of
the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy
mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways
of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
The Lord will perfect that
which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: forsake not the
works of thine own hands.
Isaiah 26:1‑4
In that day shall this song
be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint
for walls and bulwarks. 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:
Matthew 5:43‑48
#Ye have heard that it hath
been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is
in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the
publicans the same? And if ye salute
your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect.
Romans 12:1‑16 (to 1st .)
I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think
soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and
all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in
Christ, and every one members one of another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us,
whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or
ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or
he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with
simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with
cheerfulness. Let love be without
dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with
brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business;
fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation;
continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to
hospitality. Bless them which persecute
you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with
them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another.
II Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brethren, farewell.
Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of
love and peace shall be with you.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
37:16
When will Jesus' professed followers learn to
emulate him in all his ways and to
imitate his mighty works? Those who
procured the martyrdom of that righteous man would gladly have turned his
sacred career into a mutilated doctrinal platform. May the Christians of to‑day take up the more
practical import of that career! It is
possible,‑‑yea, it is the duty and privilege of every child, man, and woman,‑‑to
follow in some degree the example of the Master by the demonstration of Truth
and Life, of health and holiness.
Christians claim to be his followers, but do they follow him in the way
that he commanded? Hear these imperative
commands: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect!" "Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature!" "Heal
the sick!"
69:13
Spiritually to understand
that there is but one creator, God, unfolds all creation, confirms the
Scriptures, brings the sweet assurance of no parting, no pain, and of man
deathless and perfect and eternal.
76:22
The sinless joy,‑‑the perfect harmony and
immortality of Life, possessing unlimited divine beauty and goodness without a
single bodily pleasure or pain,‑‑constitutes the only veritable, indestructible
man, whose being is spiritual. This
state of existence is scientific and intact,‑‑a perfection discernible only by
those who have the final understanding of Christ in divine Science. Death can never hasten this state of
existence, for death must be overcome, not submitted to, before immortality
appears.
99:23
The calm, strong currents of true
spirituality, the manifestations of which are health, purity, and self‑immolation,
must deepen human experience, until the beliefs of material existence are seen
to be a bald imposition, and sin, disease, and death give everlasting place to
the scientific demonstration of divine Spirit and to God's spiritual, perfect
man.
115:15
MAN: God's spiritual idea, individual,
perfect, eternal.
200:16
The great truth in the Science of being, that
the real man was, is, and ever shall be perfect, is incontrovertible; for if
man is the image, reflection, of God, he is neither inverted nor subverted, but
upright and Godlike.
205:7‑13
When will the error of believing that there
is life in matter, and that sin, sickness, and death are creations of God, be
unmasked? When will it be understood
that matter has neither intelligence, life, nor sensation, and that the
opposite belief is the prolific source of all suffering? God created all through Mind, and made all
perfect and eternal.
246:1
Man is not a pendulum,
swinging between evil and good, joy and sorrow, sickness and health, life and
death. Life and its faculties are not
measured by calendars. The perfect and
immortal are the eternal likeness of their Maker. Man is by no means a material germ rising
from the imperfect and endeavoring to reach Spirit above his origin. The stream rises no higher than its
source.
248:12‑32
The sculptor turns from the marble to his
model in order to perfect his conception.
We are all sculptors, working at various forms, moulding and chiseling
thought. What is the model before mortal
mind? Is it imperfection, joy, sorrow,
sin, suffering? Have you accepted the
mortal model? Are you reproducing
it? Then you are haunted in your work by
vicious sculptors and hideous forms. Do
you not hear from all mankind of the imperfect model? The world is holding it before your gaze
continually. The result is that you are
liable to follow those lower patterns, limit your life‑work, and adopt into
your experience the angular outline and deformity of matter models.
To remedy this, we must first turn our gaze
in the right direction, and then walk that way.
We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or
we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives. Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice,
health, holiness, love‑‑the kingdom of heaven‑‑reign within us, and sin,
disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear.
253:32
The divine demand, "Be ye therefore
perfect," is scientific, and the human footsteps leading to perfection are
indispensable. Individuals are
consistent who, watching and praying, can "run, and not be weary; . .
. walk, and not faint," who gain
good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to
discouragement. God requires perfection,
but not until the battle between Spirit and flesh is fought and the victory
won. To stop eating, drinking, or being
clothed materially before the spiritual facts of existence are gained step by
step, is not legitimate. When we wait
patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path. Imperfect mortals grasp the ultimate of
spiritual perfection slowly; but to begin
aright and to continue the strife of demonstrating the great problem of being,
is doing much.
259:6
In divine Science, man is the true image of
God. The divine nature was best
expressed in Christ Jesus, who threw upon mortals the truer reflection of God
and lifted their lives higher than their poor thought‑models would allow,‑‑thoughts
which presented man as fallen, sick, sinning, and dying. The Christlike understanding of scientific
being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,‑‑perfect God
and perfect man,‑‑as the basis of thought and demonstration.
276:17
If God is admitted to be the only Mind and
Life, there ceases to be any opportunity for sin and death. When we learn in Science how to be perfect
even as our Father in heaven is perfect, thought is turned into new and healthy
channels,‑‑towards the contemplation of things immortal and away from
materiality to the Principle of the universe, including harmonious man.
302:14 let
let us remember that
harmonious and immortal man has existed forever, and is always beyond and above
the mortal illusion of any life, substance, and intelligence as existent in
matter. This statement is based on fact,
not fable. The Science of being reveals
man as perfect, even as the Father is perfect, because the Soul, or Mind, of
the spiritual man is God, the divine Principle of all being, and because this
real man is governed by Soul instead of sense, by the law of Spirit, not by the
so‑called laws of matter.
428:22
The great spiritual fact must be brought out
that man is, not shall be, perfect and immortal.
We must hold forever the consciousness of existence, and sooner or
later, through Christ and Christian Science, we must master sin and death. The evidence of man's immortality will become
more apparent, as material beliefs are given up and the immortal facts of being
are admitted.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition the Lord’s prayer.
Hymn 421
Violet Hay
From these Thy children gathered in Thy name,
From hearts made whole, from lips redeemed
from woe,
Thy praise, O Father, shall forever flow.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
O perfect Life, in Thy completeness held,
None can beyond Thy omnipresence stray;
Safe in Thy Love, we live and sing alway
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
O perfect Mind, reveal Thy likeness true,
That higher selfhood which we all must prove,
Joy and dominion, love reflecting Love.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Thou, Soul, inspiring‑‑give us vision clear,
Break earth‑bound fetters, sweep away the
veil,
Show the new heaven and earth that shall
prevail.
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 297
Roberta B. Lynch
Science, the angel with the flaming sword,
God's gift, the glory of the risen Lord;
Light of the world, in whose light we shall
see
Father and perfect Son, blest unity;
Calm of Shekinah where hope anchors fast,
Harbor of refuge till the storm be past;
Sweet, secret place where God and men do meet,
Horeb whereon we walk with unshod feet;
Place of communion with the Lamb of God,
Fold where the sheep must pass beneath His
rod;
Ark where the dove may close her faltering
wings,
Love's law divine that makes us priests and
kings;
Loosener of prison bands at midnight hour,
Of self‑forged chains that fall through Love's
all‑power;
Christ's morning meal by joyous Galilee:
Science, thou dost fulfill all prophecy.
