Service for Sunday, March 27, 2011

Subject: Reality

 Hymn 236 

 Irving C. Tomlinson

 O peace of the world, O hope in each breast,

 O Bethlehem star that ages have blest,

 A day of fresh promise breaks over the land,

 Gaunt warfare is doomed, and God's kingdom at hand!

 From cannon and sword shape tillers of soil,

 No more let dire hate man's spirit despoil,

 Let Truth be proclaimed, let God's love be retold,

 That men of good will may their brethren uphold.

 As stars in their courses never contend,

 As blossoms their hues in harmony blend,

 As bird voices mingle in joyful refrain,

 So God's loving children in concord remain.

 Our God is one Mind, the Mind we adore;

 Ineffable joy His love doth outpour;

 Let nations be one in a union of love,

 God's bountiful peace, all earth's treasures above.

The scriptural selection is from Psalms.

Psalms 31:1‑3,7,14 I trusted,15 (to :),16,19,21,23,24

In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.  Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.  For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;

I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.  My times are in thy hand:

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. 

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 

Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. 

O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.  Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. 

 Silent prayer, followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s prayer, with its spiritual interpretation as given in the Christian Science textbook.

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 today; 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.

 Hymn 371 

 Margaret Morrison

 We lift our hearts in praise,

   O God of Life, to Thee,

 And would reflect in all our ways

   Thy purity.

 Thy thoughts our lives enfold,

   And free us from all fear;

 All strife is stilled, all grief consoled,

   For Thou art here.

 We lift our hearts in praise,

   O God of Truth, to Thee,

 And find within Thy perfect law

   Our liberty.

 We bless Thy mighty name

   In this exalted hour,

 And to the world in faith proclaim

   Thy healing power.

 We lift our hearts in praise,

   O God of Love, to Thee,

 With joy to find through darkened days

   Thy harmony.

 O Father‑Mother Love,

   We triumph 'neath Thy rod,

 We glory in Thy light, and prove

   That Thou art God.

Solo: “Bless the Lord. O My Soul”

 The lesson-sermon from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, read by the First and Second Readers.

The content of the Lesson Sermon may be found in the Christian Science Quarterly. You may also read the Lesson-Sermon for this week online by clicking here.

 Hymn 115

 John M. Neale – Adapted

 Holy Father, Thou hast taught us

   We should live to Thee alone;

 Year by year, Thy hand hath brought us

   On through dangers oft unknown.

 When we wandered, Thou hast found us;

   When we doubted, sent us light;

 Still Thine arm has been around us,

   All our paths were in Thy sight.

 We would trust in Thy protecting,

   Wholly rest upon Thine arm,

 Follow wholly Thy directing,

   Thou our only guard from harm.

 Keep us from our own undoing,

   Help us turn to Thee when tried,

 Still our strength in Thee renewing,

   Keep us ever at Thy side.

"The Scientific Statement of Being" (S&H p. 468} and the correlative scripture according to I John 3:1-3.

There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p.468

1John.3

[1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

[3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Benediction

Psalms 16:1

Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.