Service for Sunday, April 17, 2011

Subject: Doctrine of Atonement

 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.

The scriptural selection is from Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:1‑6,11‑15,20‑24

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 

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 196 

 Jane Borthwick

 Now is the time approaching,

   By prophets long foretold,

 When all shall dwell together,

   One Shepherd and one fold.

 Now Jew and Gentile, meeting

   From many a distant shore,

 Around one altar kneeling,

   One common Lord adore.

 Let all that now divides us

   Remove and pass away,

 Like shadows of the morning

   Before the blaze of day.

 Let all that now unites us

   More sweet and lasting prove,

 A closer bond of union,

   In a blest land of love.

Solo: “God and Man”

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 157 

 Violet Hay

 Jesus' prayer for all his brethren:

   Father, that they may be one,

 Echoes down through all the ages,

   Nor prayed he for these alone

   But for all, that through all time

         God's will be done.

 One the Mind and Life of all things,

   For we live in God alone;

 One the Love whose ever‑presence

   Blesses all and injures none.

   Safe within this Love we find all

         being one.

 Day by day the understanding

   Of our oneness shall increase,

 Till among all men and nations

   Warfare shall forever cease,

   So God's children all shall dwell

         in joy and peace.

"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 133:1

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!