Service for Wednesday, June 13, 2012


Theme: Arise

 Hymn 12
 Violet Hay 

 Arise ye people, take your stand,
 Cast out your idols from the land,
 Above all doctrine, form or creed
 Is found the Truth that meets your need.
 Christ's promise stands: they that believe
 His works shall do, his power receive.

 Go forward then, and as ye preach
 So let your works confirm your speech,
 And prove to all with following sign
 The Word of God is power divine.
 In love and healing ministry
 Show forth the Truth that makes men free.

 O Father‑Mother God, whose plan
 Hath given dominion unto man,
 In Thine own image we may see
 Man pure and upright, whole and free.
 And ever through our work shall shine
 That light whose glory, Lord, is Thine.

Readings from the Bible.

Isaiah 60:1‑5,18‑20
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 

Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.  The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.  Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Matthew 9:2‑8 behold
 behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.  And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.  And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?  For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.  And he arose, and departed to his house.  But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. 

Matthew 17:1‑8
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.  And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.  Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.  And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.  And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

Mark 5:35‑42
While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.  And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.  And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly.  And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.  And they laughed him to scorn.  But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.  And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.  And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

Luke 17:11‑19
#And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Acts 9:1‑18 Saul
Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  And he said, Who art thou, Lord?  And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.  And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.  And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.  And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.  #And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.  Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.  And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Ephesians 5:6‑14
Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.  For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

II Peter 1:19
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

vii:1
  To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to‑day is big with blessings.  The wakeful shepherd beholds the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance of a risen day.  So shone the pale star to the prophet‑shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where, in cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human herald of Christ, Truth, who would make plain to benighted understanding the way of salvation through Christ Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morning beams and shine the guiding star of being.  The Wisemen were led to behold and to follow this daystar of divine Science, lighting the way to eternal harmony. 

123:11
  The verity of Mind shows conclusively how it is that matter seems to be, but is not.  Divine Science, rising above physical theories, excludes matter, resolves ^things^ into ^thoughts^, and replaces the objects of material sense with spiritual ideas. 

S&H  238:22‑10
  Attempts to conciliate society and so gain dominion over mankind, arise from worldly weakness.  He who leaves all for Christ forsakes popularity and gains Christianity. 
  Society is a foolish juror, listening only to one side of the case.  Justice often comes too late to secure a verdict.  People with mental work before them have no time for gossip about false law or testimony.  To reconstruct timid justice and place the fact above the falsehood, is the work of time. 
  The cross is the central emblem of history.  It is the lodestar in the demonstration of Christian healing,‑‑the demonstration by which sin and sickness are destroyed.  The sects, which endured the lash of their predecessors, in their turn lay it upon those who are in advance of creeds. 
  Take away wealth, fame, and social organizations, which weigh not one jot in the balance of God, and we get clearer views of Principle.  Break up cliques, level wealth with honesty, let worth be judged according to wisdom, and we get better views of humanity.

258:9‑18
  Man is more than a material form with a mind inside, which must escape from its environments in order to be immortal.  Man reflects infinity, and this reflection is the true idea of God. 
  God expresses in man the infinite idea forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a boundless basis.  Mind manifests all that exists in the infinitude of Truth.  We know no more of man as the true divine image and likeness, than we know of God. 

268:1
  In the material world, thought has brought to light with great rapidity many useful wonders.  With like activity have thought's swift pinions been rising towards the realm of the real, to the spiritual cause of those lower things which give impulse to inquiry.  Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from matter to Mind as the cause of every effect.  Materialistic hypotheses challenge metaphysics to meet in final combat.  In this revolutionary period, like the shepherd‑boy with his sling, woman goes forth to battle with Goliath. 

384:30
  Sickness, sin, and death must at length quail before the divine rights of intelligence, and then the power of Mind over the entire functions and organs of the human system will be acknowledged.  It is proverbial that Florence Nightingale and other philanthropists engaged in humane labors have been able to undergo without sinking fatigues and exposures which ordinary people could not endure.  The explanation lies in the support which they derived from the divine law, rising above the human.  The spiritual demand, quelling the material, supplies energy and endurance surpassing all other aids, and forestalls the penalty which our beliefs would attach to our best deeds.  Let us remember that the eternal law of right, though it can never annul the law which makes sin its own executioner, exempts man from all penalties but those due for wrong‑doing. 

397:8‑15 np
  Suffering is no less a mental condition than is enjoyment.  You cause bodily sufferings and increase them by admitting their reality and continuance, as directly as you enhance your joys by be‑lieving them to be real and continuous.  When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, "I am hurt!" Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real. 
  Now reverse the process.  Declare that you are not hurt and understand the reason why, and you will find the ensuing good effects to be in exact proportion to your disbelief in physics, and your fidelity to divine metaphysics, confidence in God as All, which the Scriptures declare Him to be. 
  To heal the sick, one must be familiar with the great verities of being.  Mortals are no more material in their waking hours than when they act, walk, see, hear, enjoy, or suffer in dreams.  We can never treat mortal mind and matter separately, because they combine as one.  Give up the belief that mind is, even temporarily, compressed within the skull, and you will quickly become more manly or womanly.  You will understand yourself and your Maker better than before. 
  Sometimes Jesus called a disease by name, as when he said to the epileptic boy, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."  It is added that "the spirit [error] cried, and rent him sore and came out of him, and he was as one dead,"‑‑clear evidence that the malady was not material.  These instances show the concessions which Jesus was willing to make to the popular ignorance of spiritual Life‑laws.  Often he gave no name to the distemper he cured.  To the synagogue ruler's daughter, whom they called dead but of whom he said, "she is not dead, but sleepeth," he simply said, "Damsel, I say unto thee, arise!"  To the sufferer with the withered hand he said, "Stretch forth thine hand," and it "was restored whole, like as the other."

420:28‑18 (to 2nd .)
  If it becomes necessary to startle mortal mind to break its dream of suffering, vehemently tell your patient that he must awake.  Turn his gaze from the false evidence of the senses to the harmonious facts of Soul and immortal being.  Tell him that he suffers only as the insane suffer, from false beliefs.  The only difference is, that insanity implies belief in a diseased brain, while physical ailments (so‑called) arise from the belief that other portions of the body are deranged.  Derangement, or disarrangement, is a word which conveys the true definition of all human belief in ill‑health, or disturbed harmony.  Should you thus startle mortal mind in order to remove its beliefs, afterwards make known to the patient your motive for this shock, showing him that it was to facilitate recovery. 
  If a crisis occurs in your treatment, you must treat the patient less for the disease and more for the mental disturbance or fermentation, and subdue the symptoms by removing the belief that this chemicalization produces pain or disease.  Insist vehemently on the great fact which covers the whole ground, that God, Spirit, is all, and that there is none beside Him.  There is no disease.

508:28
  The third stage in the order of Christian Science is an important one to the human thought, letting in the light of spiritual understanding.  This period corresponds to the resurrection, when Spirit is discerned to be the Life of all, and the deathless Life, or Mind, dependent upon no material organization.  Our Master reappeared to his students,‑‑to their apprehension he rose from the grave,‑‑on the third day of his ascending thought, and so presented to them the certain sense of eternal Life. 

511:23
  To mortal mind, the universe is liquid, solid, and aeriform.  Spiritually interpreted, rocks and mountains stand for solid and grand ideas.  Animals and mortals metaphorically present the gradation of mortal thought, rising in the scale of intelligence, taking form in masculine, feminine, or neuter gender.  The fowls, which fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven, correspond to aspirations soaring beyond and above corporeality to the understanding of the incorporeal and divine Principle, Love. 

Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.


 Hymn161
 Satisfied – Mary Baker Eddy

 It matters not what be thy lot,
     So Love doth guide;
 For storm or shine, pure peace is thine,
     Whate'er betide.

 And of these stones, or tyrants' thrones,
     God able is
 To raise up seed‑‑in thought and deed‑‑
     To faithful His.

 Aye, darkling sense, arise, go hence!
     Our God is good.
 False fears are foes‑‑truth tatters those,
     When understood.

 Love looseth thee, and lifteth me,
     Ayont hate's thrall:
 There Life is light, and wisdom might,
     And God is All.

 The centuries break, the earth‑bound wake,
     God's glorified!
 Who doth His will‑‑His likeness still‑‑
     Is satisfied.

Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congragation.


 Hymn 5 
 Irving C. Tomlinson

 A voice from heaven we have heard,
   The call to rise from earth;
 Put armor on, the sword now gird,
   And for the fight go forth.
 The foe in ambush claims our prize,
   Then heed high heaven's call.
 Obey the voice of Truth, arise,
   And let not fear enthrall.

 The cause requires unswerving might:
   With God alone agree.
 Then have no other aim than right;
   End bondage, O be free.
 Depart from sin, awake to love:
   Your mission is to heal.
 Then all of Truth you must approve,
   And only know the real.

No comments: