Theme: Loving Kindness
Hymn 216
From the German of Georg Neumark
O he who trusts in God's protection
And hopes in Him when fears alarm,
Is sheltered by His lovingkindness,
Delivered by His mighty arm;
If ye God's law can understand,
Ye have not builded on the sand.
O wait on Him with veneration,
Be silent in humility;
He leads you after His own counsel,
His will is done and still shall be;
All good for you His wisdom planned;
O trust in God and understand.
Readings from the Bible in Psalms
Psalms 17:1‑8
Hear the right, O Lord, attend
unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips. Let my sentence come forth from thy presence;
let thine eyes behold the things that are equal. Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast
visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am
purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from
the paths of the destroyer. Hold up my
goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear
me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou
that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those
that rise up against them. Keep me as
the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Psalms 36:5‑10
Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the
heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great
mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and
beast. How excellent is thy
lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the
shadow of thy wings. They shall be
abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them
drink of the river of thy pleasures. For
with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. O continue
thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the
upright in heart.
Psalms 40:8‑11
I delight to do thy will, O
my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not
refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy
faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy
truth from the great congregation.
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy
lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Psalms 51:1
Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psalms 92:1‑5,12‑15
It is a good thing to give
thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew
forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, Upon
an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a
solemn sound. For thou, Lord, hast made
me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
The righteous shall flourish
like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the
Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and
flourishing; To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in him.
Psalms 103:1‑22
Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy
life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender
mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed
like the eagle's. The Lord executeth
righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts
unto the children of Israel. The Lord is
merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he
keep his anger for ever. He hath not
dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so
great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us. Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that
we are dust. As for man, his days are as
grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over
it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's
children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his
commandments to do them. The Lord hath
prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in
strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye
ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the
Lord, O my soul.
Psalms 107:43
Whoso is wise, and will
observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the
Lord.
Psalms 119:88‑93,149,159,160
Quicken me after thy
lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.
For ever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is
unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine
ordinances: for all are thy servants.
Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine
affliction. I will never forget thy
precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me.
Hear my voice according unto
thy lovingkindness: O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment.
Consider how I love thy
precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness. Thy word is true from the beginning: and
every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Psalms 138:1‑5
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.
Psalms 143:8
Cause me to hear thy
lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way
wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Readings from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
2:8‑30
God is not moved by the breath of praise to
do more than He has already done, nor can the infinite do less than bestow all good,
since He is unchanging wisdom and Love.
We can do more for ourselves by humble fervent petitions, but the All‑loving
does not grant them simply on the ground of lip‑service, for He already knows
all.
Prayer cannot change the Science of being,
but it tends to bring us into harmony with it.
Goodness attains the demonstration of Truth. A request that God will save us is not all
that is required. The mere habit of
pleading with the divine Mind, as one pleads with a human being, perpetuates
the belief in God as humanly circumscribed,‑‑an error which impedes spiritual
growth.
God is Love.
Can we ask Him to be more? God is
intelligence. Can we inform the infinite
Mind of anything He does not already comprehend? Do we expect to change perfection? Shall we plead for more at the open fount,
which is pouring forth more than we accept? The unspoken desire does bring us
nearer the source of all existence and blessedness.
9:5
The test of all prayer lies in the answer to
these questions: Do we love our neighbor better because of this asking? Do we pursue the old selfishness, satisfied
with having prayed for something better, though we give no evidence of the
sincerity of our requests by living consistently with our prayer? If selfishness has given place to kindness,
we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we
shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done. There is a cross to be taken up before we can
enjoy the fruition of our hope and faith.
22:3
Vibrating like a pendulum between sin and the
hope of forgiveness,‑‑selfishness and sensuality causing constant
retrogression,‑‑our moral progress will be slow. Waking to Christ's demand, mortals experience
suffering. This causes them, even as
drowning men, to make vigorous efforts to save themselves; and through Christ's
precious love these efforts are crowned with success.
26:1
While we adore Jesus, and the heart overflows
with gratitude for what he did for mortals,‑‑treading alone his loving pathway
up to the throne of glory, in speechless agony exploring the way for us,‑‑yet
Jesus spares us not one individual experience, if we follow his commands
faithfully; and all have the cup of sorrowful effort to drink in proportion to
their demonstration of his love, till all are redeemed through divine Love.
138:27
Our Master said to every follower: "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature! . . . Heal the sick! . . . Love thy neighbor as
thyself!" It was this theology of
Jesus which healed the sick and the sinning.
It is his theology in this book and the spiritual meaning of this
theology, which heals the sick and causes the wicked to "forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts."
It was our Master's theology which the impious sought to destroy.
205:22
When we realize that there is one Mind, the
divine law of loving our neighbor as ourselves is unfolded; whereas a belief in
many ruling minds hinders man's normal drift towards the one Mind, one God, and
leads human thought into opposite channels where selfishness reigns.
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.
264:32‑15
The universe of Spirit is peopled with
spiritual beings, and its government is divine Science. Man is the offspring, not of the lowest, but
of the highest qualities of Mind. Man
understands spiritual existence in proportion as his treasures of Truth and
Love are enlarged. Mortals must
gravitate Godward, their affections and aims grow spiritual,‑‑they must near
the broader interpretations of being, and gain some proper sense of the
infinite,‑‑in order that sin and mortality may be put off.
This scientific sense of being, forsaking
matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the
loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider
sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more
permanent peace.
365:15‑2
If the Scientist reaches his patient through
divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the
disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning
sunshine. If the Scientist has enough
Christly affection to win his own pardon, and such commendation as the Magdalen
gained from Jesus, then he is Christian enough to practise scientifically and
deal with his patients compassionately; and the result will correspond with the
spiritual intent.
If hypocrisy, stolidity, inhumanity, or vice
finds its way into the chambers of disease through the would‑be healer, it
would, if it were possible, convert into a den of thieves the temple of the
Holy Ghost,‑‑the patient's spiritual power to resuscitate himself. The unchristian practitioner is not giving to
mind or body the joy and strength of Truth.
The poor suffering heart needs its rightful nutriment, such as peace,
patience in tribulation, and a priceless sense of the dear Father's loving‑kindness.
384:3
We should relieve our minds from the depressing
thought that we have transgressed a material law and must of necessity pay the
penalty. Let us reassure ourselves with
the law of Love. God never punishes man
for doing right, for honest labor, or for deeds of kindness, though they expose
him to fatigue, cold, heat, contagion.
If man seems to incur the penalty through matter, this is but a belief
of mortal mind, not an enactment of wisdom, and man has only to enter his
protest against this belief in order to annul it. Through this action of thought and its
results upon the body, the student will prove to himself, by small beginnings,
the grand verities of Christian Science.
405:5
Christian Science commands man to master the
propensities,‑‑to hold hatred in abeyance with kindness, to conquer lust with
chastity, revenge with charity, and to overcome deceit with honesty. Choke these errors in their early stages, if
you would not cherish an army of conspirators against health, happiness, and
success. They will deliver you to the
judge, the arbiter of truth against error.
The judge will deliver you to justice, and the sentence of the moral law
will be executed upon mortal mind and body.
Both will be manacled until the last farthing is paid,‑‑until you have
balanced your account with God.
"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The good man finally can overcome his fear of
sin. This is sin's necessity,‑‑to
destroy itself. Immortal man
demonstrates the government of God, good, in which is no power to sin.
587:5
GOD.
The great I AM; the all‑knowing, all‑seeing, all‑acting, all‑wise, all‑loving,
and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance;
intelligence.
Silent prayer followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn 76
Johannes Heermann – From the Swedish translation of Jakob Boethius and Johan O. Wallin
Adapted
God is known in loving‑kindness,
God, the true, eternal good;
Zion, ne'er will He forsake thee,
Trust His Father‑Motherhood.
Can a mother leave her children?
Can unchanging Love forget?
Though all earthly friends betray thee,
Lo, His arm enfolds thee yet.
Every prayer to Him is answered,
Prayer confiding in His will;
Blessedness and joy are near thee,
Hear His gentle Peace, be still.
Hear His voice above the tempest:
I have not forsaken thee;
In My hand thy name is graven,
I will save both thine and thee.
Sharing of experiences, testimonies and remarks by members of the congregation.
Hymn 388
James Montgomery – Adapted
When like a stranger on our sphere
The lowly Jesus sojourned here,
Where'er he went affliction fled,
The sick were healed, the hungry fed.
With bounding steps the halt and lame
To hail their great deliverer came;
For him the grave could hold no dread,
He spoke the word and raised the dead.
Through paths of loving‑kindness led,
Where Jesus triumphed we would tread;
To all with willing hands dispense
The gifts of our benevolence.
