Service for Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013

Subject: God

 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.

The scriptural selection is from Psalms.

Psalms 18:1‑3,16,17,19,25,26,28‑33,35,36,46

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 

He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 

He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.  For by thee I have run through a troop; and 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 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. 

The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Silent prayer, followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s prayer, with its spiritual interpretation as given in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy

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 7 

 Bertha H. Woods – Based on hymn by H. F. Lyte

 Abide with me; fast breaks the morning light;

 Our daystar rises, banishing all night;

 Thou art our strength, O Truth that maketh free,

 We would unfailingly abide in Thee.

 I know no fear, with Thee at hand to bless,

 Sin hath no power and life no wretchedness;

 Health, hope and love in all around I see

 For those who trustingly abide in Thee.

 I know Thy presence every passing hour,

 I know Thy peace, for Thou alone art power;

 O Love divine, abiding constantly,

 I need not plead, Thou dost abide with me.

This being the first Sunday of the month, Article VIII , Section 1, is read from the Manual of The Mother Church:

A Rule for Motives and Acts.
Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church.  In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness.  The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.

Solo: “   "Sing With Grace in Your Heart"          

Friends:
The Bible and the Christian Science textbook are our only preachers. We shall now read Scriptural texts, and their correlative passages from our denominational textbook; these comprise our sermon.

The canonical writings, together with the word of our textbook, corroborating and explaining the Bible texts in their spiritual import and application to all ages, past, present, and future, constitute a sermon undivorced from truth, uncontaminated and unfettered by human hypotheses, and divinely authorized.

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 275 

 William P. McKenzie

   Praise now creative Mind,

   Maker of earth and heaven;

 Glory and power to Him belong,

   Joy of the sun and skies,

   Strength where the hills arise,

 So let us praise with joy and song.

   Ages have seen His might,

   Father we call His name;

 Nights of our mourning and sorrow end,

   Light blesses opened eyes,

   Joys like the dawns arise

 As we see Him our God and Friend.

   Saviour from death is He;

   Life is our heritage;

 Mercy and goodness forever guide;

   Ours is the risen Christ,

   Daily we keep our tryst,

 And evermore in Love confide.

"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 19:14

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.