Service for Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013


Subject: Love

 Hymn 421
 Violet Hay

 From these Thy children gathered in Thy name,
 From hearts made whole, from lips redeemed from woe,
 Thy praise, O Father, shall forever flow.
     Alleluia!  Alleluia!

 O perfect Life, in Thy completeness held,
 None can beyond Thy omnipresence stray;
 Safe in Thy Love, we live and sing alway
     Alleluia!  Alleluia!

 O perfect Mind, reveal Thy likeness true,
 That higher selfhood which we all must prove,
 Joy and dominion, love reflecting Love.
     Alleluia!  Alleluia!

 Thou, Soul, inspiring‑‑give us vision clear,
 Break earth‑bound fetters, sweep away the veil,
 Show the new heaven and earth that shall prevail.
     Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The scriptural selection is from Psalms.

Psalms 91:1‑16
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.  A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.  Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.  Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.  Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.  Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.  He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.  With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

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 266 
 Attributed to Thomas Cotterill – Adapted

 Our God is Love, and all His sons
   His image bear, we know;
 The heart with love to God inspired,
   With love to man will glow.

 Teach us to love each other, Lord,
   As we are loved by Thee;
 None who are truly born of God
   Can live in enmity.  

 Heirs of the same immortal bliss,
   Our hopes and aims the same,
 In bonds of love our hearts unite,
   To praise His holy name.

 So may we all with one accord
   Learn how true Christians love;
 And glorify our Father's grace,
   And seek that grace to prove.

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: "Love" with words by Mary Baker Eddy.             

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 119 
 Paul Gerhardt – John Christian Jacobi, Tr.– Adapted

 Holy Spirit, source of gladness,
   Come with all Thy radiance bright;
 Lift all burdens and all sadness;
   O'er Thy children shed Thy light.

 Let the Love that knows no measure,
   Now in quickening showers descend;
 Bring to us the richest treasure
   Man can wish or God can send.

 Send us Thine illumination;
   Banish all our fears at length;
 Rest upon this congregation,
   Spirit of unfailing strength.

"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 139:23,24
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

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