Service for Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013

Subject: Matter

 Hymn 391 
 Charles H. Barlow

 Why search the future and the past?
   Why do ye look with tearful eyes
   And seek far off for paradise?
 Before your feet Life's pearl is cast.

 As deathless as His spirit free,
   The Perfect lives and works today
   As in the ancient prophets' lay,
 Where there's an open eye to see.

 Of all that was and is to come
   The present holds the Mind and Cause;
   For God lives in eternal laws,
 And here today upholds His throne.

 Then rise and greet the signs that prove
   Unreal the ages' long lament;
   The "one far‑off divine event"
 Is now, and that event is Love.

The scriptural selection is from Psalms.

Psalms 19:1‑14
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.  The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.  The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.  Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.  Who can understand his errors?  cleanse thou me from secret faults.  Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.  Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

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 85 
 Edith Gaddis Brewer

 God of Truth, eternal good,
   Lift our hearts to revelation,
 That Thou mayst be understood,
   Thou, the Rock of our salvation;
 All Thy love we have for loving,
 All Thy truth is ours for proving.

 Open now our eyes to see,
   As the clouds of sense are riven,
 We behold reality,
   Know the glory of Thy heaven;
 So we seek Thy perfect healing
 Through the Truth of Thy revealing.

 All the way that we must go
   We will take at Thy direction,
 Where the floods of trouble flow
   Find Thy perfect, calm reflection;
 On the path that has no turning,
 Patience, courage, meekness learning.

Solo: “Seek Not Unto False Witnesses”             


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 287
 Edith Gaddis Brewer 

 Prayer with our waking thought ascends,
   Great God of light, to Thee;
 Darkness is banished in the glow
   Of Thy reality.

 Lo, to our widening vision dawns
   The realm of Soul supreme,
 Faith‑lighted peaks of Spirit stand
   Revealed in morning's beam.

 Thus in Thy radiance vanishes
   Death's drear and gloomy night;
 Thus all creation hears anew
   Truth's call, Let there be light.

"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

Philippians 4:8,9

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

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