Service for Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014

 Subject: Love

 Hymn 236 
 Irving C. Tomlinson

 O peace of the world, O hope in each breast,
 O Bethlehem star that ages have blest,
 A day of fresh promise breaks over the land,
 Gaunt warfare is doomed, and God's kingdom at hand!

 From cannon and sword shape tillers of soil,
 No more let dire hate man's spirit despoil,
 Let Truth be proclaimed, let God's love be retold,
 That men of good will may their brethren uphold.

 As stars in their courses never contend,
 As blossoms their hues in harmony blend,
 As bird voices mingle in joyful refrain,
 So God's loving children in concord remain.

 Our God is one Mind, the Mind we adore;
 Ineffable joy His love doth outpour;
 Let nations be one in a union of love,
 God's bountiful peace, all earth's treasures above.

The scriptural selection is from Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:1‑17
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.  

#Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  

#Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.  Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.  

#My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.  #Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.  She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.  Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

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 136 
 Violet Hay

 I love Thy way of freedom, Lord,
   To serve Thee is my choice,
 In Thy clear light of Truth I rise
   And, listening for Thy voice,
 I hear Thy promise old and new,
   That bids all fear to cease:
 My presence still shall go with thee
   And I will give thee peace.

 Though storm or discord cross my path
   Thy power is still my stay,
 Though human will and woe would check
   My upward‑soaring way;
 All unafraid I wait, the while
   Thy angels bring release,
 For still Thy presence is with me,
   And Thou dost give me peace.

 I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind,
   To soar o'er time and space;
 I yet shall know as I am known
   And see Thee face to face.
 Till time and space and fear are naught
   My quest shall never cease,
 Thy presence ever goes with me
   And Thou dost give me peace.

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:  "Teach Me to Love"

Explanatory Note
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 371  
 Margaret Morrison

 We lift our hearts in praise,
   O God of Life, to Thee,
 And would reflect in all our ways
   Thy purity.
 Thy thoughts our lives enfold,
   And free us from all fear;
 All strife is stilled, all grief consoled,
   For Thou art here.

 We lift our hearts in praise,
   O God of Truth, to Thee,
 And find within Thy perfect law
   Our liberty.
 We bless Thy mighty name
   In this exalted hour,
 And to the world in faith proclaim
   Thy healing power.

 We lift our hearts in praise,
   O God of Love, to Thee,
 With joy to find through darkened days
   Thy harmony.
 O Father‑Mother Love,
   We triumph 'neath Thy rod,
 We glory in Thy light, and prove
   That Thou art God.

"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 29:11

The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

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