Service for Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014

Subject: Spirit

 Hymn 423
 James J. Rome

 Give me, O Lord, an understanding heart,
   That I may learn to know myself in Thee,
 To spurn the wrong and choose the better part
   And thus from sinful bondage be set free.

 Give me, O Lord, a meek and contrite heart,
   That I may learn to quell all selfish pride,
 Bowing before Thee, see Thee as Thou art
   And 'neath Thy sheltering presence safely hide.

 Give me, O Lord, a gentle, loving heart,
   That I may learn to be more tender, kind,
 And with Thy healing touch, each wound and smart
   With Christly bands of Love and Truth to bind.

The scriptural selection is from Psalms.

Psalms 119:33‑40,73‑77,101‑104
Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.  Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.  Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.  Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.  Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.  Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.  Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.  Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. 

Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.  They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.  I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.  Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.  Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight. 

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.  I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.  How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

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 157 
 Violet Hay

 Jesus' prayer for all his brethren:
   Father, that they may be one,
 Echoes down through all the ages,
   Nor prayed he for these alone
   But for all, that through all time
         God's will be done.

 One the Mind and Life of all things,
   For we live in God alone;
 One the Love whose ever‑presence
   Blesses all and injures none.
   Safe within this Love we find all
         being one.

 Day by day the understanding
   Of our oneness shall increase,
 Till among all men and nations
   Warfare shall forever cease,
   So God's children all shall dwell
         in joy and peace.

Solo: “Create in Me a Clean Heart”              


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 332 
 Based on the Danish of Nikolaj F. S. Grundtvig

 The Lord is in His holy place,
 Let all the earth be still,
 Be still and know that He is God,
 And wait to do His will.
 We need a sacred watchfulness,
 An earnest deep desire for grace,
 Our lives with true content to fill.

 So hear and heed His faithful Word,
 And trust His promise long,
 For they who seek Him Life shall find,
 And shall in Him be strong;
 We need a perfect faith in Him,
 With understanding never dim,
 To fill our daily lives with song.

""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 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

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