Service for Sunday, June 1, 2014

Subject: Ancient and Modern Necromancy, alias Mesmerism and Hypnotism, Denounced

 Hymn 12
 Violet Hay 

 Arise ye people, take your stand,
 Cast out your idols from the land,
 Above all doctrine, form or creed
 Is found the Truth that meets your need.
 Christ's promise stands: they that believe
 His works shall do, his power receive.

 Go forward then, and as ye preach
 So let your works confirm your speech,
 And prove to all with following sign
 The Word of God is power divine.
 In love and healing ministry
 Show forth the Truth that makes men free.

 O Father‑Mother God, whose plan
 Hath given dominion unto man,
 In Thine own image we may see
 Man pure and upright, whole and free.
 And ever through our work shall shine
 That light whose glory, Lord, is Thine.
           

The scriptural selections are from Psalms.

Psalms 27:1‑9,13,14
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.  Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.  One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.  And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.  Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.  When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.  Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

Psalms 43:3‑5
O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.  Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

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 30
 Love – Mary Baker Eddy

 Brood o'er us with Thy shelt'ring wing,
   'Neath which our spirits blend
 Like brother birds, that soar and sing,
   And on the same branch bend.
 The arrow that doth wound the dove
 Darts not from those who watch and love.

 If thou the bending reed wouldst break
   By thought or word unkind,
 Pray that his spirit you partake,
   Who loved and healed mankind:
 Seek holy thoughts and heavenly strain,
 That make men one in love remain.

 Learn, too, that wisdom's rod is given
   For faith to kiss, and know;
 That greetings glorious from high heaven,
   Whence joys supernal flow,
 Come from that Love, divinely near,
 Which chastens pride and earth‑born fear,

 Through God, who gave that word of might
   Which swelled creation's lay:
 "Let there be light, and there was light."
   What chased the clouds away?
 'Twas Love whose finger traced aloud
 A bow of promise on the cloud.

 Thou to whose power our hope we give,
   Free us from human strife.
 Fed by Thy love divine we live,
   For Love alone is Life;
 And life most sweet, as heart to heart
 Speaks kindly when we meet and part.

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: “A Glorious Day Is Dawning”


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 82 
 Arthur C. Ainger

 God is working His purpose out
   As year succeeds to year,
 God is working His purpose out
   And the time is drawing near;
 Nearer and nearer draws the time,
   The time that shall surely be,
 When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
   As the waters cover the sea.

 What can we do to work God's work,
   To prosper and increase
 The brotherhood of all mankind,
   The reign of the Prince of Peace?
 What can we do to hasten the time,
   The time that shall surely be,
 When the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
   As the waters cover the sea?

 March we forth in the strength of God
   With the banner of Christ unfurled,
 That the light of the glorious Gospel of truth
   May shine throughout the world;
 Fight we the fight with sorrow and sin,
   To set their captives free,
 That the earth may be filled with the glory of God
   As the waters cover the sea.

"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 89:15

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

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