Readings for Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Watching for Christ's Coming
Hymns: 67, 24, 369
Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Bible
1. Prov 8:34
Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
2. Hab 2:1, 2 (to 1st ,), 3 the vision
I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
And the Lord answered me,
the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
3. Luke 2:8-14, 16-18, 20, 21 his (to 2nd ,), 22 they, 25, 27, 28, 30 mine, 31, 36 (to 2nd ,), 37-38, 40
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
his name was called JESUS,
they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
And there was one Anna, a prophetess,
And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
4. Mark 12:1 (to 1st .)
And he began to speak unto them by parables.
5. Mark 13:33-37
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
6. Mat 25:1-10, 13
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
7. Mat 26:30, 36, 39 (to 3rd ,), 40-41
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
¶Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed,
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
8. Luke 12:35, 37 (to :), 40
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:
Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
9. Ps 130:6
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.


Science & Health
1. 261:32-1
Good demands of man every hour, in which to work out the problem of being.
2. 1:6
Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God's gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind.
3. vii:2-10
The wakeful shepherd beholds the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance of a risen day. So shone the pale star to the prophet-shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where, in cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human herald of Christ, Truth, who would make plain to benighted understanding the way of salvation through Christ Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morning beams and shine the guiding star of being.
4. 332:9 Jesus (to 2nd .), 23-29 He
Jesus was born of Mary.
He was appointed to speak God's word and to appear to mortals in such a form of humanity as they could understand as well as perceive. Mary's conception of him was spiritual, for only purity could reflect Truth and Love, which were plainly incarnate in the good and pure Christ Jesus.
5. 29:26
The Christ dwelt forever an idea in the bosom of God, the divine Principle of the man Jesus, and woman perceived this spiritual idea, though at first faintly developed.
6. 333:16-23 The advent
The advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked the first century of the Christian era, but the Christ is without beginning of years or end of days. Throughout all generations both before and after the Christian era, the Christ, as the spiritual idea, — the reflection of God, — has come with some measure of power and grace to all prepared to receive Christ, Truth.
7. 46:7-12
The divine Spirit, which identified Jesus thus centuries ago, has spoken through the inspired Word and will speak through it in every age and clime. It is revealed to the receptive heart, and is again seen casting out evil and healing the sick.
8. 347:14
Christ, as the spiritual or true idea of God, comes now as of old, preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the sick, and casting out evils. Is it error which is restoring an essential element of Christianity, — namely, apostolic, divine healing? No; it is the Science of Christianity which is restoring it, and is the light shining in darkness, which the darkness comprehends not.
9. 593:4
prophet. A spiritual seer; disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth.
10. 107:1-14
In the year 1866, I discovered the Christ Science or divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love, and named my discovery Christian Science. God had been graciously preparing me during many years for the reception of this final revelation of the absolute divine Principle of scientific mental healing.
This apodictical Principle points to the revelation of Immanuel, "God with us," — the sovereign ever-presence, delivering the children of men from every ill "that flesh is heir to." Through Christian Science, religion and medicine are inspired with a diviner nature and essence; fresh pinions are given to faith and understanding, and thoughts acquaint themselves intelligently with God.
11. 131:22
As aforetime, the spirit of the Christ, which taketh away the ceremonies and doctrines of men, is not accepted until the hearts of men are made ready for it.
12. 4:27-30
Audible prayer can never do the works of spiritual understanding, which regenerates; but silent prayer, watchfulness, and devout obedience enable us to follow Jesus' example.
13. 324:13
Be watchful, sober, and vigilant. The way is straight and narrow, which leads to the understanding that God is the only Life. It is a warfare with the flesh, in which we must conquer sin, sickness, and death, either here or hereafter, — certainly before we can reach the goal of Spirit, or life in God.
14. 392:11-15, 22-27, 32-393:3
The physical affirmation of disease should always be met with the mental negation. Whatever benefit is produced on the body, must be expressed mentally, and thought should be held fast to this ideal.
Your decisions will master you, whichever direction they take.
Reverse the case. Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously.
The issues of pain or pleasure must come through mind, and like a watchman forsaking his post, we admit the intruding belief, forgetting that through divine help we can forbid this entrance.
15. 34:5-8 (to ;)
If Christ, Truth, has come to us in demonstration, no other commemoration is requisite, for demonstration is Immanuel, or God with us;
16. 98:8
The Science of Christianity is misinterpreted by a material age, for it is the healing influence of Spirit (not spirits) which the material senses cannot comprehend, — which can only be spiritually discerned. Creeds, doctrines, and human hypotheses do not express Christian Science; much less can they demonstrate it.
17. 36:14
The earthly price of spirituality in a material age and the great moral distance between Christianity and sensualism preclude Christian Science from finding favor with the worldly-minded.
18. 31:25-28
Referring to the materiality of the age, Jesus said: "The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth."
19. 38:30
He taught that the material senses shut out Truth and its healing power.

20. 134:14
Man-made doctrines are waning. They have not waxed strong in times of trouble. Devoid of the Christ-power, how can they illustrate the doctrines of Christ or the miracles of grace? Denial of the possibility of Christian healing robs Christianity of the very element, which gave it divine force and its astonishing and unequalled success in the first century.
21. 136:1
Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught his followers that his religion had a divine Principle, which would cast out error and heal both the sick and the sinning. He claimed no intelligence, action, nor life separate from God. Despite the persecution this brought upon him, he used his divine power to save men both bodily and spiritually.
22. 98:4-7
The prophet of to-day beholds in the mental horizon the signs of these times, the reappearance of the Christianity which heals the sick and destroys error, and no other sign shall be given.
23. 546:23
Christian Science is dawning upon a material age. The great spiritual facts of being, like rays of light, shine in the darkness, though the darkness, comprehending them not, may deny their reality. The proof that the system stated in this book is Christianly scientific resides in the good this system accomplishes, for it cures on a divine demonstrable Principle which all may understand.

Readings for Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Subject:  Man is Not a Mixture
Hymns: 20, 237, 382
Wednesday, November 28, 2012



Bible
1
Gen 1:26 God(to :),27,28 (to 1st ,),31 (to .)
God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them,
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
2
Gen 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
3
James 1:8
A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
4
Ezek 44:4 I looked, 5 (to 1st ,),15 the priests (to 4th ,),23
I looked, and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord: and I fell upon my face.
And the Lord said unto me,
the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me,
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
5
Matt 3:1,2,11,12
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
6
Matt 8:34 (to :)
And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus:
7
Matt 13:24-30
¶Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
8
John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
9
Rom 7:14 we ,15,17,19-23,25(to ;)
we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God;
10
Eph 4:24 put
put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Science & Health
1
216:18
The great mistake of mortals is to suppose that man, God's image and likeness, is both matter and Spirit, both good and evil.
2
92:11
In old Scriptural pictures we see a serpent coiled around the tree of knowledge and speaking to Adam and Eve. This represents the serpent in the act of commending to our first parents the knowledge of good and evil, a knowledge gained from matter, or evil, instead of from Spirit. The portrayal is still graphically accurate, for the common conception of mortal man — a burlesque of God's man — is an outgrowth of human knowledge or sensuality, a mere offshoot of material sense.
3
170:28-31
The description of man as purely physical, or as both material and spiritual, — but in either case dependent upon his physical organization, — is the Pandora box, from which all ills have gone forth, especially despair.
4
167:14-16
If God made man both good and evil, man must remain thus.
5
204:3-18,20
All forms of error support the false conclusions that there is more than one Life; that material history is as real and living as spiritual history; that mortal error is as conclusively mental as immortal Truth; and that there are two separate, antagonistic entities and beings, two powers, — namely, Spirit and matter, — resulting in a third person (mortal man) who carries out the delusions of sin, sickness, and death.
The first power is admitted to be good, an intelligence or Mind called God. The so-called second power, evil, is the unlikeness of good. It cannot therefore be mind, though so called. The third power, mortal man, is a supposed mixture of the first and second antagonistic powers, intelligence and non-intelligence, of Spirit and matter.
Such theories are evidently erroneous.
When will the ages understand the Ego, and realize only one God, one Mind or intelligence?
6
269:3
From first to last the supposed coexistence of Mind and matter and the mingling of good and evil have resulted from the philosophy of the serpent. Jesus' demonstrations sift the chaff from the wheat, and unfold the unity and the reality of good, the unreality, the nothingness, of evil.
7
300:13-22
The temporal and unreal never touch the eternal and real. The mutable and imperfect never touch the immutable and perfect. The inharmonious and self-destructive never touch the harmonious and self-existent. These opposite qualities are the tares and wheat, which never really mingle, though (to mortal sight) they grow side by side until the harvest; then, Science separates the wheat from the tares, through the realization of God as ever present and of man as reflecting the divine likeness.
8
476:32-17
Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy. Man is not a material habitation for Soul; he is himself spiritual. Soul, being Spirit, is seen in nothing imperfect nor material.
Whatever is material is mortal. To the five corporeal senses, man appears to be matter and mind united; but Christian Science reveals man as the idea of God, and declares the corporeal senses to be mortal and erring illusions. Divine Science shows it to be impossible that a material body, though interwoven with matter's highest stratum, misnamed mind, should be man, — the genuine and perfect man, the immortal idea of being, indestructible and eternal.
9
466:7-13
Question. — What are spirits and souls?
Answer. — To human belief, they are personalities constituted of mind and matter, life and death, truth and error, good and evil; but these contrasting pairs of terms represent contraries, as Christian Science reveals, which neither dwell together nor assimilate.
10
555:18-22,23-27
Only impotent error would seek to unite Spirit with matter, good with evil, immortality with mortality, and call this sham unity man, as if man were the offspring of both Mind and matter, of both Deity and humanity.
We lose our standard of perfection and set aside the proper conception of Deity, when we admit that the perfect is the author of aught that can become imperfect, that God bestows the power to sin, or that Truth confers the ability to err.
11
281:4-17
Spirit and matter no more commingle than light and darkness. When one appears, the other disappears.
Error presupposes man to be both mind and matter. Divine Science contradicts the corporeal senses, rebukes mortal belief, and asks: What is the Ego, whence its origin and what its destiny? The Ego-man is the reflection of the Ego-God; the Ego-man is the image and likeness of perfect Mind, Spirit, divine Principle.
The one Ego, the one Mind or Spirit called God, is infinite individuality, which supplies all form and comeliness and which reflects reality and divinity in individual spiritual man and things.
12
359:11-14
Even though you aver that the material senses are indispensable to man's existence or entity, you must change the human concept of life, and must at length know yourself spiritually and scientifically.
13
258:31
Through spiritual sense you can discern the heart of divinity, and thus begin to comprehend in Science the generic term man. Man is not absorbed in Deity, and man cannot lose his individuality, for he reflects eternal Life; nor is he an isolated, solitary idea, for he represents infinite Mind, the sum of all substance.
14
265:10
This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace.
15
284:28
According to Christian Science, the only real senses of man are spiritual, emanating from divine Mind. Thought passes from God to man, but neither sensation nor report goes from material body to Mind. The intercommunication is always from God to His idea, man. Matter is not sentient and cannot be cognizant of good or of evil, of pleasure or of pain. Man's individuality is not material. This Science of being obtains not alone hereafter in what men call Paradise, but here and now; it is the great fact of being for time and eternity.
16
317:16
The individuality of man is no less tangible because it is spiritual and because his life is not at the mercy of matter. The understanding of his spiritual individuality makes man more real, more formidable in truth, and enables him to conquer sin, disease, and death. Our Lord and Master presented himself to his disciples after his resurrection from the grave, as the self-same Jesus whom they had loved before the tragedy on Calvary.
17
336:9
     Immortal man was and is God's image or idea, even the infinite expression of infinite Mind, and immortal man is coexistent and coeternal with that Mind. He has been forever in the eternal Mind, God; but infinite Mind can never be in man, but is reflected by man. The spiritual man's consciousness and individuality are reflections of God. They are the emanations of Him who is Life, Truth, and Love. Immortal man is not and never was material, but always spiritual and eternal.
18
337:5
Material personality is not realism; it is not the reflection or likeness of Spirit, the perfect God. Sensualism is not bliss, but bondage. For true happiness, man must harmonize with his Principle, divine Love; the Son must be in accord with the Father, in conformity with Christ. According to divine Science, man is in a degree as perfect as the Mind that forms him. The truth of being makes man harmonious and immortal, while error is mortal and discordant.
19
491:7
Material man is made up of involuntary and voluntary error, of a negative right and a positive wrong, the latter calling itself right. Man's spiritual individuality is never wrong. It is the likeness of man's Maker. Matter cannot connect mortals with the true origin and facts of being, in which all must end. It is only by acknowledging the supremacy of Spirit, which annuls the claims of matter, that mortals can lay off mortality and find the indissoluble spiritual link which establishes man forever in the divine likeness, inseparable from his creator.

Readings for Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Subject:  Walking with God
Hymns: 367, 247, 64
Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Bible
1. Ps 119:1
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
2. Ps 143:8
Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
3. Gen 5:21-24
¶And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
4. Gen 6:1, 5-6, 8, 9 Noah was, 13 (to 1st ,), 14
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
¶And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
And God said unto Noah,
¶Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
5. Gen 7:1, 15-17, 19
And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
6. Gen 8:1
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
7. Gen 9:1 (to 1st ,), 28
And God blessed Noah and his sons,
¶And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
8. Deut 5:33
Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
9. Is 35:3-4, 8-9
¶Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10. Is 40:31 they that wait (to 1st ;), 31 and they shall walk
they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
11. Mat 14:22-27
¶And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
12. John 5:2-9 (to :)
Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked:
13. John 13:31 Jesus (to 3rd ,)
Jesus said,
14. John 14:1, 6 I am, 12
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
15. Rom 8:2, 4
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
16. Heb 12:1 let us, 12-13
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Science & Health
1. 213:11
Every step towards goodness is a departure from materiality, and is a tendency towards God, Spirit. Material theories partially paralyze this attraction towards infinite and eternal good by an opposite attraction towards the finite, temporary, and discordant.
2. 208:2
Material sense defines all things materially, and has a finite sense of the infinite.

3. 95:30-32
Material sense does not unfold the facts of existence; but spiritual sense lifts human consciousness into eternal Truth.

4. 209:31-32
Spiritual sense is a conscious, constant capacity to understand God.
5. 7:18-21
If spiritual sense always guided men, there would grow out of ecstatic moments a higher experience and a better life with more devout self-abnegation and purity.
6. 214:5
If Enoch's perception had been confined to the evidence before his material senses, he could never have "walked with God," nor been guided into the demonstration of life eternal.
7. 592:22
Noah. A corporeal mortal; knowledge of the nothingness of material things and of the immortality of all that is spiritual.
8. 589:16
Jesus. The highest human corporeal concept of the divine idea, rebuking and destroying error and bringing to light man's immortality.
9. 46:25-26
Jesus was "the way;" that is, he marked the way for all men.
10. 38:24-25, 30
Jesus mapped out the path for others.
He taught that the material senses shut out Truth and its healing power.
11. 273:24
Jesus walked on the waves, fed the multitude, healed the sick, and raised the dead in direct opposition to material laws. His acts were the demonstration of Science, overcoming the false claims of material sense or law.
12. 40:31
The nature of Christianity is peaceful and blessed, but in order to enter into the kingdom, the anchor of hope must be cast beyond the veil of matter into the Shekinah into which Jesus has passed before us; and this advance beyond matter must come through the joys and triumphs of the righteous as well as through their sorrows and afflictions. Like our Master, we must depart from material sense into the spiritual sense of being.
13. 192:27
We walk in the footsteps of Truth and Love by following the example of our Master in the understanding of divine metaphysics. Christianity is the basis of true healing. Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.

14. 174:9-14
The footsteps of thought, rising above material standpoints, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller; but the angels of His presence — the spiritual intuitions that tell us when "the night is far spent, the day is at hand" — are our guardians in the gloom.
15. 429:8
We look before our feet, and if we are wise, we look beyond a single step in the line of spiritual advancement.
16. 426:5-11
The discoverer of Christian Science finds the path less difficult when she has the high goal always before her thoughts, than when she counts her footsteps in endeavoring to reach it. When the destination is desirable, expectation speeds our progress. The struggle for Truth makes one strong instead of weak, resting instead of wearying one.
17. 296:28
An improved belief is one step out of error, and aids in taking the next step and in understanding the situation in Christian Science.
18. 485:14-17
Emerge gently from matter into Spirit. Think not to thwart the spiritual ultimate of all things, but come naturally into Spirit through better health and morals and as the result of spiritual growth.
19. 254:2
Individuals are consistent who, watching and praying, can "run, and not be weary; . . . walk, and not faint," who gain good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to discouragement. God requires perfection, but not until the battle between Spirit and flesh is fought and the victory won. To stop eating, drinking, or being clothed materially before the spiritual facts of existence are gained step by step, is not legitimate. When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path. Imperfect mortals grasp the ultimate of spiritual perfection slowly; but to begin aright and to continue the strife of demonstrating the great problem of being, is doing much.
20. 74:29-30
In Christian Science there is never a retrograde step, never a return to positions outgrown.
21. 449:13-16 (to ;)
You should practise well what you know, and you will then advance in proportion to your honesty and fidelity, — qualities which insure success in this Science;
22. 452:11
Your advancing course may provoke envy, but it will also attract respect. When error confronts you, withhold not the rebuke or the explanation which destroys error. Never breathe an immoral atmosphere, unless in the attempt to purify it. Better is the frugal intellectual repast with contentment and virtue, than the luxury of learning with egotism and vice.
23. 457:22
To pursue other vocations and advance rapidly in the demonstration of this Science, is not possible. Departing from Christian Science, some learners commend diet and hygiene. They even practise these, intending thereby to initiate the cure which they mean to complete with Mind, as if the non-intelligent could aid Mind! The Scientist's demonstration rests on one Principle, and there must and can be no opposite rule. Let this Principle be applied to the cure of disease without exploiting other means.
24. 256:2-5
Advancing to a higher plane of action, thought rises from the material sense to the spiritual, from the scholastic to the inspirational, and from the mortal to the immortal.
25. 361:22-23
Spiritual ideas unfold as we advance.
26. 207:2-6
Because God is Spirit, evil becomes more apparent and obnoxious proportionately as we advance spiritually, until it disappears from our lives. This fact proves our position, for every scientific statement in Christianity has its proof.
27. 21:9-12
If the disciple is advancing spiritually, he is striving to enter in. He constantly turns away from material sense, and looks towards the imperishable things of Spirit.
28. 264:10, 28
We must look where we would walk, and we must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we have our being.
When we learn the way in Christian Science and recognize man's spiritual being, we shall behold and understand God's creation, — all the glories of earth and heaven and man.

Thanksgiving Service of Gratitude

Join us on Thanksgiving morning as we gather together for a special time of thanksgiving for God's abundant blessings!  Our service begins at 10 a.m. at our church, located at 8791 River Road in Richmond.

Bring your hungry heart!
  "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled." (Mat 5:6)

AND

Bring your gratitude!
  "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together." (Ps 34:3)

Ample parking and free child care.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday Citations for November 14, 2012

Subject:  Working Together in Unity

Hymns: 126, 236, 435

Bottom of Form

Bible

1. Ps. 133:1

2. Deut 6:1, 4-6

3. Lev 19:17 (to :), 18 but

4. Ex 18:5 Jethro, 13-27

5. Luke 4:14

6. Luke 9:1-2

7. Luke 10:1-2

8. Luke 17:20-21

9. Acts 6:1-7

10. Col 3:10-16 put

11. Rom 8:28

Science & Health

1. 340:15

2. 587:25

3. 465:16-6

4. 588:11

5. 314:8

6. 315:6-9 (to ;)

7. 232:22

8. 202:3

9. 58:2

10. 204:20

11. 205:12-13, 15-3

12. 216:11-14

13. 114:13-17

14. 487:19-21

15. 467:3 The

16. 399:27

17. 469:30-5

18. 276:4

Wednesday Citations for November 7, 2012

Subject:  Good Soil
Hymns: 42, 386, 101

Bible Section I
1. Gen 1:1, 9-12, 31 (to 1st .)
2. Lev 26:1 I am, 3, 4, 5, 9-12
3. Is 29:13, 14, 17, 18-19, 24
4. Is 32:15 the wilderness, 16
5. Is 62:4 (to 1st :)
6. Matt 4:23 Jesus
7. Matt 13:1-11, 13, 16, 17

Science & Health Section I
1. 117:14
2. 272:3-8, 13-16

Bible Section II
8. Matt 13:18-19

Science & Health Section II
3. 6:14
4. 180:5
5. 381:21-26
6. 417:21

Bible Section III
9. Matt 13:20-21

Science & Health Section III
7. 22:20
8. 387:27
9. 28:24
10. 29:7-10
11. 97:32

Bible Section IV
10. Matt 13:22

Science & Health Section IV
12. 36:14
13. 21:25
14. 65:13
15. 57:15

Bible Section V
11. Matt 13:23
12. Rev 2:7

Science & Health Section V
16. xi:22
17. 453:16 (to .)
18. 405:5-9
19. 2:16-17
20. 213:11
21. 260:13
22. 4:22
23. 304:3-5
24. 515:22
25. 15:18-20
26. 35:19-25 Our church

Wednesday Citations for October 31, 2012

Subject:  Weather Report

Hymns: 102, 74, 172

 

Bible

1.      Ps 55:6 Oh, 8

2.      Job 37:14-23 consider

3.      Prov 30:4(to 4th ?)

4.      Is 54:9-11 as I

5.      I Kings 19:1-3 Ahab, 9-12

6.      Ps 62:11

7.      Mark 3:7 Jesus, 9

8.      Mark 4:35-41

9.      Amos 4:13 lo

10.  I Chron 29:11

 

Science & Health

1.      275:6

2.      597:27

3.      83:16

4.      128:4-6

5.      209:10-13,16-24

6.      201:9

7.      77:5-9

8.      144:18-20

9.      490:3

10.  293:13-16,21-31

11.  96:5-11 (to 1st .),15

12.  97:11-13

13.  192:11-19

14.  585:5 (to 1st .),7

15.  337:22-24

16.  484:9-14 In

17.  310:11

18.  124:14-31

19.  273:21

20.  535:29

21.  310:5-6

22.  240:1-6,10-11

 

Wednesday Citations for October 24, 2012

Subject: Overcoming Discouragement
Hymns: 426, 60, 462

Bible
1. Josh 10:25 Fear (to :)
2. Josh 1:9 for
3. Ps 31:21-22, 24
4. Is 54:1 (to 1st ;), 2-4 (to 2nd ;), 10-11, 13 all, 14-15 (to fall), 17
5. Mark 5:25-34
6. John 13:31 Jesus (to 3rd ,)
7. John 14:1, 2 (to 1st .), 10-18
8. John 15:1, 2, 4-11
9. II Thess 3:1, 3-5 the (to waiting)

Science & Health
1. 380:28-7
2. 423:8-14.18
3. 394:7
4. 167:22
5. 420:10-13, 17-19
6. 390:4-9
7. 276:12
8. 256:1
9. 506:18
10. 426:5-11
11. 454:18-21
12. 96:4
13. 322:26-30
14. 22:14-20
15. 288:10-14
16. 573:29-2
17. 323:6

Wednesday Citations for October 17, 2012

Subject:  The Unselfish Affections
Hymns: 178, 76, 340

Bible
1. I John 4:7-8
2. Luke 4:14
3. Luke 6:12, 13, 17-18, 20 (to 2nd ,), 30-31, 36
4. Luke 10:25-37
5. Matt 23:1-8, 11-12
6. Matt 24:2 (to 1st ,)
7. Matt 25:31-32 (to :), 34-40
8. II Peter 1:2, 5-7, 10-11
9. I John 4:10-11, 12 If, 20-21

Science & Health
1. 366:30-31
2. 25:31
3. 26:10-14
4. 51:19-32
5. 365:7
6. 57:18-21
7. 58:7
8. 147:29
9. 1:1
10. 9:5, 32 (to .)
11. 11:22-25, 31-32 (to 2nd .)
12. 462:25-30
13. 366:12-19
14. 61:4-11
15. 272:3-8,19
16. 367:3
17. 483:30-32

Wednesday Citations for October 10, 2012

Subject: Silencing serpent chatter
Hymns: 5, 73, 36

Bible
1. Deut 4:36 (to :)
2. Deut 18:21 How
3. Gen 3:1-4,6 she took,13-14
4. Neh 1:1(to 1st .),3 they
5. Neh 2:17-18(to ;),18 And,19 (to 1st ?),20
6. Neh 6:1-4,10 (to Shemaiah), 10 and he,11-13,15-16
7. Mark 1:1,9-13,14 Jesus,23-27,34 (to 2nd ,)
8. John 9:41 (to 1st ,)
9. John 10:1-5 He,9-10

Science & Health
1. 332:9-15 Christ
2. 333:9-13,16-23 The
3. 564:24-26,29-1
4. 529:13-29
5. 530:13-25
6. 594:1 (to SERPENT),2-3 (to ;),8
7. 316:7
8. 251:13
9. 252:4-8,15-23,31-7
10. 253:9-21
11. 583:10
12. 64:30

Rethinking the problem...

While working on converting some computer files into another format, I pulled up a program I have used often to do this. I expected no problems. Imagine my shock when the program not only didn't work, but it gave me no hint as to the problem.  I played with it for a couple of hours, figured I'd think more clearly in the morning, and went to bed expecting everything to be fine with a new day.

It wasn't. For five hours, I did everything I knew how to make the conversion proceed properly.  I won't go into all the computer tricks I tried, because none of them work.  Finally, (sheesh), I decided to pray about the problem.

My prayer was simple. I knew there was one divine Mind that governs all, and I was part of that "all."  There was no answer too hard, too complicated, too impossible, because God gives us all we need, and that includes every right idea. The work I was doing on the computer was necessary, and nothing could stand in the way of accomplishing my task.  I needed to be still and listen for the angel message.

It came, almost instantly.  The answer was simple and the task proceeded to be completed in about fifteen minutes.  Not only was I thrilled to have the job done, I was even happier that I'd taken my thought in the right path and acknowledged God's control and government in every aspect of my life and work. To say I was grateful is a gross understatement.

Frustration Overcome by Love

Sometimes I find myself getting angry easily at little things and sometimes just feeling nothing but frustration.  Being unemployed can kind of bring out the not so great side of me. I admit, I hate feeling frustrated all the time. I don’t want to be living with this feeling. But at a lecture called Annual Meeting held by The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston I realize that I have been doing something wrong in the way that I look at things, my thinking has not been all that clear or loving.  For the longest time I have been resenting the fact that while all my other friends have been receiving wonderful jobs (most of them right out of school), I have had no such luck in even nailing an interview, despite the copious amounts of applications I have sent all over.

 At times I have felt that my religion, the one that is supposed to help me overcome difficult situations easily, has been letting me down.  Well today I realized I’ve been going about my problem all wrong.  I have been forgetting the most fundamental part about being a Christian Scientist, and that is being CHRISTIAN.  If I just led my life more by the first commandment, love thy neighbor as thyself, then I can make steps towards the science part, the healing. I need to be a better Christian.  Once I replaced the angry/frustrated feelings with that of nothing but love for everyone, did I start to feel progress.

For those of you who might be in a similar situation as me I assure you that despite the feeling of hopelessness/sadness/frustration/despair, you don’t need to let it consume you.  John, from the Bible, knew what he was talking about when he said “God is Love.” ( 1 John 4:8)  but the whole quote actually is “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  (English Standard Version)

To me, not only does God love us, but we need to show God we love him, and we can do this by expressing the love he gives us.  After some reevaluation of my attitude, I realized there was absolutely no reason I should let other people’s lives influence mine. I needed to see them in a more loving light and not one of hate.  So I went through and thought of every good quality each of my friends possessed, and why I thought of them as a friend in the first place, and after a while, I was no longer jealous or upset.  I knew then, and I still know now, that Love (another name for God) will meet my needs.

Watermelon Festival is Coming!

This photo from a Watermelon Festival in the past gives a small idea of how you can find us in the street on August 5, from 10 to 6, in front of 3431 West Cary Street. In addition to merchandise, chats, and cold water, we're happy to present Christian singer Alex Cook, who will be performing about 11:30 a.m. under the tent. Stop by to hear some inspirational songs for the soul. (www.alexcookmusic.com)

If you're in need of a break from the heat, the Reading Room will be open and the air conditioning will be on!

Meeting a Need in the Reading Room

A Church Alive segment recently stopped me, mentally, in my tracks.  The speakers said that seekers are lead to the Reading Room when WE are serving.  I know for a fact this is true.

Our RR is tucked back from the street, and as a way to let people know we're there, we put a cart on the sidewalk with literature.  On a day I wouldn't normally been there, I watched from our window as a woman scooped up just about every Sentinel and Journal from the cart, crossed the street, and sat at the outdoor table of the McDonald's across the street. She sipped a drink and read and read.  I prayed she was finding what she needed. After a while, I  noticed she'd left.

Busy with a housekeeping task, I was surprised when a couple of hours later, she came through the door.  "I had to come in, even though I was on my way home," she explained. "This is my day off, and I am so upset I felt I had to open your door."

I asked her to sit across from me, and the story poured out.  She was head housekeeper at a chain hotel near a popular mall and the week before, she'd discovered a dead woman in one of the hotel's rooms. It appeared to be a suicide.  Not only was the image stuck in a loop in her head, she was concerned about the whys and what would make this dear person take her life, and furthermore, whether the police had investigated the circumstances sufficiently to make sure it wasn't a suspicious passing.

Taking a deep breath, I realized why she'd come in that day. This dear lady had no idea I'd been a criminal lawyer in years past. I'd even taken a state forensics class for the non-forensics specialist.

First, I had to help her see that life is deathless, no matter what the human picture. We discussed how this woman, seemingly gone, was still working out her salvation and going about her Father's business. The human picture didn't keep her from Life, because she expressed Life as a reflection of her Father-Mother, God.

My friend was calming down. The tears stopped. But she worried still that, maybe, there'd been foul play, and that the police didn't seem interested in that possibility.  I assured her that there was nothing hidden that would not be revealed, and that proper steps were being taken, later, to make sure that humanly, justice would be served.

Then a sad story poured forth about her marriage, her life, and her job. One by one, the spiritual answers came and Bible quotes, which she knew, comforted her.  I knew, for a surety, that I wasn't coming up with these responses, because I didn't even have to think, the words poured out without hesitation.

She left with a copy of Science and Health and more periodicals with articles on some of the topics we'd covered.  I wasn't to hear from her, or see her, for a year.

A year to the day, and I was in the Reading Room.  My friend came in, smiling, asking if I remembered her. Of course I did, and I asked how she was.  She said life was better, and that she'd been reading Science and Health whenever her husband wasn't around, since he didn't approve.  Yet she persisted and was genuinely grateful for the small changes for the better that had resulted.  A sincere seeker of Truth, on all levels, she wanted to thank me in person.

Little did she know, I wasn't regularly serving in the Reading Room on the two days she'd found me. God lead her and me to meet, and God clearly was lead counsel in this case.

Words of the solo from Sunday, May 6

Friends,

Because of the overwhelming response to the beautiful words of the solo we heard last Sunday, we are posting the words to that piece of music -- Enjoy the inspiration!


Words of the Solo on May 6, 2012
“A HEAVEN ON EARTH”
By Sally DeFord

When we kneel in prayer with humble hearts, to invite His spirit in,
When we live each day by the light of faith, and put our trust in Him,
When our souls delight in truth and right and things of eternal worth,
Then the Savior will come and abide in our home and make it a heaven on earth.
When our hearts are turned to loved ones here, and to those who’ve gone before,
When we freely share one another’s joy,
and mourn with those who mourn,
When we offer Him our willing hands and serve Him with all our strength,
Then the Savior will come and abide in our home, and make it a heaven on earth.
When we offer up our grateful praise for each perfect gift of God,
When we find our safety in His commands and make His word our law,
When we set aside our worldly cares to seek after heaven first,
Then the Savior will come and abide in our home, and make it a heaven on earth……
and make it a heaven on earth.