Wednesday Meeting Readings

First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge

Wednesday Meeting Readings

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From theory to practice

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Section I

The Bible

I Cor 4:15-20 though

15though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.

17For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

18Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.

19But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.

20For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

I Cor 2:1,2,4,5

1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

II Cor 13:5 (to .)

5Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.

II Tim 2:14-16

14Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

15Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

16But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

Deut 30:10-14

10If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

11¶For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.

12It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

13Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

14But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

I Chron 16:23-25

23Sing unto the Lord, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

24Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

25For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.

Ps 63:1,2

1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

Matt 21:28-31 A (to ?)

28A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard.

29He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31Whether of them twain did the will of his father?

Matt 6:24

24¶No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matt 18:8 if,9

8if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

9And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Luke 11:1-13

1And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3Give us day by day our daily bread.

4And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

5And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 20:45-47

45¶Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,

46Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

47Which devour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

Luke 6:6-10

6And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

7And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

8But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

9Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

10And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

James 1:22-25

22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy

S&H 556:13-15

Christian Science may ab‐
sorb the attention of sage and philosopher, but
15the Christian alone can fathom it.

S&H 98:26

Mystery does
27not enshroud Christ's teachings, and they are not theo‐
retical and fragmentary, but practical and complete; and
being practical and complete, they are not deprived of
30their essential vitality.

S&H 343:25-29

Anciently those apostles who were Jesus' students,
as well as Paul who was not one of his students, healed
Example of
the disciples 27the sick and reformed the sinner by their
religion. Hence the mistake which allows
words, rather than works, to follow such examples!

S&H 147:14

Although this volume contains the complete Science of
15Mind-healing, never believe that you can absorb the whole
Perusal and
practice meaning of the Science by a simple perusal
of this book. The book needs to be studied,
18and the demonstration of the rules of scientific healing
will plant you firmly on the spiritual groundwork of
Christian Science. This proof lifts you high above the
21perishing fossils of theories already antiquated, and en‐
ables you to grasp the spiritual facts of being hitherto
unattained and seemingly dim.

S&H 141:3

3 More than profession is requisite for
Christian demonstration. Few understand or
adhere to Jesus' divine precepts for living and
6healing. Why? Because his precepts require the disci‐
ple to cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye,
— that is, to set aside even the most cherished beliefs
9and practices, to leave all for Christ.

S&H 329:21-23 Principle

21Principle is impera‐
tive. You cannot mock it by human will. Science is a
Error
destroyed,
not pardoned divine demand, not a human.

S&H 326:3-15

3If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the
way of God's appointing. Jesus said, " He that believeth
Loving God
supremely on me, the works that I do shall he do also."
6 He , who would reach the source and find the
divine remedy for every ill, must not try to climb the hill
of Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's
9love to man, but man cannot love God supremely and set
his whole affections on spiritual things, while loving the
material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.

12We must forsake the foundation of material systems,
however time-honored, if we would gain the Christ as
our only Saviour. Not partially, but fully, the great
15healer of mortal mind is the healer of the body.

S&H x:22-23

The divine Principle of healing is proved in the
personal experience of any sincere seeker of Truth.

S&H 452:22

When the spiritual sense of Truth unfolds its
harmonies, you take no risks in the policy of error. Ex‐
24pect to heal simply by repeating the author's words, by
right talking and wrong acting, and you will be disap‐
pointed. Such a practice does not demonstrate the
27Science by which divine Mind heals the sick.

S&H 7:8,27-32 (to 1st .)

Audible prayer is impressive; it gives momentary
9solemnity and elevation to thought. But does it pro‐
Audible
praying duce any lasting benefit? Looking deeply
into these things, we find that "a zeal . . .
12not according to knowledge" gives occasion for reac‐
tion unfavorable to spiritual growth, sober resolve, and
wholesome perception of God's requirements. The mo‐
15tives for verbal prayer may embrace too much love of
applause to induce or encourage Christian sentiment.

27The danger from prayer is that it may lead us into temp‐
tation. By it we may become involuntary hypocrites, ut‐
Danger
from audible
prayer tering desires which are not real and consoling
30ourselves in the midst of sin with the recollection
that we have prayed over it or mean to ask for‐
giveness at some later day.

S&H 8:14-18,28-30

If we feel the aspiration, hu‐
15mility, gratitude, and love which our words express, —
this God accepts; and it is wise not to try to deceive
ourselves or others, for "there is nothing covered that
18shall not be revealed."

We should examine ourselves and learn what is the
affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way
Searching
the heart 30only can we learn what we honestly are.

S&H 15:18

18 We must resolve to
take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to
work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We
21must "pray without ceasing." Such prayer is an‐
swered, in so far as we put our desires into practice.
The Master's injunction is, that we pray in secret and
24let our lives attest our sincerity.

S&H 323:13-16

In order to apprehend more, we must put into prac‐
tice what we already know. We must recollect that
Need and
supply 15Truth is demonstrable when understood, and
that good is not understood until demonstrated.

S&H 460:5

Our system of
6Mind-healing rests on the apprehension of the
nature and essence of all being, — on the divine Mind
and Love's essential qualities. Its pharmacy is moral,
9and its medicine is intellectual and spiritual, though used
for physical healing. Yet this most fundamental part of
metaphysics is the one most difficult to understand and
12demonstrate, for to the material thought all is material,
till such thought is rectified by Spirit.

S&H 460:14

Sickness is neither imaginary nor unreal, — that is,
15to the frightened, false sense of the patient. Sickness
Mischievous
imagination is more than fancy; it is solid conviction. It
is therefore to be dealt with through right ap‐
18prehension of the truth of being. If Christian healing
is abused by mere smatterers in Science, it becomes a
tedious mischief-maker. Instead of scientifically effect‐
21ing a cure, it starts a petty crossfire over every cripple
and invalid, buffeting them with the superficial and cold
assertion, "Nothing ails you."

S&H 184:6-12

6Belief produces the results of belief, and the penal‐
ties it affixes last so long as the belief and are insepara‐
ble from it. The remedy consists in probing the trouble
9to the bottom, in finding and casting out by denial the
error of belief which produces a mortal disorder, never
honoring erroneous belief with the title of law nor yield‐
12ing obedience to it.

S&H 233:28

The counter fact rela‐
tive to any disease is required to cure it. The utterance
30of truth is designed to rebuke and destroy error. Why
should truth not be efficient in sickness, which is solely
the result of inharmony?

S&H 455:8

You must utilize the moral
9might of Mind in order to walk over the waves of error
and support your claims by demonstration. If you are
yourself lost in the belief and fear of disease or sin, and
12if, knowing the remedy, you fail to use the energies of
Mind in your own behalf, you can exercise little or no
power for others' help. "First cast out the beam out
15of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

S&H 418:16-21

What‐
ever the belief is, if arguments are used to destroy it,
18the belief must be repudiated, and the negation must ex‐
tend to the supposed disease and to whatever decides its
type and symptoms. Truth is affirmative, and confers
21harmony.

S&H 418:5

Stick to the truth of being in contradistinction to the
6error that life, substance, or intelligence can be in matter.
Christian
pleading Plead with an honest conviction of truth and
a clear perception of the unchanging, unerr‐
9ing, and certain effect of divine Science. Then, if your
fidelity is half equal to the truth of your plea, you will
heal the sick.

From the Christian Science Hymnal:
Hymn 230: "O Love, O Life, our faith and sight"
Hymn 240: "O Spirit, source of light"
Hymn 448: "Lo! they that follow after good"