First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge

Wednesday Meeting Readings

s220601
Healing only through the power of God
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
The Bible
  1. Mark 6:34 Jesus

    Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.

  2. Mark 7:1, 2, 5 (to 2nd ,), 6-9, 13 (to ,), 14, 16, 24-30

    1Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

    2And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

    ... 5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders,

    ... 6He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

    7Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

    8For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

    9And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

    ... 13Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition,

    14And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

    ... 16If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

    24And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid.

    25For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

    26The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

    27But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

    28And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.

    29And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

    30And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

  3. Luke 7:1-16

    1Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

    2And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

    3And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

    4And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:

    5For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

    6Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

    7Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

    8For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

    9When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

    10And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.

    11And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.

    12Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

    13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

    14And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

    15And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

    16And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

  4. Mark 5:1-15 (to :), 18-20

    1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

    2And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

    3Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

    4Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

    5And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

    6But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

    7And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

    8For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

    9And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

    10And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

    11Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

    12And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

    13And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

    14And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

    15And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind:

    ... 18And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

    19Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

    20And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.


Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
  1. SH 143:5-8

        It is plain that God does not employ drugs or hygiene, 6nor provide them for human use; else Jesus would have Methods rejectedrecommended and employed them in his heal-ing.

  2. SH 147:32

        Jesus never spoke of disease as dangerous or as difficult 148 148:1to heal. When his students brought to him a case they had failed to heal, he said to them, “O faithless gen-3Jesus’ own practiceeration,” implying that the requisite power to heal was in Mind. He prescribed no drugs, urged no obedience to material laws, but acted in direct 6disobedience to them.

  3. SH 182:12-4

    It is impossible to work from two standpoints. If we attempt it, we shall presently “hold to the one, and despise the other.”

    15    The hypotheses of mortals are antagonistic to Science and cannot mix with it. This is clear to those who heal the sick on the basis of Science.

    18    Mind’s government of the body must supersede the so-called laws of matter. Obedience to material law pre-No material lawvents full obedience to spiritual law, — the law 21which overcomes material conditions and puts matter under the feet of Mind. Mortals entreat the di-vine Mind to heal the sick, and forthwith shut out the aid 24of Mind by using material means, thus working against themselves and their prayers and denying man’s God-given ability to demonstrate Mind’s sacred power. Pleas 27for drugs and laws of health come from some sad incident, or else from ignorance of Christian Science and its tran-scendent power.

    30    To admit that sickness is a condition over which God has no control, is to presuppose that omnipotent power is powerless on some occasions. The law of Christ, or 183 183:1Truth, makes all things possible to Spirit; but the so-called laws of matter would render Spirit of no avail, and 3demand obedience to materialistic codes, thus departing from the basis of one God, one lawmaker.

  4. SH 251:15

        We must learn how mankind govern the body, — whether through faith in hygiene, in drugs, or in will-Mortal mind’s disappearancepower. We should learn whether they govern 18the body through a belief in the necessity of sickness and death, sin and pardon, or govern it from the higher understanding that the divine Mind 21 makes perfect, acts upon the so-called human mind through truth, leads the human mind to relinquish all error, to find the divine Mind to be the only Mind, 24and the healer of sin, disease, death. This process of higher spiritual understanding improves mankind until error disappears, and nothing is left which deserves to 27perish or to be punished.

  5. SH 183:16

        The supposed laws which result in weariness and dis-ease are not His laws, for the legitimate and only possible 18Laws of nature spiritualaction of Truth is the production of harmony. Laws of nature are laws of Spirit; but mortals commonly recognize as law that which hides the power of 21Spirit. Divine Mind rightly demands man’s entire obe-dience, affection, and strength. No reservation is made for any lesser loyalty. Obedience to Truth gives man 24power and strength. Submission to error superinduces loss of power.

  6. SH 145:8-24

        The struggle for the recovery of invalids goes on, not 9between material methods, but between mortal minds The struggle and victoryand immortal Mind. The victory will be on the patient’s side only as immortal Mind 12 through Christ, Truth, subdues the human belief in disease. It matters not what material method one may adopt, whether faith in drugs, trust in hygiene, or reliance 15on some other minor curative.

        Scientific healing has this advantage over other meth-ods, — that in it Truth controls error. From this fact 18Mystery of godlinessarise its ethical as well as its physical ef-fects. Indeed, its ethical and physical effects are indissolubly connected. If there is any mystery 21in Christian healing, it is the mystery which godliness always presents to the ungodly, — the mystery always arising from ignorance of the laws of eternal and unerr-24ing Mind.

  7. SH 180:25-2

        When man is governed by God, the ever-present Mind who understands all things, man knows that with 27God all things are possible. The only way to this living Truth, which heals the sick, is found in the Science of divine Mind as taught and demonstrated by Christ 30Jesus.

        To reduce inflammation, dissolve a tumor, or cure or-ganic disease, I have found divine Truth more potent than 181 181:1all lower remedies. And why not, since Mind, God, is the source and condition of all existence?

  8. SH 181:9, 25, 30

        When you manipulate patients, you trust in electricity Manipulation unscientificand magnetism more than in Truth; and for that reason, you employ matter rather than 12Mind. You weaken or destroy your power when you re-sort to any except spiritual means.

    It is unnecessary to resort to aught besides Mind in order to satisfy the sick that you are doing some-27thing for them, for if they are cured, they generally know it and are satisfied.

    If you have more faith in drugs than in Truth, this faith will incline you to the side of matter and error. Any hypnotic power you may exercise will diminish your 182 182:1ability to become a Scientist, and vice versa. The act of healing the sick through divine Mind alone, of casting 3out error with Truth, shows your position as a Christian Scientist.

  9. SH 79:1-9

        The act of describing disease — its symptoms, locality, and fatality — is not scientific. Warning people against 3Thought regarding deathdeath is an error that tends to frighten into death those who are ignorant of Life as God. Thousands of instances could be cited of health restored 6by changing the patient’s thoughts regarding death.

        A scientific mental method is more sanitary than the use of drugs, and such a mental method produces perma-9Fallacious hypothesesnent health.

  10. SH 157:16-12

        If drugs are part of God’s creation, which (according to the narrative in Genesis) He pronounced good, then 18Drugging unchristiandrugs cannot be poisonous. If He could cre-ate drugs intrinsically bad, then they should never be used. If He creates drugs at all and designs 21them for medical use, why did Jesus not employ them and recommend them for the treatment of disease? Matter is not self-creative, for it is unintelligent. Erring 24mortal mind confers the power which the drug seems to possess.

        Narcotics quiet mortal mind, and so relieve the body; 27but they leave both mind and body worse for this sub-mission. Christian Science impresses the entire corpore-ality, — namely, mind and body, — and brings out the 30proof that Life is continuous and harmonious. Science both neutralizes error and destroys it. Mankind is the better for this spiritual and profound pathology.

    158

    158:1    It is recorded that the profession of medicine originated in idolatry with pagan priests, who besought the gods to 3Mythology and materia medicaheal the sick and designated Apollo as “the god of medicine.” He was supposed to have dic -tated the first prescription, according to the 6“History of Four Thousand Years of Medicine.” It is here noticeable that Apollo was also regarded as the sender of disease, “the god of pestilence.” Hippocrates turned 9from image-gods to vegetable and mineral drugs for heal-ing. This was deemed progress in medicine; but what we need is the truth which heals both mind and 12body.

  11. SH 143:26-5

        Mind is the grand creator, and there can be no power 27except that which is derived from Mind. If Mind was Impossible coalescencefirst chronologically, is first potentially, and must be first eternally, then give to Mind the 30glory, honor, dominion, and power everlastingly due its holy name. Inferior and unspiritual methods of healing may try to make Mind and drugs coalesce, but the two will 144 144:1not mingle scientifically. Why should we wish to make them do so, since no good can come of it?

    3    If Mind is foremost and superior, let us rely upon Mind, which needs no cooperation from lower powers, even if these so-called powers are real.


From the Christian Science Hymnal:
Hymn 221: “Today Christ's precious Science Your healing power makes plain”
Hymn 600: “Who was that man in Galilee, Healing and teaching beside the sea?”
Hymn 589: “Through pure love, God has commanded Healing light to shine on earth”