First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California
Wednesday Meeting Readings
by Mary Baker Eddy
- SH 581:4
- Ex. 23:20
20¶ Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
- Ps. 91:11 he
he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
- Luke 1:26-31
26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
- Matt. 1:18-25
18¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
- Luke 2:1-14
1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
- Matt. 2:1-3, 8-11 (to :), 12-15 (to :), 19-21 when
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
... 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11¶ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:
12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15And was there until the death of Herod:
when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.
21And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
- Matt. 18:2, 3, 10
2And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
10Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
- Ps. 139:7-10, 17, 18
7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
... 17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
- Rev. 12:7-10
7And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
- Jer. 29:11
11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
- Heb. 13:1, 2
1Let brotherly love continue.
2Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
by Mary Baker Eddy
- SH 513:26-27
- SH 512:8
Spirit is symbolized by strength, presence, and power, 9and also by holy thoughts, winged with Love. These an-Seraphic symbolsgels of His presence, which have the holiest charge, abound in the spiritual atmosphere of 12Mind, and consequently reproduce their own character-istics. Their individual forms we know not, but we do know that their natures are allied to God’s nature; and 15spiritual blessings, thus typified, are the externalized, yet subjective, states of faith and spiritual understanding.
- SH 298:20-17
Spirit-21ual ideas, like numbers and notes, start from Principle, and admit no materialistic beliefs. Spiritual ideas lead up to their divine origin, God, and to the spiritual sense 24of being.
Angels are not etherealized human beings, evolving animal qualities in their wings; but they are celestial 27Thought-angelsvisitants, flying on spiritual, not material, pinions. Angels are pure thoughts from God, winged with Truth and Love, no matter what their indi-30vidualism may be. Human conjecture confers upon angels its own forms of thought, marked with superstitious out-lines, making them human creatures with suggestive 299 299:1feathers; but this is only fancy. It has behind it no more reality than has the sculptor’s thought when he carves 3his “Statue of Liberty,” which embodies his concep-tion of an unseen quality or condition, but which has no physical antecedent reality save in the artist’s own ob-6servation and “chambers of imagery.”
My angels are exalted thoughts, appearing at the door of some sepulchre, in which human belief has buried 9Our angelic messengersits fondest earthly hopes. With white fin-gers they point upward to a new and glo-rified trust, to higher ideals of life and its joys. Angels 12are God’s representatives. These upward-soaring beings never lead towards self, sin, or materiality, but guide to the divine Principle of all good, whither every real indi-15viduality, image, or likeness of God, gathers. By giving earnest heed to these spiritual guides they tarry with us, and we entertain “angels unawares.”
- SH 501:10-13
- SH 482:19
Jesus was the highest human concept of the perfect man. He was inseparable from 21Christ, the Messiah, — the divine idea of God outside the flesh. This enabled Jesus to demonstrate his con-trol over matter. Angels announced to the Wisemen of 24old this dual appearing, and angels whisper it, through faith, to the hungering heart in every age.
- SH 337:14 Christian
- SH 566:25-8
Revelation xii. 7, 8. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the 27dragon fought, and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
The Old Testament assigns to the angels, God’s divine 30Angelic officesmessages, different offices. Michael’s charac-teristic is spiritual strength. He leads the hosts of heaven against the power of sin, Satan, and 567 567:1fights the holy wars. Gabriel has the more quiet task of imparting a sense of the ever-presence of ministering 3Love. These angels deliver us from the depths. Truth and Love come nearer in the hour of woe, when strong faith or spiritual strength wrestles and prevails through 6the understanding of God. The Gabriel of His presence has no contests. To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness, nor death.
- SH 558:1-16
St. John writes, in the tenth chapter of his book of Revelation: —
3 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of 6fire: and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.
9 This angel or message which comes from God, clothed with a cloud, prefigures divine Science. To mortal sense The new EvangelScience seems at first obscure, abstract, and 12dark; but a bright promise crowns its brow. When understood, it is Truth’s prism and praise. When you look it fairly in the face, you can heal by its means, 15and it has for you a light above the sun, for God “is the light thereof.”
- SH 548:12
Earth has little light or joy for mortals before Life is spiritually learned. Every agony of mortal error helps error to destroy error, and so aids the apprehension 15of immortal Truth. This is the new birth going on hourly, by which men may entertain angels, the true ideas of God, the spiritual sense of being.
- SH 174:9-14
- SH 574:27-30
- SH 323:6
Through the wholesome chastisements of Love, we are helped onward in the march towards righteousness, A bright outlookpeace, and purity, which are the landmarks 9of Science. Beholding the infinite tasks of truth, we pause, — wait on God. Then we push onward, until boundless thought walks enraptured, and concep-12tion unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory.
- SH 372:14-17
Hymn 9: “Glory be to God most high, and on the earth be peace”
Hymn 11: “Angels at the saviour's birth Woke with music all the earth”
Hymn 158: “It came upon a midnight clear, That glorious song of old”
