First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California

Wednesday Meeting Readings

w230104DT
The transforming power of God, Spirit
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
The Bible
  1. Acts 17:22-28 Paul, 30 but, 33

    Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

    23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

    24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

    25Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

    26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

    27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

    28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

    ... but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:

    33So Paul departed from among them.

  2. Acts 25:1-5, 13-15

    1Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days he ascended from Cæsarea to Jerusalem.

    2Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him,

    3And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

    4But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Cæsarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither.

    5Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him.

    ... 13And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto Cæsarea to salute Festus.

    14And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul’s cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix:

    15About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.

  3. Acts 26:1-5, 9-20, 22, 23

    1Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:

    2I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:

    3Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

    4My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;

    5Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

    ... 9I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

    10Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

    11And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

    12Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,

    13At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

    14And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

    15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

    16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

    17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

    18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

    19Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:

    20But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

    ... 22Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

    23That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

  4. Rom. 12:2 be

    be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

  5. Isa. 40:28-31

    28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

    29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

    30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

    31But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

  6. Isa. 41:1, 10

    1Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

    10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

  7. Phil. 3:1 (to 1st .), 13-15

    1Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

    ... 13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

    14I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

    15Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.


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

  1. SH 11:22

    We know that a desire for holiness is Desire for holinessrequisite in order to gain holiness; but if we 24desire holiness above all else, we shall sac-rifice everything for it. We must be willing to do this, that we may walk securely in the only practical road 27to holiness. Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth, nor can prayer alone give us an understanding of Truth; but prayer, coupled with a fervent habitual 30desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us into all Truth. Such a desire has little need of audible expression. It is best expressed in thought and in life.

  2. SH 295:8

    Mortal mind would trans-9form the spiritual into the material, and then recover man’s original self in order to escape from the mortality of this error. Mortals are not like immortals, 12created in God’s own image; but infinite Spirit being all, mortal consciousness will at last yield to the scientific fact and disappear, and the real sense of being, perfect and 15forever intact, will appear.

  3. SH 371:20

        I would not transform the infant at once into a 21man, nor would I keep the suckling a lifelong babe. Mind imparts purity, health, and beautyNo impossible thing do I ask when urging the claims of Christian Science; but because 24this teaching is in advance of the age, we should not deny our need of its spiritual unfoldment. Mankind will improve through Science and Christi -27anity. The necessity for uplifting the race is father to the fact that Mind can do it; for Mind can impart purity instead of impurity, strength instead of weak-30ness, and health instead of disease. Truth is an altera-tive in the entire system, and can make it “every whit whole.”

  4. SH 241:13-14

        The Bible teaches transformation of the body by the renewal of Spirit.

  5. SH 426:5-9, 14-16

        The discoverer of Christian Science finds the path less 6difficult when she has the high goal always before her Our footsteps heavenwardthoughts, than when she counts her footsteps in endeavoring to reach it. When the desti -9nation is desirable, expectation speeds our progress. ... Man should renew his energies and en-15deavors, and see the folly of hypocrisy, while also learn-ing the necessity of working out his own salvation.

  6. SH 371:22-27

    No impossible thing do I ask when urging the claims of Christian Science; but because 24this teaching is in advance of the age, we should not deny our need of its spiritual unfoldment. Mankind will improve through Science and Christi -27anity.

  7. SH 401:7-11, 16

        If faith in the truth of being, which you impart men-tally while destroying error, causes chemicalization (as 9Effect of oppositeswhen an alkali is destroying an acid), it is be-cause the truth of being must transform the error to the end of producing a higher manifestation.

        What I term chemicalization is the upheaval produced when immortal Truth is destroying erroneous mortal be-18lief. Mental chemicalization brings sin and sickness to the surface, forcing impurities to pass away, as is the case with a fermenting fluid.

  8. SH 372:14-15

        When man demonstrates Christian Science absolutely, 15he will be perfect.

  9. SH 253:15-31 (np)

    Knowing the falsity of so-called material sense, you can assert your prerogative to overcome the belief in sin, dis-ease, or death.

    18    If you believe in and practise wrong knowingly, you can at once change your course and do right. Matter can Right endeavor possiblemake no opposition to right endeavors against 21sin or sickness, for matter is inert, mindless. Also, if you believe yourself diseased, you can alter this wrong belief and action without hindrance from 24the body.

        Do not believe in any supposed necessity for sin, dis-ease, or death, knowing (as you ought to know) that God 27never requires obedience to a so-called material law, for no such law exists. The belief in sin and death is de-stroyed by the law of God, which is the law of Life in-30stead of death, of harmony instead of discord, of Spirit instead of the flesh.

        The divine demand, “Be ye therefore perfect,” is sci-254254:1entific, and the human footsteps leading to perfection are indispensable. Individuals are consistent who, watching 3Patience and final perfectionand praying, can “run, and not be weary; . . . walk, and not faint,” who gain good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and 6yield 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 9clothed 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 12our path. Imperfect mortals grasp the ultimate of spir-itual perfection slowly; but to begin aright and to con-tinue the strife of demonstrating the great problem of 15being, is doing much.

        During the sensual ages, absolute Christian Science may not be achieved prior to the change called death, 18for we have not the power to demonstrate what we do not understand. But the human self must be evangel-ized. This task God demands us to accept lovingly 21to-day, and to abandon so fast as practical the material, and to work out the spiritual which determines the out-ward and actual.

    24    If you venture upon the quiet surface of error and are in sympathy with error, what is there to disturb the waters? What is there to strip off error’s disguise?

    27    If you launch your bark upon the ever-agitated but healthful waters of truth, you will encounter storms. The cross and crownYour good will be evil spoken of. This is the 30cross. Take it up and bear it, for through it you win and wear the crown.


From the Christian Science Hymnal
Hymn 42: “Come, Thou all-transforming Spirit”
 Hymn 20: “God is the only perfect One: My perfect self is one with Him”
 Hymn 247: “O walk with God along the road, Your strength He will renew”