First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California
Wednesday Meeting Readings
- Prov. 30:5
5Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
- Ruth 2:1-12 Naomi
Naomi had a kinsman of her husband’s, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.
2And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.
3And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.
4¶ And, behold, Boaz came from Beth–lehem, and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered him, The Lord bless thee.
5Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers, Whose damsel is this?
6And the servant that was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the Moabitish damsel that came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab:
7And she said, I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves: so she came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house.
8Then said Boaz unto Ruth, Hearest thou not, my daughter? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens:
9Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them: have I not charged the young men that they shall not touch thee? and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that which the young men have drawn.
10Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?
11And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore.
12The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
- II Sam. 22:31-33
31As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
32For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?
33God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect.
- Mark 10:17-27
17¶ And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23¶ And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
27And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
- I Tim. 6:6-12 godliness, 17-19
godliness with contentment is great gain.
7For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
9But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
... 17Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
- SH 444:10
- SH 529:27
- SH 487:27-11
The understanding that Life is God, Spirit, lengthens our days by strengthening our trust in the deathless reality of Life, its almightiness and immortality.
30 This faith relies upon an understood Principle. This Principle makes whole the diseased, and brings out the 488 488:1enduring and harmonious phases of things. The result of our teachings is their sufficient confirmation. When, 3Confirmation by healingon the strength of these instructions, you are able to banish a severe malady, the cure shows that you understand this teaching, and therefore you re-6ceive the blessing of Truth.
The Hebrew and Greek words often translated belief differ somewhat in meaning from that conveyed by the 9Belief and firm trustEnglish verb believe; they have more the sig -nificance of faith, understanding, trust, con-stancy, firmness.
- SH 23:32-2
- SH 582:1-2
- SH 579:10-14
- SH 495:16
Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and 18calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not. Let Christian Science, 21instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence dis-24cord with harmony.
- SH 417:3-5
- SH 567:3-6 Truth
- SH 454:29-16
The superiority of spir-30itual power over sensuous is the central point of Chris-tian Science. Remember that the letter and mental argument are only human auxiliaries to aid in bringing 455 455:1thought into accord with the spirit of Truth and Love, which heals the sick and the sinner.
3 A mental state of self-condemnation and guilt or a faltering and doubting trust in Truth are unsuitable Weakness and guiltconditions for healing the sick. Such mental 6states indicate weakness instead of strength. Hence the necessity of being right yourself in order to teach this Science of healing. 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.”
- SH 234:3
If we trust matter, we distrust Spirit.
- SH 21:1-5
- SH 20:14-32
Jesus bore our infirmities; he knew the error of mortal 15belief, and “with his stripes [the rejection of error] we are Perfect examplehealed.” “Despised and rejected of men,” returning blessing for cursing, he taught mor-18tals the opposite of themselves, even the nature of God; and when error felt the power of Truth, the scourge and the cross awaited the great Teacher. Yet he swerved not, 21well knowing that to obey the divine order and trust God, saves retracing and traversing anew the path from sin to holiness.
24 Material belief is slow to acknowledge what the spiritual fact implies. The truth is the centre of all Behest of the crossreligion. It commands sure entrance into 27the realm of Love. St. Paul wrote, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that 30is set before us;” that is, let us put aside material self and sense, and seek the divine Principle and Science of all healing.
- SH xi:1
Many imagine that the phenomena of physical heal-ing in Christian Science present only a phase of the 3action of the human mind, which action in some unex-plained way results in the cure of disease. On the con-trary, Christian Science rationally explains that all 6other pathological methods are the fruits of human faith in matter, — faith in the workings, not of Spirit, but of the fleshly mind which must yield to Science.
- SH x:19
- SH 1:1-4
- SH 16:1-4
- SH 23:21
In Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English, faith and the words corresponding thereto have these two defini-Self-reliance and confidencetions, trustfulness and trustworthiness. One 24kind of faith trusts one’s welfare to others. Another kind of faith understands divine Love and how to work out one’s “own salvation, with fear and trem-27bling.” “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!” expresses the helplessness of a blind faith; whereas the injunction, “Believe . . . and thou shalt be saved!” 30demands self-reliant trustworthiness, which includes spir-itual understanding and confides all to God.
- SH 288:3-18
The suppositional warfare between truth and error is only the mental conflict between the evidence of the spir-The great conflictitual senses and the testimony of the material 6senses, and this warfare between the Spirit and flesh will settle all questions through faith in and the un-derstanding of divine Love.
9 Superstition and understanding can never combine. When the final physical and moral effects of Christian Science are fully apprehended, the conflict between truth 12and error, understanding and belief, Science and material sense, foreshadowed by the prophets and inaugurated by Jesus, will cease, and spiritual harmony reign. The 15lightnings and thunderbolts of error may burst and flash till the cloud is cleared and the tumult dies away in the distance. Then the raindrops of divinity refresh the 18earth.
Hymn 203: “...We shall not falter by the way If we but place our trust in Thee”
Hymn 332: “So hear and heed His faithful Word, and trust His promise long”
Hymn 359: “Trust the Eternal when the shadows gather”