First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California
Wednesday Meeting Readings
- Ps. 37:3, 4
3Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
- I Sam. 1:1 there (to 3rd ,), 2, 3 (to 1st .), 4, 5 (to :), 10, 11, 13-17, 20
there was a certain man of Ramathaim–zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah,
... 2And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh.
4¶ And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
5But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah:
10And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.
11And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
... 13Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
14And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.
16Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
17Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
20Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.
- John 14:8-10
8Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
- John 15:1-12, 14-16, 26
1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
... 14Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
... 26But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
- John 16:12, 13, 20, 21, 22 3rd and
12I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
... 20Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
21A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
... and your joy no man taketh from you.
- Matt. 21:22 whatsoever
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
- SH 1:10
- SH 2:8, 26-28 Shall
God is not moved by the breath of praise to do more 9than He has already done, nor can the infinite do less Deity unchangeablethan bestow all good, since He is unchang-ing wisdom and Love. We can do more for 12ourselves by humble fervent petitions, but the All-lov-ing does not grant them simply on the ground of lip-service, for He already knows all.
Shall 27we plead for more at the open fount, which is pour-ing forth more than we accept?
- SH 3:22
- SH 7:23
- SH 12:31-19
In divine Science, where prayers are mental, all may avail them-1313:1selves of God as “a very present help in trouble.” Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and 3bestowals. It is the open fount which cries, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.”
In public prayer we often go beyond our convictions, 6beyond the honest standpoint of fervent desire. If we Public exaggerationsare not secretly yearning and openly striv-ing for the accomplishment of all we ask, 9our prayers are “vain repetitions,” such as the heathen use. If our petitions are sincere, we labor for what we ask; and our Father, who seeth in secret, will reward 12us openly. Can the mere public expression of our de-sires increase them? Do we gain the omnipotent ear sooner by words than by thoughts? Even if prayer is 15sincere, God knows our need before we tell Him or our fellow-beings about it. If we cherish the desire hon-estly and silently and humbly, God will bless it, and 18we shall incur less risk of overwhelming our real wishes with a torrent of words.
- SH 14:1-2
- SH 224:22
A higher and more practical Christianity, demonstrat-ing justice and meeting the needs of mortals in sickness 24and in health, stands at the door of this age, knocking for admission. Will you open or close the door upon this angel visitant, who cometh in the quiet of meekness, as he 27came of old to the patriarch at noonday?
- SH 123:16-29
The term Christian Science was introduced by the author to designate the scientific system of divine 18healing.
The revelation consists of two parts:
1. The discovery of this divine Science of Mind-21healing, through a spiritual sense of the Scriptures and through the teachings of the Comforter, as promised by the Master.
24 2. The proof, by present demonstration, that the so-called miracles of Jesus did not specially belong to a dispensation now ended, but that they illustrated an 27ever-operative divine Principle. The operation of this Principle indicates the eternality of the scientific order and continuity of being.
- SH 55:27
- SH 412:13-14
- SH 231:12-25
If God makes sin, if good produces evil, if truth results in error, then Science and Christianity are helpless; but there are no antagonistic powers nor laws, spiritual or 15material, creating and governing man through perpetual warfare. God is not the author of mortal discords. Therefore we accept the conclusion that discords have 18only a fabulous existence, are mortal beliefs which divine Truth and Love destroy.
To hold yourself superior to sin, because God made 21you superior to it and governs man, is true wisdom. To Superiority to sickness and sinfear sin is to misunderstand the power of Love and the divine Science of being in man’s rela-24tion to God, — to doubt His government and distrust His omnipotent care.
- SH 232:7
- SH 233:22
- SH 490:6-18 Christian
Chris-tian Science reveals Truth and Love as the motive-powers of man. Will — blind, stubborn, and head-9long — cooperates with appetite and passion. From this cooperation arises its evil. From this also comes its pow-erlessness, since all power belongs to God, good.
12 The Science of Mind needs to be understood. Until it is understood, mortals are more or less deprived of Theories helplessTruth. Human theories are helpless to make 15man harmonious or immortal, since he is so already, according to Christian Science. Our only need is to know this and reduce to practice the real man’s di-18vine Principle, Love.
- SH 494:5-11
Is it not a species of infidelity to believe that so great 6a work as the Messiah’s was done for himself or for God, Inexhaustible divine Lovewho needed no help from Jesus’ example to preserve the eternal harmony? But mortals 9did need this help, and Jesus pointed the way for them. Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.
Hymn 422: “...Blot out all fear, let Thy light shine With tender warmth on all our need”
Hymn 598: “Where you're going, Love will lead you”
Hymn 134: “I look to Thee in every need, And never look in vain”