First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California
Wednesday Meeting Readings
- Luke 8:40 it
it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
- Luke 12:1-4, 6, 7
1In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
3Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
4And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
... 6Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
- Luke 15:11-32
11¶ And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
25Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.
26And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.
29And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
30But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
31And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
32It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
- Prov. 20:21 (to ;), 22 but
21An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning;
... but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.
- Ps. 38:15, 18, 21, 22
15For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
... 18For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
... 21Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.
22Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
- Ps. 51:2-4, 6-9, 11-17
2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
... 6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
... 11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
- Ps. 32:1, 5 (to 2nd .), 6, 7 (to 1st .), 8, 10
1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
... 5I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
... 6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
... 8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
... 10Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
- SH 497:9 We
- SH 339:1 The
The destruction of sin is the divine method of pardon. Divine Life destroys death, Truth destroys 3Divine pardonerror, and Love destroys hate. Being de-stroyed, sin needs no other form of forgiveness. Does not God’s pardon, destroying any one sin, prophesy 6and involve the final destruction of all sin?
- SH 22:3-22
Vibrating like a pendulum between sin and the hope of forgiveness, — selfishness and sensuality causing con-Moral retrogressionstant retrogression, — our moral progress will 6be slow. Waking to Christ’s demand, mortals experience suffering. This causes them, even as drown-ing men, to make vigorous efforts to save themselves; and 9through Christ’s precious love these efforts are crowned with success.
“Work out your own salvation,” is the demand of 12Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you. Wait for reward“Occupy till I come!” Wait for your re-ward, and “be not weary in well doing.” If 15your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race.
18 When the smoke of battle clears away, you will dis-cern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving. Love is not hasty to deliver us from 21temptation, for Love means that we shall be tried and purified.
- SH 10:22-18
Experience teaches us that we do not always receive the blessings we ask for in prayer. There is some mis-24Asking amissapprehension of the source and means of all goodness and blessedness, or we should certainly receive that for which we ask. The Scrip-27tures say: “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” That which we desire and for which we ask, it is not always 30best for us to receive. In this case infinite Love will not grant the request. Do you ask wisdom to be mer-ciful and not to punish sin? Then “ye ask amiss.” 11 11:1Without punishment, sin would multiply. Jesus’ prayer, “Forgive us our debts,” specified also the terms of 3forgiveness. When forgiving the adulterous woman he said, “Go, and sin no more.”
A magistrate sometimes remits the penalty, but this 6may be no moral benefit to the criminal, and at best, it Remission of penaltyonly saves the criminal from one form of punishment. The moral law, which has the 9right to acquit or condemn, always demands restitu-tion before mortals can “go up higher.” Broken law brings penalty in order to compel this progress.
12 Mere legal pardon (and there is no other, for divine Principle never pardons our sins or mistakes till they Truth annihilates errorare corrected) leaves the offender free to re-15peat the offence, if indeed, he has not already suffered sufficiently from vice to make him turn from it with loathing. Truth bestows no pardon upon error, but 18wipes it out in the most effectual manner.
- 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.
- SH 575:13-16 Spiritual
- SH 6:3-5
- SH 467:29
Reasoning from cause to effect in the Science of Mind, 30Sinlessness of Mind, Soulwe begin with Mind, which must be under-stood through the idea which expresses it and cannot be learned from its opposite, matter. Thus we 468 468:1arrive at Truth, or intelligence, which evolves its own unerring idea and never can be coordinate with human 3illusions. If Soul sinned, it would be mortal, for sin is mortality’s self, because it kills itself. If Truth is im-mortal, error must be mortal, because error is unlike 6Truth. Because Soul is immortal, Soul cannot sin, for sin is not the eternal verity of being.
- SH 339:25
The basis of all health, sin-lessness, and immortality is the great fact that God is 27the only Mind; and this Mind must be not merely be-lieved, but it must be understood. To get rid of sin through Science, is to divest sin of any supposed mind 30or reality, and never to admit that sin can have intelli-gence or power, pain or pleasure. You conquer error by denying its verity. Our various theories will never lose 340 340:1their imaginary power for good or evil, until we lose our faith in them and make life its own proof of harmony 3and God.
- SH 201:20-5
- SH 17:6
Hymn 7: “...Sin hath no power and life no wretchedness”
Hymn 555: “...Love is kind and forgiving”
Hymn 330: “...Whose goodness faileth never”