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

Wednesday Meeting Readings

w240605DT
Are we material or spiritual?
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
The Bible
  1. Gen. 1:26 God (to :), 27, 28 (to 1st ,), 31 (to 1st .)

    God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:

    ... 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

    28And God blessed them,

    31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

  2. Ps. 119:18, 45

    18Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

    45And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

  3. John 11:1, 3, 4, 11, 14, 15, 17, 21-27, 37-45

    1Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

    ... 3Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

    4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

    ... 11These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

    ... 14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

    15And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

    ... 17Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

    ... 21Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

    22But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.

    23Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

    24Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

    25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

    26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

    27She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

    ... 37And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

    38Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

    39Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

    40Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

    41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

    42And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

    43And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

    44And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

    45Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.

  4. John 12:1, 2, 9, 17, 18, 20-22, 26-32, 34-44 (to 2nd ,), 45-50 (to :)

    1Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

    2There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

    ... 9Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.

    17The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.

    18For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.

    20And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

    21The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

    22Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

    26If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

    27Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

    28Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

    29The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

    30Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

    31Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

    32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

    ... 34The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

    35Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

    36While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

    37But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

    38That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

    39Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

    40He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

    41These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

    42Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

    43For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

    44Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me,

    45And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

    46I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

    47And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

    48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

    49For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

    50And I know that his commandment is life everlasting:


Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
  1. SH 299:18-30

        Knowledge gained from material sense is figuratively represented in Scripture as a tree, bearing the fruits of Knowledge and Truthsin, sickness, and death. Ought we not then 21to judge the knowledge thus obtained to be untrue and dangerous, since “the tree is known by his fruit”?

    24    Truth never destroys God’s idea. Truth is spiritual, eternal substance, which cannot destroy the right reflec-tion. Corporeal sense, or error, may seem to hide Truth, 27health, harmony, and Science, as the mist obscures the sun or the mountain; but Science, the sunshine of Truth, will melt away the shadow and reveal the celestial 30peaks.

  2. SH 300:1-12

    Human logic is awry when it attempts to draw correct spiritual conclusions regarding life from 3Old and new manmatter. Finite sense has no true apprecia-tion of infinite Principle, God, or of His infi-nite image or reflection, man. The mirage, which makes 6trees and cities seem to be where they are not, illustrates the illusion of material man, who cannot be the image of God.

    9    So far as the scientific statement as to man is under-stood, it can be proved and will bring to light the true reflection of God — the real man, or the new man (as 12St. Paul has it).

  3. SH 69:2-5

    The scientific fact that man and the universe 3are evolved from Spirit, and so are spiritual, is as fixed in divine Science as is the proof that mortals gain the sense of health only as they lose the sense of sin and disease.

  4. SH 67:28-8

    Man delivered from sin, disease, and death presents the true likeness or spiritual ideal.

    30    Systems of religion and medicine treat of physical pains and pleasures, but Jesus rebuked the suffering from any such cause or effect. The epoch approaches when the 68 68:1understanding of the truth of being will be the basis of true religion. At present mortals progress slowly for 3Basis of true religionfear of being thought ridiculous. They are slaves to fashion, pride, and sense. Some-time we shall learn how Spirit, the great architect, has 6created men and women in Science. We ought to weary of the fleeting and false and to cherish nothing which hinders our highest selfhood.

  5. SH 70:1-8

    Mortal existence is an enigma. Every day is a mystery. The testimony of the corporeal senses 3cannot inform us what is real and what is delusive, but the revelations of Christian Science unlock the treasures The infinite one Spiritof Truth. Whatever is false or sinful can 6never enter the atmosphere of Spirit. There is but one Spirit. Man is never God, but spiritual man, made in God’s likeness, reflects God.

  6. SH 71:1-2 (to 1st .), 5

        Nothing is real and eternal, — nothing is Spirit, — but God and His idea.

        The identity, or idea, of all reality continues forever; 6but Spirit, or the divine Principle of all, is not in Spirit’s formations. Soul is synonymous with Spirit, God, the creative, governing, infinite Principle outside of finite form, 9which forms only reflect.

  7. SH 76:6, 22-29

        When being is understood, Life will be recognized as neither material nor finite, but as infinite, — as God, Real Life is Goduniversal good; and the belief that life, or 9mind, was ever in a finite form, or good in evil, will be destroyed. Then it will be understood that Spirit never entered matter and was therefore never 12raised from matter. When advanced to spiritual being and the understanding of God, man can no longer com-mune with matter; neither can he return to it, any more 15than a tree can return to its seed. Neither will man seem to be corporeal, but he will be an individual conscious-ness, characterized by the divine Spirit as idea, not matter.

        The sinless joy, — the perfect harmony and immortality of Life, possessing unlimited divine beauty and goodness 24Immaterial pleasurewithout a single bodily pleasure or pain, — constitutes the only veritable, indestructible man, whose being is spiritual. This state of existence 27is scientific and intact, — a perfection discernible only by those who have the final understanding of Christ in divine Science.

  8. SH 94:1-6

        Jesus taught but one God, one Spirit, who makes man in the image and likeness of Himself, — of Spirit, not of 3Scientific manmatter. Man reflects infinite Truth, Life, and Love. The nature of man, thus understood, includes all that is implied by the terms “image” and 6“likeness” as used in Scripture.

  9. SH 475:6

    Answer. — Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements. The Fleshly factors unrealScriptures inform us that man is made in 9the image and likeness of God. Matter is not that likeness. The likeness of Spirit cannot be so unlike Spirit. Man is spiritual and perfect; and be-12cause he is spiritual and perfect, he must be so under-stood in Christian Science. Man is idea, the image, of Love; he is not physique. He is the compound idea of 15God, including all right ideas; the generic term for all that reflects God’s image and likeness; the conscious identity of being as found in Science, in which man is 18the reflection of God, or Mind, and therefore is eternal; that which has no separate mind from God; that which has not a single quality underived from Deity; that which 21possesses no life, intelligence, nor creative power of his own, but reflects spiritually all that belongs to his Maker.

From the Christian Science Hymnal
Hymn 467: “...Man is the noblest work of God”
Hymn 406: “...Man is the child of God”
Hymn 482: “God created us in His own image”