First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California
Wednesday Meeting Readings
- Mark 13:37 what
what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
- Hab. 2:1-3
1I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
- Neh. 2:5, 6 So, 12 (to ;), 16 (to ;), 18
5And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
... So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
12¶ And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me;
... 16And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did;
18Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
- Neh. 4:6-9, 11, 13, 17, 18 (to 1st .)
6So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
7¶ But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,
8And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.
9Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
11And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
13¶ Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
... 17They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded.
- Neh. 6:2-4 Sanballat, 15
Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
3And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
4Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
15¶ So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.
- Luke 12:35-40
35Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
- Luke 14:2-6
2And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
6And they could not answer him again to these things.
- II Tim. 3:1, 2, 9 (to :), 12 all, 14, 17
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
... 9But they shall proceed no further:
... all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
... 14But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
... 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
- Isa. 12:2 (to :), 3, 5 (to :)
2Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid:
... 3Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
... 5Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things:
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
- SH 4:12-13, 17-22
The habitual struggle to be always good is unceas-ing prayer.
Simply asking that we may love God will never 18make us love Him; but the longing to be better Watchfulness requisiteand holier, expressed in daily watchful-ness and in striving to assimilate more of 21the divine character, will mould and fashion us anew, until we awake in His likeness.
- SH 15:16
In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must 18deny sin and plead God’s allness. We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We 21must “pray without ceasing.” Such prayer is an-swered, in so far as we put our desires into practice. The Master’s injunction is, that we pray in secret and 24let our lives attest our sincerity.
- SH 324:13
Be watchful, sober, and vigilant. The way is straight and narrow, which leads to the understanding that God 15is the only Life. It is a warfare with the flesh, in which we must conquer sin, sickness, and death, either here or hereafter, — certainly before we can reach the goal 18of Spirit, or life in God.
- SH 254:2-8, 10
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. ... 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.
- SH 225:1 What, 8
What is it that binds man with iron shackles to sin, sickness, and death? Whatever enslaves 3man is opposed to the divine government. Truth makes man free.
The powers of this world will fight, 9and will command their sentinels not to let truth pass the guard until it subscribes to their systems; but Science, heeding not the pointed bayonet, marches on. There is 12always some tumult, but there is a rallying to truth’s standard.
- SH 377:19-23
- SH 411:32
If you succeed in wholly removing the fear, 412 412:1your patient is healed. The great fact that God lovingly governs all, never punishing aught but sin, is your stand-3point, from which to advance and destroy the human fear of sickness. Mentally and silently plead the case scien-tifically for Truth. You may vary the arguments to meet 6the peculiar or general symptoms of the case you treat, but be thoroughly persuaded in your own mind concern-ing the truth which you think or speak, and you will be 9the victor.
- SH 134:28
- SH 218:24
- SH 400:18, 26-28
- SH 446:20-25
- SH 273:29-1
- SH 514:14-18, 26-5
In the figurative transmission from the 15divine thought to the human, diligence, promptness, and perseverance are likened to “the cattle upon a thousand hills.” They carry the baggage of stern resolve, and 18keep pace with highest purpose.
Understanding the control which Love held over all, 27Daniel felt safe in the lions’ den, and Paul proved the Creatures of God usefulviper to be harmless. All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harm-30less, useful, indestructible. A realization of this grand verity was a source of strength to the ancient worthies. 515 515:1It supports Christian healing, and enables its possessor to emulate the example of Jesus. “And God saw that 3it was good.”
Patience is symbolized by the tireless worm, creeping over lofty summits, persevering in its intent.
- SH 393:12-21
Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on 15man.
Be firm in your understanding that the divine Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God’s govern-18No pain in matterment. Have no fear that matter can ache, swell, and be inflamed as the result of a law of any kind, when it is self-evident that matter can have 21no pain nor inflammation.
- SH 326:12, 20-21
Hymn 213: “O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for time to come”
Hymn 332: “…We need a sacred watchfulness, An earnest deep desire for grace, Our lives with true content to fill”
Hymn 33: “…He shall charge His angel legions watch and ward o'er thee to keep”