First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge
Wednesday Meeting Readings
- Ps 23:1-6
1The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
- I Sam 17:1-5, 10-12, 15, 20, 32-35, 37-43, 45, 47-50
1Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes–dammim.
2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4¶ And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
10And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
11When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
12¶ Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth–lehem–judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.
15But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth–lehem.
20¶ And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
32¶ And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
... 37David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
38¶ And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
39And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
41And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
43And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
45Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
... 47And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.
48And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
- Ezek 34:12-16 (to :), 23, 30, 31
12As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
16I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick:
23And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
... 30Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God.
31And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
- John 10:1-7
1Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
- Heb 13:20, 21
20Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
21Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
- vii:2
vii:1The wakeful shepherd beholds 3the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance of a risen day. So shone the pale star to the prophet-shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where, in 6cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human herald of Christ, Truth, who would make plain to be-nighted understanding the way of salvation through Christ 9Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morn-ing beams and shine the guiding star of being. The Wise-men were led to behold and to follow this daystar of 12divine Science, lighting the way to eternal harmony.
- 62:20
We must not attribute more and more intelligence 21to matter, but less and less, if we would be wise and The Mind creativehealthy. The divine Mind, which forms the bud and blossom, will care for the human 24body, even as it clothes the lily; but let no mortal inter-fere with God’s government by thrusting in the laws of erring, human concepts.
- 66:11
- 428:30
30 The author has healed hopeless organic disease, and raised the dying to life and health through the under-standing of God as the only Life. It is a sin to believe 429 429:1that aught can overpower omnipotent and eternal Life, and this Life must be brought to light by the understand-3Careful guidanceing that there is no death, as well as by other graces of Spirit. We must begin, however, with the more simple demonstrations of control, and 6the sooner we begin the better. The final demonstration takes time for its accomplishment. When walking, we are guided by the eye. We look before our feet, and if 9we are wise, we look beyond a single step in the line of spiritual advancement.
- 566:1
566:1 As the children of Israel were guided triumphantly through the Red Sea, the dark ebbing and flowing tides 3Spiritual guidanceof human fear, — as they were led through the wilderness, walking wearily through the great desert of human hopes, and anticipating the promised 6joy, — so shall the spiritual idea guide all right desires in their passage from sense to Soul, from a material sense of existence to the spiritual, up to the glory prepared for 9them who love God. Stately Science pauses not, but moves before them, a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night, leading to divine heights.
- 514:10-30
Moral courage is “the lion of the tribe of Juda,” the king of the mental realm. Free and fearless it roams in 12Qualities of thoughtthe forest. Undisturbed it lies in the open field, or rests in “green pastures, . . . beside the still waters.” 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. Tenderness accompa-nies all the might imparted by Spirit. The individ-uality created by God is not carnivorous, as witness the 21millennial estate pictured by Isaiah: — The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, And the leopard shall lie down with the kid; 24And the calf and the young lion, and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.
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.
- 268:1
268:1In the material world, thought has brought to light with great rapidity many useful wonders. With 3like activity have thought’s swift pinions been rising Materialistic challengetowards the realm of the real, to the spiritual cause of those lower things which give im-6pulse to inquiry. Belief in a material basis, from which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from 9matter to Mind as the cause of every effect. Material-istic hypotheses challenge metaphysics to meet in final combat. In this revolutionary period, like the shep-12herd-boy with his sling, woman goes forth to battle with Goliath.
- 577:32-18
In the following Psalm one word shows, though faintly, 578 578:1the light which Christian Science throws on the Scriptures by substituting for the corporeal sense, the incorporeal 3or spiritual sense of Deity: —
[Divine love] is my shepherd; I shall not want.
6 [Love] maketh me to lie down in green pastures: [love] leadeth me beside the still waters.
[Love] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense]: [love] lead-9eth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for [love] is with me; [love’s] 12rod and [love’s] staff they comfort me.
[Love] prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: [love] anointeth my head with oil; my cup 15runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] 18of [love] for ever.
From the Christian Science Hymnal
Hymn 245: “O tender, loving Shepherd”
Hymn 439: “Feed my lambs”
Hymn 330: “The King of Love my Shepherd is”
