First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge
Wednesday Meeting Readings
- Rom. 8:6 2nd to
6to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
- II Cor. 10:3-5 though
3though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
- I Sam. 24:1-5, 7 But, 8 (to 1st .), 9 Wherefore, 10 (to 1st ;), 11 2nd see, 12 but, 16 2nd And, 17, 19
1And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En–gedi.
2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
3And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
4And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.
5And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.
7 ... But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
8David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king.
9Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
10Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to-day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee;
11 ... see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.
12 ... but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
16And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
17And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
... 19For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
- Ps. 139:1, 7-12
1O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
... 7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
- Luke 4:14 (to :), 16-19, 20 4th And, 22 3rd And, 24, 27-34 many (to 1st ?), 35
14¶ And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee:
16¶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
20 ... And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
22 ... And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?
... 24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
27 ... many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
31And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33¶ And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?
35And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
- II Tim. 3:1, 10, 11 what, 14 continue, 17
1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
... 10But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11 ... what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
14 ... 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.
- Matt. 5:25
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
- Ezek. 34:15
15I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
by Mary Baker Eddy
- SH 494:10-11, 15
Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.
15 The miracle of grace is no miracle to Love. Jesus demonstrated the inability of corporeality, as well as the Reason and Scienceinfinite ability of Spirit, thus helping erring 18human sense to flee from its own convictions and seek safety in divine Science. Reason, rightly di-rected, serves to correct the errors of corporeal sense; but 21sin, sickness, and death will seem real (even as the ex-periences of the sleeping dream seem real) until the Sci-ence of man’s eternal harmony breaks their illusion with 24the unbroken reality of scientific being.
- SH 30:19-30
As the individual ideal of Truth, Christ Jesus came to rebuke rabbinical error and all sin, sickness, and death, — 21Rebukes helpfulto point out the way of Truth and Life. This ideal was demonstrated throughout the whole earthly career of Jesus, showing the difference between 24the offspring of Soul and of material sense, of Truth and of error.
If we have triumphed sufficiently over the errors of 27material sense to allow Soul to hold the control, we shall loathe sin and rebuke it under every mask. Only in this way can we bless our enemies, though they 30may not so construe our words.
- SH 33:18
18 When the human element in him struggled with the divine, our great Teacher said: “Not my will, but The holy struggleThine, be done!” — that is, Let not the flesh, 21but the Spirit, be represented in me. This is the new understanding of spiritual Love. It gives all for Christ, or Truth. It blesses its enemies, heals the 24sick, casts out error, raises the dead from trespasses and sins, and preaches the gospel to the poor, the meek in heart.
- SH 51:6-15
6 Jesus could have withdrawn himself from his enemies. He had power to lay down a human sense of life for his Life-power indestructiblespiritual identity in the likeness of the divine; 9but he allowed men to attempt the destruc-tion of the mortal body in order that he might furnish the proof of immortal life. Nothing could kill this Life 12 of man. Jesus could give his temporal life into his enemies’ hands; but when his earth-mission was accom-plished, his spiritual life, indestructible and eternal, 15was found forever the same.
- SH 234:9-24
9 We should become more familiar with good than with evil, and guard against false beliefs as watchfully as we Hospitality to health and goodbar our doors against the approach of thieves 12and murderers. We should love our enemies and help them on the basis of the Golden Rule; but avoid casting pearls before those who trample 15them under foot, thereby robbing both themselves and others.
If mortals would keep proper ward over mortal mind, 18the brood of evils which infest it would be cleared out. Cleansing the mindWe must begin with this so-called mind and empty it of sin and sickness, or sin and sick-21ness will never cease. The present codes of human systems disappoint the weary searcher after a divine theology, adequate to the right education of human 24thought.
- SH 400:30
30 The Scriptures plainly declare the baneful influence of sinful thought on the body. Even our Master felt this. It is recorded that in certain localities he did not many 401 401:1mighty works “because of their unbelief” in Truth. Any human error is its own enemy, and works against itself; 3Mortal mind not a healerit does nothing in the right direction and much in the wrong. If so-called mind is cherishing evil passions and malicious purposes, it is not a healer, 6but it engenders disease and death.
- SH 227:30
- SH 329:22-25 Science, 26 If
21Science is a Error destroyed, not pardoneddivine demand, not a human. Always right, 24its divine Principle never repents, but main-tains the claim of Truth by quenching error. ... If 27men understood their real spiritual source to be all bless-edness, they would struggle for recourse to the spiritual and be at peace; but the deeper the error into which mor-30tal mind is plunged, the more intense the opposition to spirituality, till error yields to Truth.
- SH 357:25
If what opposes God is real, there must be two powers, and God is not supreme and infinite. Can 27One supremacyDeity be almighty, if another mighty and self-creative cause exists and sways man-kind? Has the Father “Life in Himself,” as the Scrip-30tures say, and, if so, can Life, or God, dwell in evil and create it? Can matter drive Life, Spirit, hence, and so defeat omnipotence?
- SH 391:17-32
Justice is the moral signification of law. Injustice de-18clares the absence of law. When the body is supposed Contradict errorto say, “I am sick,” never plead guilty. Since matter cannot talk, it must be mortal mind 21which speaks; therefore meet the intimation with a pro-test. If you say, “I am sick,” you plead guilty. Then your adversary will deliver you to the judge (mortal 24mind), and the judge will sentence you. Disease has no intelligence to declare itself something and announce its name. Mortal mind alone sentences itself. Therefore 27make your own terms with sickness, and be just to yourself and to others.
Mentally contradict every complaint from the body, 30Sin to be overcomeand rise to the true consciousness of Life as Love, — as all that is pure, and bearing the fruits of Spirit.
- SH 131:6
6 When once destroyed by divine Science, the false evi-dence before the corporeal senses disappears. Hence the The error of carnalityopposition of sensuous man to the Science of 9Soul and the significance of the Scripture, “The carnal mind is enmity against God.” The central fact of the Bible is the superiority of spiritual over physical power.
- SH 577:32-4
- SH 578:13-18
From the Christian Science Hymnal
Hymn 7: “Abide with me; fast breaks the morning light; Our daystar rises, banishing all night”
Hymn 465: “… Your goodness spreads before my eyes; No enemy you know”
Hymn 584: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I need not a thing; Green pastures give rest for my soul.”
