First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California
Wednesday Meeting Readings
w231025jk
Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Topic: Till time and space and fear are naught
The Bible
and
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (SH)
by Mary Baker Eddy
- II Pet. 3:8-10 beloved (to ;), 11, 13 we, 14
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;
... 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
... we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
- John 6:1, 2, 16-21
1After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.
2And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
16And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
17And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
18And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
19So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
20But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
21Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
- SH 249:18-20 (to 1st .)
- SH 468:28-1
- SH 502:14
- SH 584:3
- SH 504:16
The successive appearing of God’s ideas is represented as taking place on so many evenings and mornings, — 18Evenings and morningswords which indicate, in the absence of solar time, spiritually clearer views of Him, views which are not implied by material darkness and dawn. 21Here we have the explanation of another passage of Scripture, that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years.” The rays of infinite Truth, when gathered into 24the focus of ideas, bring light instantaneously, whereas a thousand years of human doctrines, hypotheses, and vague conjectures emit no such effulgence.
- SH 598:21-2
“One day is with the Lord as a thousand years.” (II Peter iii. 8.)
One moment of divine consciousness, or the spiritual 24understanding of Life and Love, is a foretaste of eternity. This exalted view, obtained and retained when the Sci -ence of being is understood, would bridge over with life 27discerned spiritually the interval of death, and man would be in the full consciousness of his immortality and eternal harmony, where sin, sickness, and death are un-30known. Time is a mortal thought, the divisor of which 599 599:1is the solar year. Eternity is God’s measurement of Soul-filled years.
- SH 125:21-7
The seasons will come and go with changes of time and tide, cold and heat, latitude and longitude. The agri-The time and tideculturist will find that these changes cannot 24affect his crops. “As a vesture shalt Thou change them and they shall be changed.” The mariner will have dominion over the atmosphere and the great 27deep, over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air. The astronomer will no longer look up to the stars, — he will look out from them upon the universe; and the 30florist will find his flower before its seed.
Thus matter will finally be proved nothing more than a mortal belief, wholly inadequate to affect a man 126 126:1through its supposed organic action or supposed exist-ence. Error will be no longer used in stating truth. The 3Mortal nothingnessproblem of nothingness, or “dust to dust,” will be solved, and mortal mind will be without form and void, for mortality will cease when man beholds 6himself God’s reflection, even as man sees his reflection in a glass.
- Ps. 46:1-3 (to 1st .), 5, 6, 8 (to 2nd ,), 10
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
... 5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
6The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
... 8Come, behold the works of the Lord,
... 10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
- Matt. 8:5-10, 13
5¶ And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
6And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
8The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
10When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
... 13And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
- SH 331:18 God
God is individual, incorporeal. He is divine Prin-ciple, Love, the universal cause, the only creator, and The universal causethere is no other self-existence. He is all-21inclusive, and is reflected by all that is real and eternal and by nothing else. He fills all space, and it is impossible to conceive of such omnipresence and in-24dividuality except as infinite Spirit or Mind. Hence all is Spirit and spiritual.
- SH 109:32
The three great verities of Spirit, omnipotence, omni-110110:1presence, omniscience, — Spirit possessing all power, filling all space, constituting all Science, — contradict 3God’s allness learnedforever the belief that matter can be actual. These eternal verities reveal primeval exist-ence as the radiant reality of God’s creation, 6in which all that He has made is pronounced by His wis-dom good.
- SH 78:17
- SH 306:7-19
Life demonstrates Life. The immortality of Soul makes man immortal. If God, who is Life, were parted for a 9Divinity not childlessmoment from His reflection, man, during that moment there would be no divinity reflected. The Ego would be unexpressed, and the Father would be 12childless, — no Father.
If Life or Soul and its representative, man, unite for a period and then are separated as by a law of divorce to 15be brought together again at some uncertain future time and in a manner unknown, — and this is the general religious opinion of mankind, — we are left without a 18rational proof of immortality. But man cannot be sep-arated for an instant from God, if man reflects God.
- SH 520:3-5 (to !)
- SH 469:20
- SH 91:1-8
The Revelator tells us of “a new heaven and a new earth.” Have you ever pictured this heaven and 3earth, inhabited by beings under the control of supreme wisdom?
Let us rid ourselves of the belief that man is separated 6from God, and obey only the divine Principle, Life and Love. Here is the great point of departure for all true spiritual growth.
- SH 178:32-11
Whoever reaches the understanding of Christian Science 179 179:1in its proper signification will perform the sudden cures of which it is capable; but this can be done only by 3taking up the cross and following Christ in the daily life.
Science can heal the sick, who are absent from their 6healers, as well as those present, since space is no ob-Absent patientsstacle to Mind. Immortal Mind heals what eye hath not seen; but the spiritual capacity to ap-9prehend thought and to heal by the Truth-power, is won only as man is found, not in self-righteousness, but re-flecting the divine nature.
- Prov. 3:25, 26
25Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
- Ps. 56:3, 4, 10-13
3What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
4In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
... 10In God will I praise his word: in the Lord will I praise his word.
11In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
12Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.
13For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
- Luke 8:40-42 (to 1st .), 49-55
40And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
41¶ And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:
42For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a-dying.
49¶ While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.
50But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
51And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
52And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
53And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
54And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
55And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.
- Isa. 35:4-6
4Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
- I John 4:7, 8, 17, 18 (to :)
7Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
... 17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
- SH 410:29-30
- SH 410:14
Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger. 15The more difficult seems the material condition to be Love casteth out fearovercome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love. The Apostle 18John says: “There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear. . . . He that feareth is not made per-fect in Love.” Here is a definite and inspired proclama-21tion of Christian Science.
- SH 410:14, 29-30
Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger. 15The more difficult seems the material condition to be Love casteth out fearovercome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love. The Apostle 18John says: “There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear. . . . He that feareth is not made per-fect in Love.” Here is a definite and inspired proclama-21tion of Christian Science.
- SH 442:19-22 When, 25 Work
When Christ changes a belief of sin or of sickness into 21a better belief, then belief melts into spiritual understand-ing, and sin, disease, and death disappear. ... “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling:” Jesus 27said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” This truth is Christian Science.
Hymn 74: “Go forth and stand upon the mount"
Hymn 238: “O, sometimes gleams upon our sight, Through present wrong, the eternal right”
