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

Wednesday Meeting Readings

w231108DT
God heals
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
The Bible
  1. Ex. 15:1 (to :), 2, 6 (to :), 11, 22, 24, 25 (to :), 26

    1Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously:

    ... 2The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

    ... 6Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power:

    ... 11Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

    22So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.

    24And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

    25And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet:

    ... 26And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

  2. II Kings 20:1-5 (to 2nd :), 8-11, 16

    1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

    2Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,

    3I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

    4And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,

    5Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee:

    8And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?

    9And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

    10And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.

    11And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

    16And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.

  3. Luke 7:19-23 John

    John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

    20When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

    21And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.

    22Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

    23And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

  4. Luke 9:1-11, 37-43 (to .)

    1Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

    2And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

    3And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.

    4And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.

    5And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.

    6And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

    7Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;

    8And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.

    9And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

    10And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

    11And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

    37And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.

    38And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.

    39And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.

    40And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.

    41And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

    42And as he was yet a-coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.

    43And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.


Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy

  1. SH 570:26-27

        When God heals the sick or the sinning, they should 27know the great benefit which Mind has wrought.

  2. SH 230:11-29 (np)

        It would be contrary to our highest ideas of God to 12suppose Him capable of first arranging law and causation God never inconsistentso as to bring about certain evil results, and then punishing the helpless victims of His vo-15lition for doing what they could not avoid doing. Good is not, cannot be, the author of experimental sins. God, good, can no more produce sickness than goodness can 18cause evil and health occasion disease.

        Does wisdom make blunders which must afterwards be rectified by man? Does a law of God produce sick-21Mental narcoticsness, and can man put that law under his feet by healing sickness? According to Holy Writ, the sick are never really healed by drugs, hygiene, or any 24material method. These merely evade the question. They are soothing syrups to put children to sleep, satisfy mortal belief, and quiet fear.

    27    We think that we are healed when a disease disap-pears, though it is liable to reappear; but we are never The true healingthoroughly healed until the liability to be 30ill is removed. So-called mortal mind or the mind of mortals being the remote, predisposing, and the exciting cause of all suffering, the cause of disease 231 231:1must be obliterated through Christ in divine Science, or the so-called physical senses will get the victory.

    3    Unless an ill is rightly met and fairly overcome by Truth, the ill is never conquered. If God destroys not Destruction of all evilsin, sickness, and death, they are not de-6stroyed in the mind of mortals, but seem to this so-called mind to be immortal. What God cannot do, man need not attempt. If God heals not the sick, 9they are not healed, for no lesser power equals the infinite All-power; but God, Truth, Life, Love, does heal the sick through the prayer of the righteous.

    12    If God makes sin, if good produces evil, if truth results in error, then Science and Christianity are helpless; but there are no antagonistic powers nor laws, spiritual or 15material, creating and governing man through perpetual warfare. God is not the author of mortal discords. Therefore we accept the conclusion that discords have 18only a fabulous existence, are mortal beliefs which divine Truth and Love destroy.

        To hold yourself superior to sin, because God made 21you superior to it and governs man, is true wisdom. To Superiority to sickness and sinfear sin is to misunderstand the power of Love and the divine Science of being in man’s rela-24tion to God, — to doubt His government and distrust His omnipotent care. To hold yourself superior to sickness and death is equally wise, and is in accordance 27with divine Science. To fear them is impossible, when you fully apprehend God and know that they are no part of His creation.

  3. SH 482:26-8

        Sickness is part of the error which Truth casts out. 27Error will not expel error. Christian Science is the law Sickness erroneousof Truth, which heals the sick on the basis of the one Mind or God. It can heal in no 30other way, since the human, mortal mind so-called is not a healer, but causes the belief in disease.

    483

    483:1    Then comes the question, how do drugs, hygiene, and animal magnetism heal? It may be affirmed that they 3True healing transcendentdo not heal, but only relieve suffering tempo-rarily, exchanging one disease for another. We classify disease as error, which nothing but Truth or 6Mind can heal, and this Mind must be divine, not human. Mind transcends all other power, and will ultimately su -persede all other means in healing.

  4. SH 471:22-12

    Question. — Are doctrines and creeds a benefit to man?

    Answer. — The author subscribed to an orthodox 24creed in early youth, and tried to adhere to it until she The test of experiencecaught the first gleam of that which inter-prets God as above mortal sense. This 27view rebuked human beliefs, and gave the spiritual im-port, expressed through Science, of all that proceeds from the divine Mind. Since then her highest creed has 30been divine Science, which, reduced to human apprehen-sion, she has named Christian Science. This Science 472 472:1teaches man that God is the only Life, and that this Life is Truth and Love; that God is to be understood, adored, 3and demonstrated; that divine Truth casts out supposi-tional error and heals the sick.

        The way which leads to Christian Science is straight 6and narrow. God has set His signet upon Science, mak-God’s law destroys eviling it coordinate with all that is real and only with that which is harmonious and eternal. 9Sickness, sin, and death, being inharmonious, do not originate in God nor belong to His government. His law, rightly understood, destroys them. Jesus furnished 12proofs of these statements.

  5. SH 406:1-9

        The Bible contains the recipe for all healing. “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” 3The leaves of healingSin and sickness are both healed by the same Principle. The tree is typical of man’s divine Principle, which is equal to every emergency, offering 6full salvation from sin, sickness, and death. Sin will submit to Christian Science when, in place of modes and forms, the power of God is understood and demonstrated 9in the healing of mortals, both mind and body.

  6. SH 285:23

        By interpreting God as a corporeal Saviour but not as 24the saving Principle, or divine Love, we shall continue Salvation is through reformto seek salvation through pardon and not through reform, and resort to matter instead 27of Spirit for the cure of the sick. As mortals reach, through knowledge of Christian Science, a higher sense, they will seek to learn, not from matter, but from 30the divine Principle, God, how to demonstrate the Christ, Truth, as the healing and saving power.

  7. SH 339:20-28 As

    As the mythology of pagan Rome has yielded 21to a more spiritual idea of Deity, so will our material Basis of health and immortalitytheories yield to spiritual ideas, until the finite gives place to the infinite, sickness to health, 24sin to holiness, and God’s kingdom comes “in earth, as it is in heaven.” The basis of all health, sin-lessness, and immortality is the great fact that God is 27the only Mind; and this Mind must be not merely be-lieved, but it must be understood.

  8. SH 276:1-4

        Having one God, one Mind, unfolds the power that heals the sick, and fulfils these sayings of Scripture, “I 3Universal brotherhood am the Lord that healeth thee,” and “I have found a ransom.”

  9. SH 270:27

    If a sense of disease produces suffering and a sense of ease antidotes suffering, disease is mental, not material. Hence the fact that the human mind alone 30suffers, is sick, and that the divine Mind alone heals.

From the Christian Science Hymnal
Hymn 217: “O, he whom Jesus loved has truly spoken”
Hymn 392: “...With gifts of healing in his wings”
Hymn 81: “God is with me, gently o'er me”