First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge, California
Wednesday Meeting Readings
- Ps. 118:8
8It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
- Prov. 3:5, 6
5¶ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
- Gen. 22:1-13 it
it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3¶ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
- Heb. 2:9 we (to ;), 16 but, 18
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour;
... but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
... 18For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
- Luke 4:1 Jesus, 2 (to 1st .), 6-8
Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2Being forty days tempted of the devil.
... 6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
- Heb. 4:15 we
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
- Matt. 26:36
36¶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
- Luke 22:41-46
41And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
45And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,
46And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
- I Cor. 10:13
13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
- James 1:2-4, 12
2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
... 12Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy
- SH vii:1-2
- SH 579:10-14
- SH 589:16
- SH 586:23
- SH 333:19-26
Throughout all generations both before and after the Christian era, the Christ, as the spirit-21ual idea, — the reflection of God, — has come with some measure of power and grace to all prepared to receive Christ, Truth. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets 24caught glorious glimpses of the Messiah, or Christ, which baptized these seers in the divine nature, the essence of Love.
- SH 20:14
Jesus bore our infirmities; he knew the error of mortal 15belief, and “with his stripes [the rejection of error] we are Perfect examplehealed.” “Despised and rejected of men,” returning blessing for cursing, he taught mor-18tals the opposite of themselves, even the nature of God; and when error felt the power of Truth, the scourge and the cross awaited the great Teacher. Yet he swerved not, 21well knowing that to obey the divine order and trust God, saves retracing and traversing anew the path from sin to holiness.
- SH 47:31-14
During his night of gloom and glory in the garden, Jesus realized the utter error of a belief in any possi-4848:1ble material intelligence. The pangs of neglect and the staves of bigoted ignorance smote him sorely. His stu-3Gethsemane glorifieddents slept. He said unto them: “Could ye not watch with me one hour?” Could they not watch with him who, waiting and struggling in voice-6less agony, held uncomplaining guard over a world? There was no response to that human yearning, and so Jesus turned forever away from earth to heaven, from 9sense to Soul.
Remembering the sweat of agony which fell in holy benediction on the grass of Gethsemane, shall the hum-12blest or mightiest disciple murmur when he drinks from the same cup, and think, or even wish, to escape the exalt-ing ordeal of sin’s revenge on its destroyer?
- SH 49:14
The meek demonstrator of good, the highest instruc-15tor and friend of man, met his earthly fate alone with Heaven’s sentinelGod. No human eye was there to pity, no arm to save. Forsaken by all whom he had 18blessed, this faithful sentinel of God at the highest post of power, charged with the grandest trust of heaven, was ready to be transformed by the renewing 21of the infinite Spirit. He was to prove that the Christ is not subject to material conditions, but is above the reach of human wrath, and is able, through Truth, 24Life, and Love, to triumph over sin, sickness, death, and the grave.
- SH 564:14-16
- SH 66:6-7
- SH 234:3
If we trust matter, we distrust Spirit.
- SH 218:25
- SH 393:30-32
- SH 204:30 2nd The
The error, which says that Soul is in body, Mind is in matter, and good is in evil, must unsay it and cease from such 205 205:1utterances; else God will continue to be hidden from hu-manity, and mortals will sin without knowing that they 3are sinning, will lean on matter instead of Spirit, stumble with lameness, drop with drunkenness, consume with dis-ease, — all because of their blindness, their false sense 6concerning God and man.
- SH 444:2-12
In some way, 3sooner or later, all must rise superior to materiality, and suffering is oft the divine agent in this elevation. “All things work together for good to them that love God,” is 6the dictum of Scripture.
If Christian Scientists ever fail to receive aid from other Scientists, — their brethren upon whom they may 9Refuge and strengthcall, — God will still guide them into the right use of temporary and eternal means. Step by step will those who trust Him find that “God is our refuge 12and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
- SH 450:15
Some people yield slowly to the touch of Truth. Few yield without a struggle, and many are reluctant to ac-Touchstone of Scienceknowledge that they have yielded; but un-18less this admission is made, evil will boast itself above good. The Christian Scientist has enlisted to lessen evil, disease, and death; and he will overcome 21them by understanding their nothingness and the allness of God, or good. Sickness to him is no less a temptation than is sin, and he heals them both by understanding 24God’s power over them. The Christian Scientist knows that they are errors of belief, which Truth can and will destroy.
- SH 495:14
When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling 15steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His Steadfast and calm trust likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and 18calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not. Let Christian Science, 21instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence dis-24cord with harmony.
- SH 487:27
Hymn 444: “Be still my heart”
Hymn 77: “God is my strong salvation”
Hymn 290: “Press on, ye sons of light”