Wednesday Readings for January 11th, 2023

From The Bible

Ps. 61:1–3, 5

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. ...

For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. 

II Chron. 30:9 2nd the

... the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him. 

Ex. 3:7 (to 2nd ,), 10–12 (to ;)

¶ And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, ...

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. ¶ And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; ...

Ex. 34:10 Behold (to 1st :), 11 (to :), 14 thou (to 1st :); 35:1 (to 2nd ,)

... Behold, I make a covenant: ...

Observe thou that which I command thee this day: ...

... thou shalt worship no other god: ...

And Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, ...

Deut. 6:4, 5

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 

Ps. 78:2 (to 1st :), 9 (to 1st ,), 10 kept (to ,), 11 (to ,), 19 (to 1st ,), 19 2nd they, 20 (to 3rd ,), 24 (to ,), 32, 38 (to :)

I will open my mouth in a parable: ...

The children of Ephraim, ...

... kept not the covenant of God, ...

And forgat his works, ...

Yea, ... they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, ...

And had rained down manna upon them to eat, ...

For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works. ...

But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: ...

John 1:14, 16, 17

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ...

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 

Matt. 14:14, 15 (to 3rd ,), 15–17 send, 19, 20 (to :)

And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. ¶ And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, ... send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. ...

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to hisdisciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: ...

Matt. 20:29–34

And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. ¶ And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. 

Mark 1:39–41

And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. 

Matt. 5:1 (to 1st :), 2, 6, 7, 17, 38, 39 (to 1st ,), 39 whosoever, 43, 44 (to 2nd ,), 44 do, 45 (to :), 46

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: ...

And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, ...

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. ...

... ¶ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. ...

... ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, ... whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. ...

... ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, ... do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: ...

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 

Luke 4:22 (to .)

And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. ...

Luke 11:1 (to 2nd ,), 1 one (to 7th ,), 2 (to 1st ,)

And it came to pass, that, ... one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, ...

And he said unto them, ...

Matt. 6:7 when (to 2nd ,), 8 for, 9, 10 2nd Thy, 11

... when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, ...

... for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

... Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. 

John 6:34, 35, 38, 40 (to :), 51 (to 2nd :)

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. ...

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. ...

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: ...

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: ...

II John 1:3

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 

II Pet. 3:18 grow (to 1st .), 18 Amen

... grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. ... Amen. 

SCIENCE AND HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES by MARY BAKER EDDY

SH 333:16–26 The

... The advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked the first century of the Christian era, but the Christ is without beginning of years or end of days. 

Throughout all generations both before and after the Christian era, the Christ, as the spiritual 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 caught glorious glimpses of the Messiah, or Christ, which baptized these seers in the divine nature, the essence of Love. 

SH 30:14–21

Rabbi and priest taught the Mosaic law, which said: “An eye for an eye,” and “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” Not so did Jesus, the new executor for God, present the divine law of Love, which blesses even those that curse it. 

As the individual ideal of Truth, Christ Jesus came to rebuke rabbinical error and all sin, sickness, and death, — to point out the way of Truth and Life. 

SH 26:21

Jesus' teaching and 

practice of Truth involved such a sacrifice as makes us admit its Principle to be Love. This was the precious import of our Master's sinless career and of his demonstration of power over death. He proved by his deeds that Christian Science destroys sickness, sin, and death. 

SH 31:14–17

It is the 

living Christ, the practical Truth, which makes Jesus “the resurrection and the life” to all who follow him in deed. 

SH 1:6

Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God's gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind. 

SH 16:8–11, 20

Our Master said, “After this manner therefore pray 

ye,” and then he gave that prayer which covers all human needs. ...

Only as we rise above all material sensuousness and sin, can we reach the heaven-born aspiration and spiritual consciousness, which is indicated in the Lord's Prayer and which instantaneously heals the sick. 

SH 14:22

The Lord's Prayer is the prayer of Soul, not of material sense. 

SH 17:4

Give us this day our daily bread; / Give us grace for to-day; feed the famished affections;

SH 4:3–5

What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds. 

SH 13:15–17 God (to 2nd ,)

... God knows our need before we tell Him or our fellow-beings about it. If we cherish the desire honestly and silently and humbly, God will bless it, ...

SH 10:1

Prayer means that we desire to walk and will walk in the light so far as we receive it, even though with bleeding footsteps, and that waiting patiently on the Lord, we will leave our real desires to be rewarded by Him. 

SH 8:14–16 (to ;)

If we feel the aspiration, humility, gratitude, and love which our words express, — this God accepts; ...

SH 15:9, 26–27; 16:2–5

To enter into the heart of prayer, the door of the erring senses must be closed. Lips must be mute and materialism silent, that man may have audience with Spirit, the divine Principle, Love, which destroys all error. ...

... Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers. ...

... The highest prayer is not one of faith merely; it is demonstration

. Such prayer heals sickness, and must destroy sin and death. 

SH 365:31

The poor suffering heart needs its rightful nutriment, such as peace, patience in tribulation, and a priceless sense of the dear Father's loving-kindness. 

SH 8:28–1

We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are. If a 

friend informs us of a fault, do we listen patiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not rather give thanks that we are “not as other men”? 

SH 367:3

The tender word and Christian 

encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love. 

SH 21:25–27; 22:3–12

Being in sympathy with matter, the worldly man is at the beck and call of error, and will be attracted thitherward. ...

Vibrating like a pendulum between sin and the hope of forgiveness, — selfishness and sensuality causing constant retrogression, — our moral progress will 

be slow. Waking to Christ's demand, mortals experience suffering. This causes them, even as drowning men, to make vigorous efforts to save themselves; and through Christ's precious love these efforts are crowned with success. 

“Work out your own salvation,” is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you. 

SH 9:5–7, 11–21 (to 2nd .)

The test of all prayer lies in the answer to these questions: Do we love our neighbor better because of this asking? ... If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done. There is a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition of our hope and faith. 

Dost thou “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”? This command includes much, even the surrender 

of all merely material sensation, affection, and worship. This is the El Dorado of Christianity. 

SH 4:17–22

Simply asking that we may love God will never make us love Him; but the longing to be better and holier, expressed in daily watchfulness 

and in striving to assimilate more of the divine character, will mould and fashion us anew, until we awake in His likeness. 

SH 18:3–4 (to ,), 6–9

Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, ... He did life's work 

aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals, — to show them how to do theirs, but not to do it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility. 

SH 30:26–30; 31:17–28

If we have triumphed sufficiently over the errors of material 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 may not so construe our words. ...

... Obeying his precious precepts, — following his demonstration so far as we apprehend it, — we drink of his cup, partake of his bread, are baptized with his purity; and at last we shall rest, sit down with him, in a full understanding of the divine Principle which triumphs over death. For what says Paul? “As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.” 

Referring to the materiality of the age, Jesus said: “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit 

and in truth.” 

SH 272:3–5

The spiritual sense of truth must be gained before Truth can be understood. This sense is assimilated only as we are honest, unselfish, loving, and meek. 

SH 46:5

In the walk to Emmaus, Jesus was known to his friends by the words, which made their hearts burn within them, and by the breaking of bread. The divine 

Spirit, which identified Jesus thus centuries ago, has spoken through the inspired Word and will speak through it in every age and clime. It is revealed to the receptive heart, and is again seen casting out evil and healing the sick. 

SH 412:13–18, 23

The power of Christian Science and 

divine Love is omnipotent. It is indeed adequate to unclasp the hold and to destroy disease, sin, and death. 

To prevent disease or to cure it, the power of Truth, of divine Spirit, must break the dream of the material senses. ... Mentally insist that harmony is the fact, and that sickness is a temporal dream. Realize the presence of health and the fact of harmonious being, until the body corresponds with the normal conditions of health and harmony. 

SH 233:29–30; 234:12–14 (to ;)

The utterance of truth is designed to rebuke and destroy error. ...

... We should love our enemies 

and help them on the basis of the Golden Rule; ...

SH 233:1–5

Every day makes its demands upon us for higher proofs rather than professions of Christian power. These proofs consist solely in the destruction 

of sin, sickness, and death by the power of Spirit, as Jesus destroyed them. 

SH 17:4

Give us this day our daily bread; / Give us grace for to-day; feed the famished affections;

SH 35:26–27 (to 1st .)

Our bread, “which cometh down from heaven,” is Truth. 

SH 67:23

Grace and Truth are potent beyond all other means and methods. 

Christian Science Hymnals

Hymn. 438

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound, / That saved a soul like me. / I once was lost, but now am found, / Was blind, but now I see. 

/ 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, / And grace my fears relieved; / How precious did that grace appear / The hour I first believed! 

Through many dangers, toils, and snares, / I have already come; / 'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, / And grace will lead me home. 

The Lord has promised good to me, / His word my hope secures; / He will my shield and portion be / As long as life endures. 

Words: John Newton, adapt.

Music: American melody, Shaw and Spillman’s Columbian Harmony, 1829; harm. and arr. Robert Rockabrand

Hymn. 513

It matters not what be thy lot, / So Love doth guide; / For storm or shine, pure peace is thine, / Whate'er betide. 

And of these stones, or tyrants' thrones, / God able is / To raise up seed—in thought and deed— / To faithful His. 

Aye, darkling sense, arise, go hence! / Our God is good. / False fears are foes—truth tatters those, / When understood. 

Love looseth thee, and lifteth me, / Ayont hate's thrall: / There Life is light, and wisdom might, / And God is All. 

The centuries break, the earth-bound wake, / God's glorified! / Who doth His will—His likeness still— / Is satisfied. 

Words: Mary Baker Eddy

Music: Andrew D. Brewis

Hymn. 422

Grace for today, O Love divine, / Thee to obey and love alone; / Losing the mortal will in Thine, / Find we a joy before unknown. 

Grace for today, Thou Love divine, / Famishing hearts and hopes to feed; / Blot out all fear, let Thy light shine / With tender warmth on all our need. 

Grace for today, Thou Love divine, / Patient of heart his way to trace / Whose pure affections Thee define / In tender love and perfect grace. 

Words: Nemi Robertson

Music: L. van Beethoven, arr.