Readings for September 8, 2021

From The Bible

1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: ...
(Psalms 127:1 (to :))

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
(Psalms 19:1, 3)

2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
(Psalms 50:2, 14)

1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, ...
6 And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, ...
6 ... and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9 ¶ And Nehemiah, ...
9 ... and Ezra ...
9 ... said unto all the people, ...
9 ... mourn not, nor weep. ...
10 ... for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
(Nehemiah 8:1, 2 (to 2nd ,), 6 (to 4th ,), 6 3rd and, 8, 9 (to 1st ,), 9 2nd and (to Ezra), 9 said (to 5th ,), 9 mourn (to 1st .), 10 2nd for)

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: ...
11 ... it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
(Isaiah 55:11 (to :), 11 2nd it, 12 )

2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
(Micah 4:2)

1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
(Psalms 133:1)

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
(Philippians 2:3)

27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: ...
27 ... that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
(Philippians 1:27 (to :), 27 2nd that)

29 And Jesus departed from thence, ...
30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, ...
30 ... and he healed them:
31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, ...
(Matthew 15:29 (to 1st ,), 30 (to 6th ,), 30 4th and, 31 (to 1st ,))

6 ¶ Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
(Matthew 16:6)

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, ...
28 ... but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
(Matthew 23:27 (to 4th ,), 28 but)

12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
13 But he answered and said, ...
(Matthew 15:12, 13 (to 1st ,))

24 ... whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; ...
27 ... and great was the fall of it.
(Matthew 7:24–27 whosoever (to ;), 27 6th and)

32 ¶ Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, ...
13 ... Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: ...
14 ... or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; ...
(Matthew 15:32 (to 2nd ,); 16:13 Whom, 14 (to :), 14–18 or (to ;))

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; ...
28 ... For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:
(Acts 17:24, 28 (to ;), 28–30 2nd For)

4 ... God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
6 ... hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
10 For we are his workmanship, ...
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
(Ephesians 2:4 God, 6 hath, 10 (to 1st ,), 20, 21)

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, ...
22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. ...
(Revelation 21:2 (to 3rd ,), 22; 22:16 (to 1st .))

17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; ...
19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; ...
8 ... behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: ...
11 ... hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, ...
12 ... which is new Jerusalem, ...
(Revelation 2:17 (to ;), 19 (to ;); 3:8 behold (to 2nd :), 11 hold, 12 (to 1st ,), 12 which (to 4th ,))

19 ¶ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, ...
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. ...
(Matthew 28:19 (to 2nd ,), 20 (to 1st .))

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

6 ZION. Spiritual foundation and superstructure; in-
spiration; spiritual strength.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 599:6–7)

TEMPLE. ... ... the idea of Life, substance, and in-
telligence; the superstructure of Truth; the shrine of
9 Love; a material superstructure, where mortals congre-
gate for worship.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 595:7 (only, to .), 7 the)

The author became a member of the orthodox Con-
9 gregational Church in early years. Later she learned
that her own prayers failed to heal her as did the prayers
of her devout parents and the church; but when the
12 spiritual sense of the creed was discerned in the Science
of Christianity, this spiritual sense was a present help. It
was the living, palpitating presence of Christ, Truth, which
15 healed the sick.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 351:8)

21 The testimony of the material senses is neither abso-
lute nor divine. I therefore plant myself unreservedly
on the teachings of Jesus, of his apostles, of Biblical foundations
24 the prophets, and on the testimony of the
Science of Mind. Other foundations there are none.
All other systems - systems based wholly or partly on
27 knowledge gained through the material senses - are reeds
shaken by the wind, not houses built on the rock.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 269:21)

1 Jesus established his church and maintained his mission
on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught
3 his followers that his religion had a divine The Christ-mission
Principle, which would cast out error and heal
both the sick and the sinning.

9 The question then as now was, How did Jesus heal the
sick?

He appealed to his students: "Whom do Ancient spiritualism
12 men say that I, the Son of man, am?" That
is: Who or what is it that is thus identified with casting
out evils and healing the sick?

With his usual impetuosity, Simon replied for his
brethren, ... ... "Thou
18 art the Christ, the Son of the living God!" A divine response
That is: The Messiah is what thou hast de-
clared, - Christ, the spirit of God, of Truth, Life, and
21 Love, which heals mentally. This assertion elicited from
Jesus the benediction, ...

... "And I say also The true and living rock
30 unto thee, That thou art Peter; and upon this rock [the
meaning of the Greek word petros, or stone] I will build
my church; ...
1 In
other words, Jesus purposed founding his society, ...
3 on the God-
power which lay behind Peter's confession of the true
Messiah.

The supremacy of Spirit was the foundation on which
15 Jesus built. His sublime summary points to the religion
of Love.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 136:1–5, 9–10 (to ?), 11–14; 137:16–17 (to ,), 17–22 Thou (to 1st ,), 29–32 And (to ;); 138:1–2 (to 2nd ,), 3 2nd on, 14)

12 CHURCH. The structure of Truth and Love; what-
ever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.
The Church is that institution, which affords proof of
15 its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the
dormant understanding from material beliefs to the ap-
prehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of
18 divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and
healing the sick.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 583:12–19)

We can
21 unite with this church only as we are new- Spiritual Eucharist
born of Spirit, as we reach the Life which
is Truth and the Truth which is Life by bringing forth
24 the fruits of Love, - casting out error and healing the
sick.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 35:20–25)

Dost thou "love the Lord thy God with all thy
18 heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"?
This command includes much, even the sur- Practical religion
render of all merely material sensation, affec-
21 tion, and worship.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 9:17–21 (to 1st .))

Jesus bade his disciples beware of the leaven of the
30 Pharisees and of the Sadducees, which he de- Leaven of Truth
fined as human doctrines.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 117:29–31)

In Christian Science mere opinion is valueless.

The hour has struck when proof and demon-
3 stration, instead of opinion and dogma, are summoned to
the support of Christianity, "making wise the simple."
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 341:11 (only); 342:2)

The higher false knowledge builds on the basis of evi-
dence obtained from the five corporeal senses, the more
21 confusion ensues, and the more certain is the downfall
of its structure.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 581:19)

Hypocrisy is fatal to religion.
1 A wordy prayer may afford a quiet sense of self-
justification, though it makes the sinner a hypocrite.
... there is little hope for those who come only spasmodi-
cally face to face with their wickedness and then seek to
6 hide it.

... such externals are spoken of by Jesus as "like
9 unto whited sepulchres . . . full . . . of all uncleanness."
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 7:32–2; 8:4–6 there, 8 such)

We cannot bring out the practical proof of Christianity,
which Jesus required, while error seems as potent and
18 real to us as Truth, and while we make a per- Fatal premises
sonal devil and an anthropomorphic God our
starting-points, ...
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 351:16–20 (to ,))

6 The starting-point of divine Science is
that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other
might nor Mind, - that God is Love, and therefore He
9 is divine Principle.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 275:6)

30 With
1 one Father, even God, the whole family of man would
be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good,
3 the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth,
and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which
constitute divine Science.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 469:30–5)

18 Christians are
under as direct orders now, as they were then, New era in Jesus
to be Christlike, to possess the Christ-spirit, to
21 follow the Christ-example, and to heal the sick as well as
the sinning.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 138:18–22)

30 If we would open their prison doors for the sick, we
must first learn to bind up the broken-hearted. If we
would heal by the Spirit, we must not hide the talent
1 of spiritual healing under the napkin of its form, nor
bury the morale of Christian Science in the grave-clothes
3 of its letter. The tender word and Christian Genuine healing
encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience
with his fears and the removal of them, are better than
6 hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed
speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so
many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame
9 with divine Love.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 366:30)

Our
church is built on the divine Principle, Love.

30 The design of Love is to reform the sinner.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 35:19–20 2nd Our, 30 (only))

The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour
18 in truth through flood-tides of Love.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 201:17–18)

To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our
affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and
18 obey as God.

The objects we pursue and
21 the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and show
what we are winning.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 239:16–18, 20)

Through divine Science, Spirit, God, unites under-
standing to eternal harmony. The calm and exalted
12 thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Exalted thought
Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each
successive stage of progress.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 506:10)

18 NEW JERUSALEM. Divine Science; the spiritual facts
and harmony of the universe; the kingdom of heaven,
or reign of harmony.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 592:18)

This sacred city, described in the Apocalypse ...
... as one that "lieth foursquare" and cometh "down from
9 God, out of heaven," represents the light and The city foursquare
glory of divine Science. The builder and
maker of this New Jerusalem is God, ...
12 ... and it is "a city which hath founda-
tions."

In ... further describing this holy city,
9 the beloved Disciple writes: -
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of it.
12 There was no temple, - that is, no material structure
in which to worship God, for He must be worshipped
in spirit and in love.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 575:7 (only, to Apocalypse), 8–11 as (to ,), 12–13 and (to 1st .); 576:8 (only, to In), 8–14 further)

3 The Revelator was on our plane of existence, while yet
beholding what the eye cannot see, - that which is in-
visible to the uninspired thought.

9 This
shows unmistakably that what the human mind terms
matter and spirit indicates states and stages of con-
12 sciousness.
Accompanying this scientific consciousness was an-
other revelation, even the declaration from heaven, su-
15 preme harmony, that God, the divine Principle Nearness of Deity
of harmony, is ever with men, and they are
His people.

This is Scrip-
24 tural authority for concluding that such a recognition of
being is, and has been, possible to men in this present
state of existence, - that we can become conscious,
27 here and now, of a cessation of death, sorrow, and pain.
This is indeed a foretaste of absolute Christian Science.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 573:3–5, 9–17, 23–28)

Referring to the materiality of the age, Jesus said:
"The hour cometh, and now is, when the true wor-
27 shippers shall worship the Father in spirit Painful prospect
and in truth."
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 31:25–28)

Jesus' promise is perpetual.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 328:28 (only))

... "Lo, I am with you
alway," - that is, not only in all time, but in all ways
15 and conditions.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 317:13 Lo)

Our
church is built on the divine Principle, Love.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 35:19–20 2nd Our)

This apodictical Principle points to the revelation of
Immanuel, "God with us," - the sovereign ever-pres-
9 ence, delivering the children of men from Mission of Christian Science
every ill "that flesh is heir to."
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 107:7–10)

Hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal

Hymn 141
If the Lord build not the house
They that labor build in vain;
Father, may our corner stone
Stand foursquare, without a stain.

Make our planting timely, true,
Governed by a power benign;
Nourish by a heavenly dew
All the branches and the vine.

Fruitful shall our tillage be,
Known the work of perfect Mind,
Leaves be gathered from the tree
For the healing of mankind.

Cleansing men of fear and hate,
Lifting hope above the sod,
Truth will summon, soon or late,
All the earth to worship God.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 141)

Hymn 439
As a fire is meant for burning
With a bright and warming flame,
So a church is meant for healing
Giving glory to God's name.
Not to preach mere creed or custom,
But to prove God's loving care,
We join hands across the nations,
Finding neighbors everywhere.

As a green bud in the springtime
Is a sign of life renewed,
May we grow as signs of oneness
'Mid earth's peoples, many hued.
As a rainbow lights the heavens
When a storm is past and gone,
May our lives reflect the radiance
Of God's new and glorious dawn.

We are learners; we are teachers;
We are pilgrims on the way.
We are bearers of the gospel,
We are children of the day.
By our gentle, loving actions
We would show that Christ is light.
With a humble, listening spirit
We would live to God's delight.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 439)

Hymn 304
Shepherd, show me how to go
O'er the hillside steep,
How to gather, how to sow,-
How to feed Thy sheep;
I will listen for Thy voice,
Lest my footsteps stray;
I will follow and rejoice
All the rugged way.

Thou wilt bind the stubborn will,
Wound the callous breast,
Make self-righteousness be still,
Break earth's stupid rest.
Strangers on a barren shore,
Lab'ring long and lone,
We would enter by the door,
And Thou know'st Thine own;

So, when day grows dark and cold,
Tear or triumph harms,
Lead Thy lambkins to the fold,
Take them in Thine arms;
Feed the hungry, heal the heart,
Till the morning's beam;
White as wool, ere they depart,
Shepherd, wash them clean.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 304)