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2. Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

3. Lesson Sermon — The Bible

4. Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

5. The Daily Duties

6. About the preparation of this lesson

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Subject — Love

GOLDEN TEXT: Proverbs 10 : 12

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.”

RESPONSIVE READING: Psalm 18 : 1-3, 19-21

1.     I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

2.     The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

3.     I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

19.     He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20.     The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21.     For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

Lesson Sermon

The Bible

1. Ephesians 3 : 14-19

14     For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15     Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16     That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17     That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18     May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19     And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

2. Genesis 24 : 1 (Abraham)-4, 7, 10, 12, 15-17, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 50 (to :), 51, 67 (to :)

1     Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.

2     And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:

3     And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

4     But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

7     The LORD God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.

10     And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.

12     And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.

15     And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.

16     And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up.

17     And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.

23     And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in?

24     And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.

26     And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.

27     And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master’s brethren.

29     And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.

50     Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD:

51     Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the LORD hath spoken.

67     And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her:

3. Luke 4 : 14 (Jesus)

14     Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

4. Luke 10 : 25-37

25     And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

26     He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

27     And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28     And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

29     But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30     And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31     And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32     And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33     But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34     And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35     And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36     Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37     And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

5. Romans 8 : 35, 37-39

35     Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

37     Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38     For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39     Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Science and Health

1. 454 : 17-23

Love for God and man is the true incentive in both healing and teaching. Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept.

2. 243 : 4-13

The divine Love, which made harmless the poisonous viper, which delivered men from the boiling oil, from the fiery furnace, from the jaws of the lion, can heal the sick in every age and triumph over sin and death. It crowned the demonstrations of Jesus with unsurpassed power and love. But the same "Mind ... which was also in Christ Jesus" must always accompany the letter of Science in order to confirm and repeat the ancient demonstrations of prophets and apostles.

3. 112 : 32 (God)-6

God is the Principle of divine metaphysics. As there is but one God, there can be but one divine Principle of all Science; and there must be fixed rules for the demonstration of this divine Principle. The letter of Science plentifully reaches humanity to-day, but its spirit comes only in small degrees. The vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love.

4. 285 : 23-31

By interpreting God as a corporeal Saviour but not as the saving Principle, or divine Love, we shall continue to seek salvation through pardon and not through reform, and resort to matter instead of 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 the divine Principle, God, how to demonstrate the Christ, Truth, as the healing and saving power.

5. 248 : 26-32

We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives. Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love — the kingdom of heaven — reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear.

6. 326 : 3-11

If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the way of God's appointing. Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." He, who would reach the source and find the divine remedy for every ill, must not try to climb the hill of Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's love to man, but man cannot love God supremely and set his whole affections on spiritual things, while loving the material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.

7. 304 : 3-15

It is ignorance and false belief, based on a material sense of things, which hide spiritual beauty and goodness. Understanding this, Paul said: "Neither death, nor life, ... nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God." This is the doctrine of Christian Science: that divine Love cannot be deprived of its manifestation, or object; that joy cannot be turned into sorrow, for sorrow is not the master of joy; that good can never produce evil; that matter can never produce mind nor life result in death. The perfect man — governed by God, his perfect Principle — is sinless and eternal.

8. 230 : 1-10

If sickness is real, it belongs to immortality; if true, it is a part of Truth. Would you attempt with drugs, or without, to destroy a quality or condition of Truth? But if sickness and sin are illusions, the awakening from this mortal dream, or illusion, will bring us into health, holiness, and immortality. This awakening is the forever coming of Christ, the advanced appearing of Truth, which casts out error and heals the sick. This is the salvation which comes through God, the divine Principle, Love, as demonstrated by Jesus.

9. 366 : 12-19

The physician who lacks sympathy for his fellow-being is deficient in human affection, and we have the apostolic warrant for asking: "He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" Not having this spiritual affection, the physician lacks faith in the divine Mind and has not that recognition of infinite Love which alone confers the healing power.

10. 410 : 14-21

Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger. The more difficult seems the material condition to be overcome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love. The Apostle John says: "There is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear. ... He that feareth is not made perfect in Love." Here is a definite and inspired proclamation of Christian Science.

11. 286 : 9-15

The Master said, "No man cometh unto the Father [the divine Principle of being] but by me," Christ, Life, Truth, Love; for Christ says, "I am the way." Physical causation was put aside from first to last by this original man, Jesus. He knew that the divine Principle, Love, creates and governs all that is real.

12. 265 : 3-15

Man understands spiritual existence in proportion as his treasures of Truth and Love are enlarged. Mortals must gravitate Godward, their affections and aims grow spiritual, — they must near the broader interpretations of being, and gain some proper sense of the infinite, — in order that sin and mortality may be put off.

This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace.

13. 225 : 21-22

Love is the liberator.

The Daily Duties

by Mary Baker Eddy

Daily Prayer

It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to pray each day: "Thy kingdom come;" let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be established in me, and rule out of me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 4

A Rule for Motives and Acts

Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness. The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 1

Alertness to Duty

It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged, — and justified or condemned.

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 6

Take Notice

To Christian Scientists: — See Science and Health, page 442, line 30, and give daily attention thereto.

from Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 237

“Christian Scientists, be a law to yourselves that mental malpractice cannot harm you either when asleep or when awake.”

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 422

This Bible Lesson was prepared by Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent. It is composed of Scriptural Quotations from the King James Bible and Correlative Passages from the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 1910 Edition, by Mary Baker Eddy.

Copyright 2023 Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent

Table of Contents

Sunday, January 29th, 2023 — Subject: Love

Date of Lesson

Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

Lesson Sermon — The Bible

Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

The Daily Duties

About the preparation of this lesson