1. Date of Lesson

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 — Sacrament

GOLDEN TEXT: Acts 9 : 6

“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

RESPONSIVE READING: Hebrews 3 : 1, 2, 4-8, 14

1.     Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

2.     Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.

4.     For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.

5.     And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;

6.     But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

7.     To day if ye will hear his voice,

8.     Harden not your hearts,

14.     For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.

Lesson Sermon

The Bible

1. Psalm 123 : 1, 2

1     Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

2     Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

2. Numbers 10 : 12 (to ;)

12     And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai;

3. Numbers 11 : 1, 2, 4, 16 (to 2nd ,), 17 (to :), 18 (to 1st :), 21, 22 (to 1st ?), 23, 24 (to 2nd ,), 31 (to 3rd ,)

1     And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

2     And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.

4     And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

16     And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel,

17     And I will come down and talk with thee there:

18     And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh:

21     And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

22     Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them?

23     And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

24     And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD,

31     And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp,

4. Isaiah 52 : 13

13     Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

5. John 9 : 1-7, 13-16, 30-33

1     And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

2     And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

3     Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

4     I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

5     As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

6     When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,

7     And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

13     They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.

14     And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.

15     Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

16     Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.

30     The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.

31     Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

32     Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.

33     If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.

6. Luke 22 : 1, 14, 24-27

1     Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.

14     And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him.

24     And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

25     And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

26     But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

27     For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

7. Romans: 13 : 1, 3 (Wilt), 4 (to 1st .)

1     Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

3     Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4     For he is the minister of God to thee for good.

8. Ephesians 5 : 17, 19-21

17     Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

19     Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

20     Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

21     Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Science and Health

1. 202 : 3-5

The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God's will must be universally done.

2. 241 : 1 (He, who)-4, 19-30

He, who knows God's will or the demands of divine Science and obeys them, incurs the hostility of envy; and he who refuses obedience to God, is chastened by Love.

The substance of all devotion is the reflection and demonstration of divine Love, healing sickness and destroying sin. Our Master said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

One's aim, a point beyond faith, should be to find the footsteps of Truth, the way to health and holiness. We should strive to reach the Horeb height where God is revealed; and the corner-stone of all spiritual building is purity. The baptism of Spirit, washing the body of all the impurities of flesh, signifies that the pure in heart see God and are approaching spiritual Life and its demonstration.

3. 33 : 18-26

When the human element in him struggled with the divine, our great Teacher said: "Not my will, but Thine, be done!" — that is, Let not the flesh, but the Spirit, be represented in me. This is the new understanding of spiritual Love. It gives all for Christ, or Truth. It blesses its enemies, heals the sick, casts out error, raises the dead from trespasses and sins, and preaches the gospel to the poor, the meek in heart.

4. 144 : 14 (Human will-power)-22

Human will-power is not Science. Human will belongs to the so-called material senses, and its use is to be condemned. Willing the sick to recover is not the metaphysical practice of Christian Science, but is sheer animal magnetism. Human will-power may infringe the rights of man. It produces evil continually, and is not a factor in the realism of being. Truth, and not corporeal will, is the divine power which says to disease, "Peace, be still."

5. 206 : 10 (Will-power)-14

Will-power is capable of all evil. It can never heal the sick, for it is the prayer of the unrighteous; while the exercise of the sentiments — hope, faith, love — is the prayer of the righteous. This prayer, governed by Science instead of the senses, heals the sick.

6. xi : 1-21

Many imagine that the phenomena of physical healing in Christian Science present only a phase of the action of the human mind, which action in some unexplained way results in the cure of disease. On the contrary, Christian Science rationally explains that all other pathological methods are the fruits of human faith in matter, — faith in the workings, not of Spirit, but of the fleshly mind which must yield to Science.

The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus' time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation. Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural. They are the sign of Immanuel, or "God with us," — a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime,

To preach deliverance to the captives [of sense],

And recovering of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty them that are bruised.

7. 40 : 25-30

Our heavenly Father, divine Love, demands that all men should follow the example of our Master and his apostles and not merely worship his personality. It is sad that the phrase divine service has come so generally to mean public worship instead of daily deeds.

8. 51 : 19-32

His consummate example was for the salvation of us all, but only through doing the works which he did and taught others to do. His purpose in healing was not alone to restore health, but to demonstrate his divine Principle. He was inspired by God, by Truth and Love, in all that he said and did. The motives of his persecutors were pride, envy, cruelty, and vengeance, inflicted on the physical Jesus, but aimed at the divine Principle, Love, which rebuked their sensuality.

Jesus was unselfish. His spirituality separated him from sensuousness, and caused the selfish materialist to hate him; but it was this spirituality which enabled Jesus to heal the sick, cast out evil, and raise the dead.

9. 168 : 15-23

Because man-made systems insist that man becomes sick and useless, suffers and dies, all in consonance with the laws of God, are we to believe it? Are we to believe an authority which denies God's spiritual command relating to perfection, — an authority which Jesus proved to be false? He did the will of the Father. He healed sickness in defiance of what is called material law, but in accordance with God's law, the law of Mind.

10. 349 : 3-12

As Paul asked of the unfaithful in ancient days, so the rabbis of the present day ask concerning our healing and teaching, "Through breaking the law, dishonorest thou God?" We have the gospel, however, and our Master annulled material law by healing contrary to it. We propose to follow the Master's example. We should subordinate material law to spiritual law. Two essential points of Christian Science are, that neither Life nor man dies, and that God is not the author of sickness.

11. 37 : 16-25

When will Jesus' professed followers learn to emulate him in all his ways and to imitate his mighty works? Those who procured the martyrdom of that righteous man would gladly have turned his sacred career into a mutilated doctrinal platform. May the Christians of to-day take up the more practical import of that career! It is possible, — yea, it is the duty and privilege of every child, man, and woman, — to follow in some degree the example of the Master by the demonstration of Truth and Life, of health and holiness.

12. 371 : 22-23 (to ;), 27-32

No impossible thing do I ask when urging the claims of Christian Science; … The necessity for uplifting the race is father to the fact that Mind can do it; for Mind can impart purity instead of impurity, strength instead of weakness, and health instead of disease. Truth is an alterative in the entire system, and can make it "every whit whole."

13. 17 : 1-3

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Enable us to know, — as in heaven, so on earth, — God is omnipotent, supreme.

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 2025 Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent

Table of Contents

Sunday, January 12th, 2025 — Subject: Sacrament

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