1. Table of Contents

2. Date of Lesson

3. Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

4. Lesson Sermon — The Bible

5. Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

6. The Daily Duties

7. About the preparation of this lesson

Listen to the reading of this Lesson

Watch on YouTube

Watch on Vimeo

PlainfieldCS.com

Subject — Love

GOLDEN TEXT: I John 4 : 21

“This commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

RESPONSIVE READING: I John 4 : 7-12, 18

7.     Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8.     He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9.     In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10.     Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us.

11.     Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12.     If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

18.     There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.

Lesson Sermon

The Bible

1. Psalm 27 : 1, 5, 6, 11, 14

1     The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

5     For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6     And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

11     Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

14     Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

2. Genesis 27 : 41, 42 (to 2nd ,), 43 (my son)

41     And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

42     And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him,

43     … my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;

3. Genesis 31 : 3

3     And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

4. Genesis 32 : 1 (to ,), 3 (to brother), 6, 7 (to :), 24-29

1     And Jacob went on his way,

3     And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother …

6     And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

7     Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed:

24     And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

25     And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

26     And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

27     And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

28     And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

29     And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

5. Genesis 33 : 1 (to 1st .), 3, 4

1     And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men.

3     And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4     And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

6. Matthew 4 : 23

23     And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

7. Matthew 5 : 1, 2, 21, 22 (to 1st :), 23, 24, 43-45 (to :), 48

1     And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:

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

21     Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22     But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:

23     Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24     Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

43     Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44     But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45     That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:

48     Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

8. Luke 6 : 31, 36, 37

31     And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

36     Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

37     Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

9. Matthew 6 : 14, 15

14     For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15     But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

10. Matthew 18 : 21, 22

21     Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

22     Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

11. I John 5 : 1 (to :), 2-4

1     Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:

2     By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

3     For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

4     For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Science and Health

1. 494 : 10-11, 13 (to)-15

Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.

… to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good.

The miracle of grace is no miracle to Love.

2. 322 : 26-29, 32-3

The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life of matter, as well as our disappointments and ceaseless woes, turn us like tired children to the arms of divine Love.

Mortals may seek the understanding of Christian Science, but they will not be able to glean from Christian Science the facts of being without striving for them.

3. 308 : 16-12

Jacob was alone, wrestling with error, — struggling with a mortal sense of life, substance, and intelligence as existent in matter with its false pleasures and pains, — when an angel, a message from Truth and Love, appeared to him and smote the sinew, or strength, of his error, till he saw its unreality; and Truth, being thereby understood, gave him spiritual strength in this Peniel of divine Science. Then said the spiritual evangel: "Let me go, for the day breaketh;" that is, the light of Truth and Love dawns upon thee. But the patriarch, perceiving his error and his need of help, did not loosen his hold upon this glorious light until his nature was transformed. When Jacob was asked, "What is thy name?" he straightway answered; and then his name was changed to Israel, for "as a prince" had he prevailed and had "power with God and with men." Then Jacob questioned his deliverer, "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name;" but this appellation was withheld, for the messenger was not a corporeal being, but a nameless, incorporeal impartation of divine Love to man, which, to use the word of the Psalmist, restored his Soul, — gave him the spiritual sense of being and rebuked his material sense.

The result of Jacob's struggle thus appeared. He had conquered material error with the understanding of Spirit and of spiritual power. This changed the man. He was no longer called Jacob, but Israel, — a prince of God, or a soldier of God, who had fought a good fight.

4. 410 : 14-20

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."

5. 571 : 15-19

At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good. Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil. Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.

6. 4 : 3-22

What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds. To keep the commandments of our Master and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has done. Outward worship is not of itself sufficient to express loyal and heartfelt gratitude, since he has said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer. Its motives are made manifest in the blessings they bring, — blessings which, even if not acknowledged in audible words, attest our worthiness to be partakers of Love.

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.

7. 242 : 15 (Self-love)-20

Self-love is more opaque than a solid body. In patient obedience to a patient God, let us labor to dissolve with the universal solvent of Love the adamant of error, — self-will, self-justification, and self-love, — which wars against spirituality and is the law of sin and death.

8. 9 : 11-16

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.

9. 560 : 11-17

The great miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and the grand necessity of existence is to gain the true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of heaven in man. This goal is never reached while we hate our neighbor or entertain a false estimate of anyone whom God has appointed to voice His Word.

10. 405 : 5-11

Christian Science commands man to master the propensities, — to hold hatred in abeyance with kindness, to conquer lust with chastity, revenge with charity, and to overcome deceit with honesty. Choke these errors in their early stages, if you would not cherish an army of conspirators against health, happiness, and success.

11. 30 : 26-30

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.

12. 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.

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 2026 Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent

Sunday, February 1st, 2026 — Subject: Love

1. Sunday, February 1st, 2026 — Subject: Love

2. Date of Lesson

3. Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

4. Lesson Sermon — The Bible

5. Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

6. The Daily Duties

7. About the preparation of this lesson

1. by

2. Date of Lesson

3. Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

4. Lesson Sermon — The Bible

5. Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

6. The Daily Duties

7. About the preparation of this lesson