Readings from Wednesday Evening Testimony Service - December 14, 2005
The Gift of Peace at Christmas – compiled by CC
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The Bible
( 1) Luke 2:14
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
( 2) Matthew 2:1,2,7,8 (to;),9,11
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child;
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
11 ¶ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
( 3) James 1:17
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
( 4) I Corinthians 2:9 as, 10 (to:)
9 as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit:
( 5) Mark 6:34 Jesus (to:)
34 Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd:
( 6) Mark 5:23 - 34 and much
23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.
24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
( 7) Psalms 23:1 (to;), 2,3 (to:)
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
( 8 ) Romans 5:1 (to:)
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
( 9 ) James 5:7,8
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
( 10 ) Micah 4: 1 in, 2 (to;), 3
1 in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
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;
3 ¶ And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(11) John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
(12) John 15: 11
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
(13) II Corinthians 9:15
15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
( 1) 45:16 (only)
Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts!
( 2) vii: 1-12
1 To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is
big with blessings. The wakeful shepherd beholds
3 the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance
of a risen day. So shone the pale star to the prophet-
shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where, in
6 cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human
herald of Christ, Truth, who would make plain to be-
nighted understanding the way of salvation through Christ
9 Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morn-
ing beams and shine the guiding star of being. The Wise-
men were led to behold and to follow this daystar of
12 divine Science, lighting the way to eternal harmony.
( 3) 264:20 (only), 24-27
Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being.
Spiritual
proofs of
24 Spiritual living existence
and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can
recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace
27 which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.
( 4) 265:10-15
This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for
Spirit, by no means suggests man’s absorption into Deity
12 and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man en-
larged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action,
a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent
15 peace.
( 5) 324:11-12
Therefore
12 “acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace.”
( 6) 306:21-29
21 The myriad forms of mortal thought, made manifest
as matter, are not more distinct nor real to the mate-
rial senses than are the Soul-created forms Thought-
24 to spiritual sense, which cognizes Life as per- forms
manent. Undisturbed amid the jarring testimony of the
material senses, Science, still enthroned, is unfolding
27 to mortals the immutable, harmonious, divine Principle,
— is unfolding Life and the universe, ever present and
eternal.
( 7) 322:26-29
The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life
27 of matter, as well as our disappointments and ceaseless
woes, turn us like tired children to the arms Uses of
of divine Love. suffering
( 8 ) 323:32-4
Willingness to become as a little child and
1 to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of
the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks
3 and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps
to precipitate the ultimate harmony.
( 9) 451:2-5
Christian Scientists must live under the con-
3 stant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from
the material world and be separate. They must re-
nounce aggression, oppression and the pride of power.
(10) 276:4-9
Universal
When the divine precepts brotherhood
are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship,
6 in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have
one Spirit, God, one intelligent source, in accordance with
the Scriptural command: “Let this Mind be in you,
9 which was also in Christ Jesus.”
(11) 128:11-18
The human
12 mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes
more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes
somewhat from itself, and requires less repose. A knowl-
15 edge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities
and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of
thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher
18 realms.
(12) 506:10-12
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