Responsive Reading: Thessalonians 5 : 12-18

12.     And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

13.     And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

14.     Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

15.     See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

16.     Rejoice evermore.

17.     Pray without ceasing.

18.     In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1. Micah 6 : 6-8

6     Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

7     Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8     He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

2. Matthew 22 : 37 (to said), 37 (Thou)-40

37     Jesus said ... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38     This is the first and great commandment.

39     And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40     On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

3. Matthew 5 : 1, 2, 21-24, 43-48

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: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

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: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46     For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47     And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

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

4. John 13 : 3-5, 12-17

3     Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

4     He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.

5     After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

12     So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

13     Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

14     If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15     For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

16     Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

17     If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

5. John 14 : 1-7

1     Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2     In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3     And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

4     And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

5     Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

6     Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

7     If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

6. Matthew 27 : 1, 2

1     When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

2     And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

7. Luke 23 : 33 (to 3rd ,), 34 (to 1st .), 47

33     And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him,

34     Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

47     Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

8. Romans 5 : 1, 8 (God)-11

1     Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

8     God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

9     Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

10     For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11     And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

1. 113 : 5-6

The vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love.

2. 18 : 1-3, 13-11

Atonement is the exemplification of man's unity with God, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, and Love.

The atonement of Christ reconciles man to God, not God to man; for the divine Principle of Christ is God, and how can God propitiate Himself? Christ is Truth, which reaches no higher than itself. The fountain can rise no higher than its source. Christ, Truth, could conciliate no nature above his own, derived from the eternal Love. It was therefore Christ's purpose to reconcile man to God, not God to man. Love and Truth are not at war with God's image and likeness. Man cannot exceed divine Love, and so atone for himself. Even Christ cannot reconcile Truth to error, for Truth and error are irreconcilable. Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus' teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit, — the law of divine Love.

3. 22 : 3-29

Vibrating like a pendulum between sin and the hope of forgiveness, — selfishness and sensuality causing constant retrogression, — our moral progress will be slow. Waking to Christ's demand, mortals experience suffering. This causes them, even as drowning men, to make vigorous efforts to save themselves; and through Christ's precious love these efforts are crowned with success.

"Work out your own salvation," is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you. "Occupy till I come!" Wait for your reward, and "be not weary in well doing." If your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race.

When the smoke of battle clears away, you will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving. Love is not hasty to deliver us from temptation, for Love means that we shall be tried and purified.

Final deliverance from error, whereby we rejoice in immortality, boundless freedom, and sinless sense, is not reached through paths of flowers nor by pinning one's faith without works to another's vicarious effort. Whosoever believeth that wrath is righteous or that divinity is appeased by human suffering, does not understand God.

4. 24 : 20-31

Does erudite theology regard the crucifixion of Jesus chiefly as providing a ready pardon for all sinners who ask for it and are willing to be forgiven? Does spiritualism find Jesus' death necessary only for the presentation, after death, of the material Jesus, as a proof that spirits can return to earth? Then we must differ from them both.

The efficacy of the crucifixion lay in the practical affection and goodness it demonstrated for mankind. The truth had been lived among men; but until they saw that it enabled their Master to triumph over the grave, his own disciples could not admit such an event to be possible.

5. 25 : 22-32

Though demonstrating his control over sin and disease, the great Teacher by no means relieved others from giving the requisite proofs of their own piety. He worked for their guidance, that they might demonstrate this power as he did and understand its divine Principle. Implicit faith in the Teacher and all the emotional love we can bestow on him, will never alone make us imitators of him. We must go and do likewise, else we are not improving the great blessings which our Master worked and suffered to bestow upon us. The divinity of the Christ was made manifest in the humanity of Jesus.

6. 19 : 17-28

Every pang of repentance and suffering, every effort for reform, every good thought and deed, will help us to understand Jesus' atonement for sin and aid its efficacy; but if the sinner continues to pray and repent, sin and be sorry, he has little part in the atonement, — in the at-one-ment with God, — for he lacks the practical repentance, which reforms the heart and enables man to do the will of wisdom. Those who cannot demonstrate, at least in part, the divine Principle of the teachings and practice of our Master have no part in God. If living in disobedience to Him, we ought to feel no security, although God is good.

7. 30 : 26-1

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. We cannot choose for ourselves, but must work out our salvation in the way Jesus taught. In meekness and might, he was found preaching the gospel to the poor.

8. 88 : 18-20

To love one's neighbor as one's self, is a divine idea; but this idea can never be seen, felt, nor understood through the physical senses.

9. 518 : 15-19

The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another's good.

10. 21 : 1-8

If Truth is overcoming error in your daily walk and conversation, you can finally say, "I have fought a good fight ... I have kept the faith," because you are a better man. This is having our part in the at-one-ment with Truth and Love. Christians do not continue to labor and pray, expecting because of another's goodness, suffering, and triumph, that they shall reach his harmony and reward.

11. 23 : 1-11

Wisdom and Love may require many sacrifices of self to save us from sin. One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin. The atonement requires constant self-immolation on the sinner's part. That God's wrath should be vented upon His beloved Son, is divinely unnatural. Such a theory is man-made. The atonement is a hard problem in theology, but its scientific explanation is, that suffering is an error of sinful sense which Truth destroys, and that eventually both sin and suffering will fall at the feet of everlasting Love.