Listen live on Sundays at 10 am Eastern time or hear a replay until midnight Saturday night (ET). The service lasts one hour and an organ prelude and postlude extend 7–10 minutes before and after the service. An audio replay is available within 30–60 minutes after the service ends.
Sunday services are conducted by a First and Second Reader and include music, hymns, prayer, and readings from the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptural selections are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptural quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Lisa Sytsma, Guest First Reader
Don Wallingford, Second Reader
Subject: PROBATION AFTER DEATH
Prelude:
Stephen Loher, Assistant Organist of The Mother Church
Voluntary on Hymn 462
Hymn 462
Thomas Moore and Thomas Hastings, words
A. Fritsch, adapt.; harm. Liederbuch der Christlichen Wissenschaft, 1924, music
Come, you disconsolate, where’er you languish,
Here health and peace are found, Life, Truth,
and Love;
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell
your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow but Love can remove.
Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure;
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
Earth has no sorrow that Love cannot cure.
Here see the Bread of Life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above;
Come to the feast of love, come, ever knowing,
Earth has no sorrow but Love can remove.
Words adaptation © 1932, renewed 1960 The Christian Science Board of Directors. Music adaptation © 2017 The Christian Science Board of Directors.
Scriptural Selection
Ps. 119:1-4, 7, 11, 12, 14-16
1 Peter 1:3-9, 23
Prayer
Silent prayer, followed by the audible repetition of the Lord’s Prayer with its spiritual interpretation by Mary Baker Eddy
(Read in context)
Hymn 452
Mary Baker Eddy, words
James Leith Macbeth Bain; adapt. and harm. Robert Rockabrand, music
Brood o’er us with Thy shelt’ring wing,
’Neath which our spirits blend
Like brother birds, that soar and sing,
And on the same branch bend.
The arrow that doth wound the dove
Darts not from those who watch and love.
If thou the bending reed wouldst break
By thought or word unkind,
Pray that his spirit you partake,
Who loved and healed mankind:
Seek holy thoughts and heavenly strain,
That make men one in love remain.
Learn, too, that wisdom’s rod is given
For faith to kiss, and know;
That greetings glorious from high heaven,
Whence joys supernal flow,
Come from that Love, divinely near,
Which chastens pride and earth-born fear,
Through God, who gave that word of might
Which swelled creation’s lay:
“Let there be light, and there was light.”
What chased the clouds away?
’Twas Love whose finger traced aloud
A bow of promise on the cloud.
Thou to whose power our hope we give,
Free us from human strife.
Fed by Thy love divine we live,
For Love alone is Life;
And life most sweet, as heart to heart
Speaks kindly when we meet and part.
Music adaptation and harmonization © 2008 The Christian Science Board of Directors.
Notices
Solo
Josh Henn, Soloist of The Mother Church
God is our refuge and strength
God is our refuge and strength
A present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear,
Tho the earth shall be removed,
And tho the waters be carried into the midst of the sea;
Tho the waters thereof
May roar and be troubled
Tho the mountains shake
With the swelling thereof.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah. Reflect on this a while. Selah
He breaketh the stalwart bow
And cuts the spear in sunder
He maketh wars to cease
Unto all the ends of earth;
He burns the terrible chariot
There in the midst of the fire.
God is our refuge and strength
A present help in trouble.
Be still, and know that I am God:
Here exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah. Reflect on this a while. Selah
God is our refuge and strength
A present help in trouble
Selah selah selah
Lyrics based on Psalm 46
Music by Rebecca Minor
© 2010 by Rebecca Minor
Courtesy of Watchfire Music, all rights reserved
Explanatory Note
Golden Text and Responsive Reading
Golden Text:
Psalms 18:32, 36
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. . . . Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Responsive Reading:
Psalms 56:11 (to :), 13; 119:16, 133, 135, 138, 142, 144 give, 146, 170; 143:8, 10 lead
56:11 In God have I put my trust:
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
119:16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.
138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
144 . . . give me understanding, and I shall live.
146 I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
170 Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.
143:8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
10 . . . lead me into the land of uprightness.
The Bible Lesson-Sermon, the Explanatory Note, Golden Text and Responsive Reading are from the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson, a publication copyrighted by the Christian Science Publishing Society.
Offertory and collection
During the offertory you're invited to participate in the collection via PayPal using a PayPal account or a credit card if you do not have a PayPal account.
Voluntary on Surrey (Hymn 139)
Hymn 139
Minny M. H. Ayers, words
Henry Carey, music
I walk with Love along the way,
And O, it is a holy day;
No more I suffer cruel fear,
I feel God’s presence with me here;
The joy that none can take away
Is mine; I walk with Love today.
Who walks with Love along the way,
Shall talk with Love and Love obey;
God’s healing truth is free to all,
Our Father answers every call;
’Tis He dispels the clouds of gray
That all may walk with Love today.
Come, walk with Love along the way,
Let childlike trust be yours today;
Uplift your thought, with courage go,
Give of your heart’s rich overflow,
And peace shall crown your joy-filled day.
Come, walk with Love along the way.
Scientific Statement of Being
From Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p.468, line 8
Correlative Scripture
I John 3: 1-3
Benediction:
Proverbs 12:28
Postlude
Procession on Lyra Davidica (Hymn 413 "Easter")-- Richard Purvis
Copyright
Please note that the words to certain hymns and solos cannot be republished without permission due to copyright restrictions. Copyrighted Music included in today's streaming church service, including display of lyrics on this page if applicable, is either owned by the Church, directly licensed, or covered by one or more of the following licences:
ONE LICENSE - Streaming/Podcast License #A-700000
Christian Copyright Solutions - WORSHIPcast License #5885
Christian Copyright Licensing International - CCLI Streaming License #3949277
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Meet the Pastor
The Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy together serve as pastor for Sunday church services and Wednesday testimony meetings at all Christian Science churches, societies, and informal groups around the world.