Responsive Reading: Colossians 1 : 1, 2, 9-13

1.     Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

2.     To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ.

9.     For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10.     That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11.     Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12.     Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13.     Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

1. Matthew 4 : 23 (to 3rd ,)

23     And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,

2. Matthew 5 : 2, 5, 8

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

5     Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

8     Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

3. Matthew 18 : 2-4

2     And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3     And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4     Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

4. Matthew 19 : 13, 14

13     Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

14     But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

5. I Samuel 1 : 1 (to 3rd ,), 2, 10, 11 (to 8th ,), 19 (and Elkanah), 20, 24-26 (to 1st ,), 27, 28 (to 1st .)

1     Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah,

2     And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

10     And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

11     And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life,

19     …and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.

20     Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.

24     And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young.

25     And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

26     And she said,

27     For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

28     Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord.

6. I Samuel 3 : 1, 2 (to 2nd ,), 3 (and Samuel)-10, 19

1     And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

2     And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place,

3     …and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

4     That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

5     And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6     And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

7      Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

8     And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

9     Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10     And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

19     And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

7. John 3 : 1-5

1     There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2     The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3     Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4     Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5     Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

8. Ephesians 4 : 1, 2 (to 1st ,), 23

1     I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2     With all lowliness and meekness,

23     And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

9. Romans 12 : 2

2     And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1. 63 : 5 (In)-11

In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being.

2. 492 : 3-12

For right reasoning there should be but one fact before the thought, namely, spiritual existence. In reality there is no other existence, since Life cannot be united to its unlikeness, mortality.

Being is holiness, harmony, immortality. It is already proved that a knowledge of this, even in small degree, will uplift the physical and moral standard of mortals, will increase longevity, will purify and elevate character. Thus progress will finally destroy all error, and bring immortality to light.

3. 130 : 15-25

Christian Science, properly understood, would disabuse the human mind of material beliefs which war against spiritual facts; and these material beliefs must be denied and cast out to make place for truth. You cannot add to the contents of a vessel already full. Laboring long to shake the adult's faith in matter and to inculcate a grain of faith in God, — an inkling of the ability of Spirit to make the body harmonious, — the author has often remembered our Master's love for little children, and understood how truly such as they belong to the heavenly kingdom.

4. 236 : 23-6

Parents should teach their children at the earliest possible period the truths of health and holiness. Children are more tractable than adults, and learn more readily to love the simple verities that will make them happy and good.

Jesus loved little children because of their freedom from wrong and their receptiveness of right. While age is halting between two opinions or battling with false beliefs, youth makes easy and rapid strides towards Truth.

A little girl, who had occasionally listened to my explanations, badly wounded her finger. She seemed not to notice it. On being questioned about it she answered ingenuously, "There is no sensation in matter." Bounding off with laughing eyes, she presently added, "Mamma, my finger is not a bit sore."

5. 237 : 10-22

The more stubborn beliefs and theories of parents often choke the good seed in the minds of themselves and their offspring. Superstition, like "the fowls of the air," snatches away the good seed before it has sprouted.

Children should be taught the Truth-cure, Christian Science, among their first lessons, and kept from discussing or entertaining theories or thoughts about sickness. To prevent the experience of error and its sufferings, keep out of the minds of your children either sinful or diseased thoughts. The latter should be excluded on the same principle as the former. This makes Christian Science early available.

6. 323 : 28-6

The effects of Christian Science are not so much seen as felt. It is the "still, small voice" of Truth uttering itself. We are either turning away from this utterance, or we are listening to it and going up higher. Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress. "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

7. 242 : 1-5

Through repentance, spiritual baptism, and regeneration, mortals put off their material beliefs and false individuality. It is only a question of time when "they shall all know Me [God], from the least of them unto the greatest."

8. 240 : 19-26, 29-32

If mortals are not progressive, past failures will be repeated until all wrong work is effaced or rectified. If at present satisfied with wrong-doing, we must learn to loathe it. If at present content with idleness, we must become dissatisfied with it. Remember that mankind must sooner or later, either by suffering or by Science, be convinced of the error that is to be overcome.

The divine method of paying sin's wages involves unwinding one's snarls, and learning from experience how to divide between sense and Soul.

9. 261 : 31-8

We should forget our bodies in remembering good and the human race. Good demands of man every hour, in which to work out the problem of being. Consecration to good does not lessen man's dependence on God, but heightens it. Neither does consecration diminish man's obligations to God, but shows the paramount necessity of meeting them. Christian Science takes naught from the perfection of God, but it ascribes to Him the entire glory. By putting "off the old man with his deeds," mortals "put on immortality."

10. 476 : 9-13, 21-22

God is the Principle of man, and man is the idea of God. Hence man is not mortal nor material. Mortals will disappear, and immortals, or the children of God, will appear as the only and eternal verities of man.

Learn this, O mortal, and earnestly seek the spiritual status of man, which is outside of all material selfhood.

11. 288 : 27-1

Science reveals the glorious possibilities of immortal man, forever unlimited by the mortal senses. The Christ-element in the Messiah made him the Way-shower, Truth and Life.

The eternal Truth destroys what mortals seem to have learned from error, and man's real existence as a child of God comes to light.