Responsive Reading: Isaiah 9 : 2-4, 6-8

2.     The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

3.     Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

4.     For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.

6.     For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7.     Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with jus­tice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

8.     The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

1. Isaiah 42 : 1-4

1     Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

2     He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

3     A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

4     He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

2. Isaiah 61 : 1-3

1     The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2     To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3     To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

3. Mark 1 : 1

1     The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

4. Mark 3 : 1-5, 13-15, 22-27

1     And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

2     And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.

3     And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

4     And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

5     And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

13     And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

14     And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

15     And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

22     And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

23     And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?

24     And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25     And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26     And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.

27     No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

5. John 8 : 31-36

31     Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32     And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

33     They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

34     Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

35     And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

36     If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

6. John 14 : 5, 6, 10, 12, 15

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.

10     Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

12     Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

15     If ye love me, keep my commandments.

7. John 15 : 1-12

1     I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2     Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3     Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4     Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5     I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6     If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7     If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8     Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9     As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10     If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

11     These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12     This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

1. 433 : 31-1

Ah! but Christ, Truth, the spirit of Life and the friend of Mortal Man, can open wide those prison doors and set the captive free.

2. 583 : 10-11

Christ. The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error.

3. 288 : 29-1

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.

4. 136 : 1-5, 32-1

Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught his followers that his religion had a divine Principle, which would cast out error and heal both the sick and the sinning.

Jesus patiently persisted in teaching and demonstrating the truth of being.

5. 315 : 29-7

Wearing in part a human form (that is, as it seemed to mortal view), being conceived by a human mother, Jesus was the mediator between Spirit and the flesh, between Truth and error. Explaining and demonstrating the way of divine Science, he became the way of salvation to all who accepted his word. From him mortals may learn how to escape from evil. The real man being linked by Science to his Maker, mortals need only turn from sin and lose sight of mortal selfhood to find Christ, the real man and his relation to God, and to recognize the divine sonship.

6. 399 : 29-19

Our Master asked: "How can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?" In other words: How can I heal the body, without beginning with so-called mortal mind, which directly controls the body? When disease is once destroyed in this so-called mind, the fear of disease is gone, and therefore the disease is thoroughly cured. Mortal mind is "the strong man," which must be held in subjection before its influence upon health and morals can be removed. This error conquered, we can despoil "the strong man" of his goods, — namely, of sin and disease.

Mortals obtain the harmony of health, only as they forsake discord, acknowledge the supremacy of divine Mind, and abandon their material beliefs. Eradicate the image of disease from the per-turbed thought before it has taken tangible shape in conscious thought, alias the body, and you prevent the development of disease. This task becomes easy, if you understand that every disease is an error, and has no character nor type, except what mortal mind assigns to it. By lifting thought above error, or disease, and contending persistently for truth, you destroy error.

7. 25 : 13-21

Jesus taught the way of Life by demonstration, that we may understand how this divine Principle heals the sick, casts out error, and triumphs over death. Jesus presented the ideal of God better than could any man whose origin was less spiritual. By his obedience to God, he demonstrated more spiritually than all others the Principle of being. Hence the force of his admonition, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

8. 54 : 1-17

Through the magnitude of his human life, he demonstrated the divine Life. Out of the amplitude of his pure affection, he defined Love. With the affluence of Truth, he vanquished error. The world acknowledged not his righteousness, seeing it not; but earth received the harmony his glorified example introduced.

Who is ready to follow his teaching and example? All must sooner or later plant themselves in Christ, the true idea of God. That he might liberally pour his dear-bought treasures into empty or sin-filled human storehouses, was the inspiration of Jesus' intense human sacrifice. In witness of his divine commission, he presented the proof that Life, Truth, and Love heal the sick and the sinning, and triumph over death through Mind, not matter. This was the highest proof he could have offered of divine Love. 

9. 18 : 3-9

Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage. His mission was both individual and collective. He did life's work aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals, — to show them how to do theirs, but not to do it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility.

10. 227 : 14-26

Discerning the rights of man, we cannot fail to foresee the doom of all oppression. Slavery is not the legitimate state of man. God made man free. Paul said, "I was free born." All men should be free. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Love and Truth make free, but evil and error lead into captivity.

Christian Science raises the standard of liberty and cries: "Follow me! Escape from the bondage of sickness, sin, and death!" Jesus marked out the way. Citizens of the world, accept the "glorious liberty of the children of God," and be free! This is your divine right.

11. 37 : 22-27

It is possible, — yea, it is the duty and privilege of every child, man, and woman, — to follow in some degree the example of the Master by the demonstration of Truth and Life, of health and holiness. Christians claim to be his followers, but do they follow him in the way that he commanded?

12. 572 : 6-8

"Love one another" (I John, iii. 23), is the most simple and profound counsel of the inspired writer.

13. 45 : 16-21

Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts! Christ hath rolled away the stone from the door of human hope and faith, and through the revelation and demonstration of life in God, hath elevated them to possible at-one-ment with the spiritual idea of man and his divine Principle, Love.

14. 434 : 6-7

"The law of Christ supersedes our laws; let us follow Christ."