These Readings are comprised of selections from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. THE DIVINE EMBRACE Deuteronomy 33:12 Common English Bible (CEB) “The Lord’s dearest one rests safely on him. The Lord always shields him; he rests on God’s chest. Ps. 61: 4 CEB

Let me live with you forever and find protection under your wings, my God. Luke 15:11-22 Common English Bible (CEB) 11 Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the inheritance.’ Then the father divided his estate between them. 13 Soon afterward, the younger son gathered everything together and took a trip to a land far away. There, he wasted his wealth through extravagant living. 14 “When he had used up his resources, a severe food shortage arose in that country and he began to be in need. 15 He hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, but I’m starving to death! 20 So he got up and went to his father. “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. His father ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him. This son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found! Genesis 27:41–43 (CEB) 41 Esau was furious at Jacob because his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, When the period of mourning for the death of my father is over, I will kill my brother. 42 Rebekah was told what her older son Esau was planning, so she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Esau your brother is planning revenge. He plans to kill you. 43 So now, my son, listen to me: Get up and escape to my brother Laban in Haran. Genesis 32 Common English Bible (CEB) 32 Jacob went on his way, and God’s messengers approached him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “ “Say this to my master Esau….. I’m sending this message to my master now to ask that he be kind.’” 6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went out to your brother Esau, and he’s coming to meet you with four hundred men.” 7 Jacob was terrified and felt trapped... 9 Jacob said, “Lord, God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, 11 Save me from my brother Esau! I’m afraid he will come and kill me, the mothers, and their children Genesis 33 Common English Bible (CEB) Jacob looked up and saw Esau approaching with four hundred men. 3 He himself bowed to the ground seven times as he was approaching his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, kissed him, and they wept.

Genesis 37:1-4 Common English Bible (CEB) Jacob lived in the land of Canaan where his father was an immigrant. 2 This is the account of Jacob’s descendants. Joseph was 17 years old and tended the flock with his brothers Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was born when Jacob was old. Jacob had made for him a long[a] robe. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him and couldn’t even talk nicely to him.23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped off Joseph’s long robe, 24 took him, and threw him into the cistern, an empty cistern with no water in it. 25 When they sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, …Come on, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites. They sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they brought Joseph to Egypt. 31 His brothers took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the long robe, brought it to their father, and said, “We found this. See if it’s your son’s robe or not.” 33 He recognized it and said, “It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him. Joseph must have been torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put a simple mourning cloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days.

Genesis 41:1 (to :), 5–7 3rd and, 25, 33–36, 38–40, 53–57 Common English Bible (CEB) Two years later, Pharaoh dreamed … in which seven ears of grain, full and healthy, grew on a single stalk. 6 Just then, seven ears of grain, scrawny and scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them, 7 and the scrawny ears swallowed up the full and well-formed ears. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. 8 In the morning, he was disturbed and summoned all of Egypt’s religious experts[a] and all of its advisors. Pharaoh described his dreams[b] to them, but they couldn’t interpret them for Pharaoh. 9 Then the chief wine steward spoke to Pharaoh: 12 A young Hebrew man, a servant of the commander of the royal guard, was with us. We described our dreams to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us, giving us an interpretation for each dream. 13 His interpretations came true exactly: 14 So Pharaoh summoned Joseph, 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but no one could interpret it. Then I heard that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it.” God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are now coming throughout the entire land of Egypt. 30 After them, seven years of famine will appear, and all of the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land. 31 No one will remember the abundance in the land because the famine that follows will be so very severe. 33 “Now Pharaoh should find an intelligent, wise man and give him authority over the land of Egypt. 35 During the good years that are coming, they should collect all such food and store the grain under Pharaoh’s control, 36 This food will be reserved for the seven years of famine to follow 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, no one is as intelligent and wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my kingdom, 57 Every country came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because in every country the famine had also become more severe. Genesis 42 Common English Bible (CEB) When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring blankly at each other?2 I’ve just heard that there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we can survive and not starve to death.” 3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. When Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him, their faces to the ground. 7 8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him.

Genesis 45 Common English Bible (CEB) Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” and they moved closer. He said, “I’m your brother Joseph! The one you sold to Egypt. 13 Tell my father about my power in Egypt and about everything you’ve seen. 12 You and my brother Benjamin have seen with your own eyes that I’m speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about my power in Egypt and about everything you’ve seen. 14 He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. 15 He kissed all of his brothers and wept, embracing them. 25 So they left Egypt and returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They announced to him, “Joseph’s still alive! He’s actually ruler of all the land of Egypt!” Jacob’s heart nearly failed, and he didn’t believe them. Genesis 46 Common English Bible (CEB) 27 When they told him everything Joseph had said to them, …“This is too much! My son Joseph is still alive! 29 Joseph hitched up his chariot and went to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he arrived, he threw his arms around his neck and wept, embracing him for a long time. Isa. 43:1, 2, 4, 5 (to 2nd :), 6, 9– 131 now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. I love you. I am with you. Ps. 91:14,15 I’ll rescue you. I’ll protect you. Whenever you cry out to me, I’ll answer. Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:

SCIENCE AND HEALTH SH 322:26–30 The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life of matter, as well as our disappointments and ceaseless woes, turn us like tired children to the arms of divine Love. Then we begin to learn Life in divine Science. SH 494:15–19 The miracle of grace is no miracle to Love. Jesus demonstrated the inability of corporeality, as well as the infinite ability of Spirit, thus helping erring human sense to flee from its own convictions and seek safety in divine Science. SH 54:3–4 Out of the amplitude of his pure affection, he defined Love. SH 174:9–14 The footsteps of thought, rising above material standpoints, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller; but the angels of His presence — the spiritual intuitions that tell us when “the night is far spent, the day is at hand”- are our guardians in the gloom. SH 415:24 To remove the error producing disorder, you must calm and instruct mortal mind with immortal Truth. SH 306:7 Life demonstrates Life. The immortality of Soul makes man immortal. If God, who is Life, were parted for a moment from His reflection, man, during that moment there would be no divinity reflected. The Ego would be unexpressed, and the Father would be childless, — no Father. SH 191:8–21 As a material, theoretical life-basis is found to be a misapprehension of existence, the spiritual and divine Principle of man dawns upon human thought, and leads it to “where the young child was,” — even to the birth of a new-old idea, to the spiritual sense of being and of what Life includes. Thus the whole earth will be transformed by Truth on its pinions of light, chasing away the darkness of error. The human thought must free itself from self-imposed materiality and bondage. SH 309:7 The result of Jacob's struggle thus appeared. He had conquered material error with the understanding of Spirit and of spiritual power. This changed the man. He was no longer called Jacob, but Israel, — a prince of God, or a soldier of God, who had fought a good fight. He was to become the father of those, who through earnest striving followed his demonstration of the power of Spirit over the material senses; and the children of earth who followed his example were to be called the children of Israel, until the Messiah should rename them. If these children should go astray, and forget that Life is God, good, and that good is not in elements which are not spiritual, — thus losing the divine power which heals the sick and sinning, — they were to be brought back through great tribulation, to be renamed in Christian Science and led to deny material sense, or mind in matter, even as the gospel teaches. SH 66:1-3, 6-11Thou art right, immortal Shakespeare, great poet of humanity: Sweet are the uses of adversity; Trials teach mortals not to lean on a material staff, — a broken reed, which pierces the heart. We do not half remember this in the sunshine of joy and prosperity. Sorrow is salutary. Through great tribulation we enter the kingdom. Trials are proofs of God's care. SH 561:16 John saw the human and divine coincidence, shown in the man Jesus, as divinity embracing humanity in Life and its demonstration, — reducing to human perception and understanding the Life which is God. SH 43:27 The divine must overcome the human at every point. SH 589:4, 19 JACOB. Inspiration; the revelation of Science, in which the so-called material senses yield to the spiritual sense of Life and Love. ... JOSEPH. pure affection blessing its enemies. SH 495:16 Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not. Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony. SH 427:14–16 Nothing can interfere with the harmony of being nor end the existence of man in Science. SH 99:23 The calm, strong currents of true spirituality, the manifestations of which are health, purity, and self-immolation, must deepen human experience, until the beliefs of material existence are seen to be a bald imposition, and sin, disease, and death give everlasting place to the scientific demonstration of divine Spirit and to God's spiritual, perfect man. SH 264:24 Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love. SH 249:8–9 Let us rejoice that we are subject to the divine “powers that be.” SH 454:18 Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action. Love is priestess at the altar of Truth. Wait patiently for divine Love to move upon the waters of mortal mind, and form the perfect concept. Patience must “have her perfect work.” SH 571:15 At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good. Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil. Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity. SH 57:22 Human affection is not poured forth vainly, even though it meet no return. Love enriches the nature, enlarging, purifying, and elevating it. The wintry blasts of earth may uproot the flowers of affection, and scatter them to the winds; but this severance of fleshly ties serves to unite thought more closely to God, for Love supports the struggling heart until it ceases to sigh over the world and begins to unfold its wings for heaven. SH 574:27–1 The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares. Then thought gently whispers: “Come hither! ...

HYMNS Hymn 99 He that hath God his guardian made, Shall underneath th' Almighty's shade Fearless and undisturbed abide; Thus to myself of Him I'll say, He is my fortress, shield and stay, My God; in Him I will confide.

His tender love and watchful care Shall free thee from the fowler's snare, From every harm and pestilence. He over thee His wings shall spread To cover thy unguarded head. His truth shall be thy strong defense.

He gives His angels charge o'er thee, No evil therefore shalt thou see; Thy refuge shall be God most high; Dwelling within His secret place, Thou shalt behold His power and grace, See His salvation ever nigh.

Hymn 517 Joyfully we're singing of our dear God's grace, Living every day within Love's warm embrace. Eagerly we long to witness everywhere; All throughout the world, God's saving love to share.

REFRAIN Singing of our dear God's grace, Living in Love's warm embrace, Longing, now and everywhere, All God's saving love to share.

Who can separate us from the love of God? Truth is here to shield us with its staff and rod. What is there to harm us when this help is sure? We are more than conquerors; we rest secure.

REFRAIN Everything that happens to us day by day, Christ will be the beacon that will light our way. Through distress and peril, God is faithful still, Why should we be fearful if we trust God's will?

REFRAIN God remains our refuge in the trials we face, Shielding and sustaining us with loving grace. Working through the labors of our hearts and hands, Truth will lead us onward in triumphant bands!

REFRAIN

Hymn 53 Everlasting arms of Love Are beneath, around, above; God it is who bears us on, His the arm we lean upon.

He our ever-present guide Faithful is, whate'er betide; Gladly then we journey on, With His arm to lean upon.

From earth's fears and vain alarms Safe in His encircling arms, He will keep us all the way, God, our refuge, strength and stay.