Thanksgiving. Section 1 The Bible. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: Golden Text Psalms 107:1 (to :) 1 Psalms 145:9, 10, 13 16, 18

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1 2013 Section 1 Golden Text Psalms 107:1 (to :) O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: Responsive Reading Psalms 65:4 we, 9 13; 118:24, 29 (to :) 4... we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. 9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. 10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. 11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. 12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. 13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing. 24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 29 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: 1 Psalms 145:9, 10, 13 16, 18 9 The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. 10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. 15 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. 16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 2 Psalms 92:1 5 1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. 4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. 5 O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. 3 Psalms 139:14 (to :), I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: 2013 The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. This copy of a Weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly is licensed for your own personal use and may not be distributed electronically or in print, except as described in the Copyright Terms and Conditions at. Christian Science Quarterly is a trademark owned by The Christian Science Publishing Society. Study references are from the Bible (King James Version) and the Christian Science textbook, with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

2 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 4 Deuteronomy 8:7 10 the 7 the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. 10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Section :16 In the Saxon and twenty other tongues good is the term for God. The Scriptures declare all that He 18 made to be good, like Himself, good in Principle and in idea. Therefore the spiritual universe is good, and reflects God as He is :21 Man Goodness a portion of God 21 Man is the family name for all ideas, the sons and daughters of God. All that God imparts moves in accord with Him, reflecting good- 24 ness and power :5 7 In divine Science, man is sustained by God, the divine 6 Principle of being. The earth, at God s command, brings forth food for man s use. 4 3:22 24 Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the 24 blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more :15 15 When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-com- 18 pleteness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness :8 9 Selfcompleteness Let us re- 9 joice that we are subject to the divine powers that be. 5 Psalms 37:3, 4 Section 2 Renewed selfhood 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 2

3 James 5:16 The 16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 7 I Thessalonians 5:17, 18, Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 8 II Peter 3:18 grow (to 1 st.) 18 grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 9 Matthew 6:6 when, 8 for 6 when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 8 for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Section 2 7 3:25 Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech. 8 7:23 The The di- 24 vine ear is not an auditory nerve. It is the all-hearing and all-knowing Mind, to whom each need of man is always known and by whom it will be supplied. 9 4:3 9, 12 3 What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds. To keep the com- 6 mandments of our Master and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has 9 done. 12 The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer. Its motives are made manifest in the blessings they bring, blessings which, even if not 15 acknowledged in audible words, attest our worthiness to be partakers of Love. Efficacious petitions 10 15:23 30 The Master s injunction is, that we pray in secret and 24 let our lives attest our sincerity. Christians rejoice in secret beauty and bounty, hidden from the world, but known to God. Self-forgetfulness, 27 purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not Trustworthy beneficence belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and 30 they assuredly call down infinite blessings The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 3

4 :4 Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these 6 into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts. 10 Psalms 69:30 Section 3 30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. 11 Psalms 107:8, 9 8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. 12 Matthew 15: Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33 And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. 35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 13 Matthew 5:6 12 2:4 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Section 3 Are we benefited by praying? Yes, the desire which goes forth hungering after righteous- 6 ness is blessed of our Father, and it does not return unto us void. Right motives :10 15 Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demon- 12 strated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good. 15 The miracle of grace is no miracle to Love :15 15 In the scientific relation of God to man, we find that whatever blesses one blesses all, as Jesus showed with the loaves and the fishes, Spirit, not matter, being the 18 source of supply The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 4

5 :26 Implicit faith 27 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 30 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 :14 18, Millions of unprejudiced minds simple seekers for 15 Truth, weary wanderers, athirst in the desert are waiting and watching for rest and drink. Give them a cup of cold water in Christ s name, 18 and never fear the consequences. Those ready for the blessing 24 you impart will give thanks. 14 Psalms 30:2, 11 (to :), 12 Section 4 Receptive hearts 2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. 15 Acts 10:38 God 38 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 16 Luke 17: And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. 17 Psalms 100:1, 3 (to :), 4, 5 (to 1 st ;) 1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; 2013 The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 5

6 :9 Section 4 9 There is but one way to heaven, harmony, and Christ in divine Science shows us this way. It is to know no other reality to have no other conscious- The one only way 12 ness of life than good, God and His reflection, and to rise superior to the so-called pain and pleasure of the senses :26 Jesus established what he said by demonstration, 27 thus making his acts of higher importance than his words. He proved what he taught. This Jesus not is the Science of Christianity. Jesus proved understood 30 the Principle, which heals the sick and casts out error, to be divine. Few, however, except his students understood in the least his teachings and their glorious 1 proofs, namely, that Life, Truth, and Love (the Principle of this unacknowledged Science) destroy all error, 3 evil, disease, and death :20 Ingratitude and denial Of the ten 21 lepers whom Jesus healed, but one returned to give God thanks, that is, to acknowledge the divine Principle which had healed him :15 15 Some people yield slowly to the touch of Truth. Few yield without a struggle, and many are reluctant to acknowledge that they have yielded; but un- Touchstone of Science 18 less this admission is made, evil will boast itself above good. The Christian Scientist has enlisted to lessen evil, disease, and death; and he will overcome 21 them by understanding their nothingness and the allness of God, or good. Sickness to him is no less a temptation than is sin, and he heals them both by understanding 24 God s power over them. The Christian Scientist knows that they are errors of belief, which Truth can and will destroy :1 1 As time moves on, the healing elements of pure Christianity will be fairly 3 dealt with; they will be sought and taught, and will glow in all the grandeur of universal goodness :13 Your fruits will prove what the understanding of God brings to man. 15 Hold perpetually this thought, that it is the spiritual idea, the Holy Ghost and Christ, which enables you to demonstrate, with scientific certainty, the rule of healing, 18 based upon its divine Principle, Love, underlying, overlying, and encompassing all true being The Christian Science Publishing Society. All rights reserved. 6