"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" (Isa. 52:7) This divinely inspired prophecy has been fulfilled in gratifying measure in the establishment by Mary Baker Eddy of the Christian Science services, which bring to sick, sinning, and weary humanity the good tidings of peace and salvation.
A dictionary definition of "service" is, "Spiritual obedience and love." A Christian Science service is in conformity with this definition because it bestows the blessings of divine Love on the receptive thought, is devoid of rituals, or human opinions, and is in obedience to God's statutes. A Christian Science service is distinctive in its simplicity and beauty, yet it is forceful in its potency and efficacy, for it is the Word of God, which heals the sick, enriches the affections, comforts the sorrowing, and saves humanity from the destructive beliefs of evil.
After his resurrection Jesus said to his disciples (Mark 16:15), "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." On a previous occasion he had said (John 12:32), "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Mary Baker Eddy established the Christian Science church with its impersonal services in order more effectively to preach the gospel of Christ and render available to all humanity the good tidings of peace and salvation. To the extent that the Christ, Truth, is lifted up in the consciousness of the members of a Christian Science church will the sick, the disconsolate, the oppressed, and all who are hungering and thirsting after righteousness be drawn to its services, where they will experience the healing, comforting, regenerating, and redemptive effects of the glorious gospel of Christ.
