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Because you listen to angel messages and are a subscriber to CedarS possible ideas for meaningful Bible-based Sunday School teaching, we think that you’ll enjoy the short program video above. It’s all about CedarS annual Bible Study with Madelon Maupin from October 6-10, 2022! A few open spaces still remain- two single rooms, two double rooms, one triple room, and two new, all-weather cabins. (See more info after the PYCLs you requested below.)
5 PYCLs: 1) MAKE SOME CROWNS. 2-3) TAKE A NEW LOOK AT YOURSELF & THE PRODIGAL SON STORY. 4) SEE JESUS’ WORDS TO CANAANITE WOMAN IN A NEW LIGHT. 5) MAKE A “FAMILY TREE”.…
Possible Younger Class Lesson ideas for the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“MAN”
for Sunday, September 4, 2022
by Kerry Jenkins, CS, of House Springs, MO
kerry.helen.jenkins@gmail.com • 314-406-0041
PYCL #1: WHAT IS AN HEIR? MAKE SOME CROWNS.
With the very young classes make some paper crowns together while talking about what it means to be an “heir”.
You can break down our Responsive Reading for them into simple terms, though the Golden Text states things rather nicely. (GT-Deut. 14:1 (to:), RR-Gal 3:26, 29; 4:1,2,4-7 Eph. 1:3,5,11,12) The royalty idea is rather silly, it just seems like an easy access point with the very young group—we know that no one born into royalty is inherently any more worthy than the rest of us, of course, but if you can link the idea of royalty to God, then it works.
Work together to think about how a “prince” or “princess” might be expected to behave if they had certain responsibilities and upbringing. They might have to learn to be very polite, diplomatic, (not just say whatever they think or want to say)—and that can be spiritualized into thinking about what we are talking about— Are our words kind? Supportive? Spiritually-minded? Informative?… & so on.
Maybe as royalty they would need to be sure to be civic minded—do generous and good things for their community, and so on.
They can wear their crowns while you talk together about what it means to be an heir.
Now, what if we are heirs of Spirit, of Life, Love, Mind, Soul, Truth, Love, and Principle.
What would we “inherit” from each of these names for God?
Take a big sheet of paper and make seven columns.
Start a list of what qualities we would naturally express if we came from Truth, for example. We would be made from honesty, integrity, clarity, and so on.
It looks like we “come” from human parents. But this Bible Lesson really helps us see that that “version” of our story is actually a counterfeit of who we are. Our true, and only “parentage” is divine.
You can also introduce the idea that it was Jesus who showed us clearly that we are “heirs” of God, and not mortals.
He showed us this by healing in opposition to laws of mortal “heritage” or inheritance, as well as all laws of mortality.
PYCL #2: DESCRIBE YOURSELF WITHOUT ANY MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS.
We have done this one before but it’s a great one to renew now and again. If we had to describe ourselves (or someone else) without using any material characteristics (size, hair or eye color, age, etc.) how would we do this?
With older children they can take a few minutes to write down a description.
For the youngers you can have them dictate to you.
For these little children you could do this on a note card that you or they can decorate with their name at the top.
As the children get older you can help them dig deep for qualities and character that stem from the seven synonyms.
See if they can really come up with a robust description that would help someone identify them pretty accurately.
PYCL #3: A NEW LOOK AT THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON.
Yes, this story is about redemption and repentance.
But in the context of this lesson and on being an heir of God and Christ, there is a beautiful, new focus.
Look at the son who came home to his “father” after losing everything material and realizing that he would be better off serving in his “father’s” house than living a life focused on materialism.
Then take a look at his brother who faithfully served his “father” and did his duty as son in the time while his brother was off spending his inheritance profligately.
Notice that his father tells him “…Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.”
Finally, take a look at citation S16/242:1-3,15. In this citation we are reminded that the only way to “put off material beliefs and false individuality” is through “repentance, spiritual baptism, and regeneration”. Then, Mary Baker Eddy tells us that in order to find this true individuality that does not dwell in matter, we must “…dissolve with the universal solvent of Love the adamant of error, –self-will, self-justification, and self-love…”.
It is these hardened characteristics of mortal identity that must be destroyed.
The younger son experienced this when he lost all material identity through his self-will, and he totally embraced the humility of repentance, spiritual baptism, and regeneration, when he returned willing to serve in his father’s house (gaining an insight into his true identity when welcomed home).
But, did the older son do any of this? Was he humbly serving from a standpoint of reflection in his father’s house?
That couldn’t be, since he felt “ripped off” when a party was thrown for his younger brother. He could not have felt the wealth of spiritual inheritance that comes from giving up any sense of material success.
In this context we are being taught that we all have only one parentage, one true inheritance.
It can only be accessed by giving up the material sense of inheritance.
The elder son needed to recognize this just as much as the younger. Mary Baker Eddy refers to this process this way on page 240 of Science and Health: “Remember that mankind must sooner or later, either by suffering or by Science, be convinced of the error that is to be overcome.”
Sometimes, I wonder if maybe it is easier to identify the error when it is obvious in the way the Prodigal’s misdeeds were obvious. Whereas, it is harder to see when we think we are following the right path because we aren’t doing any of the obvious “sins” that society has identified. But, if we are holding to a false sense of self, and any that is materially based is false, we are still seeing ourselves as separate from the infinite Good that is God.
The older brother saw himself as “good” on his own, through his own personal effort.
But, all good comes through reflection and is derived from the one Father.
So, this may be too complicated for the very young, but certainly can be brought out with all except the youngest.
PYCL #4: SEE JESUS’ WORDS TO THE CANAANITE WOMAN IN A NEW LIGHT.
I’m so excited about the theme in this week’s Bible lesson (that is striking me) about being an heir of God. For me it also shed light on the story in Section 4 about the Canaanite woman. (cit. B12/Matt. 15:21-31).
It always seems shocking to hear the words of Jesus to this woman. There are explanations out there for this—one being the idea that he was perceiving, perhaps, some inner need of the woman, in that situation. But, in the context of this week’s lesson was not Jesus’ demand of this woman that she utterly, irrevocably, admit to herself that she is not of a material origin, a call to her to see herself as an heir of God?
Jesus was drawing on the Canaanite woman’s “foreign-ness” when he leveled that insult about not throwing the food of the Chosen people to the “dogs”. Instead of being insulted, this woman, in utmost humility, clung only to the idea that the Christ power to heal was available to all in the universe of Spirit—that even as she might be unworthy, humanly, she could surely be blessed in some way by the universality of the Christ to heal. So, like the Prodigal, she was completely willing to humble herself before the Christ. Only as an heir of God and Christ are we satisfied, worthy, blessed.
PYCL #5: MAKE A “FAMILY TREE”.
This sounds like the opposite of being an heir of God, but I’m thinking of a tree that might be something like this:
A drawing of a trunk that is Principle, then 6 big branches labeled after synonyms, then leaves that have the children’s names on them with qualities of these synonyms accompanying their names.
Their names can show up multiple times on each branch around the tree with different qualities on each leaf.
You can certainly use the qualities you came up with in the first two pycls!
Have fun and be creative with how you create the “tree”. It could be a drawing, or it could be a good branch that is stuck upright in a pot (stabbed into something like clay or playdough) on the table, that you label and then hang paper “leaves” from the tree branches on thread—and yes, you can have leaves that stick out of the trunk with qualities of Principle on them!
Have a great week in Sunday School!
Dear Friend,
We hope you enjoyed the short program video above, with a special message from Madelon Maupin on the conference topic of “Exodus Part I: Liberation from Bondage.” A YouTube link for you to share is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ts-eZ3HSw
More on the Extended Stay Option – Pray & Play: Based on participant feedback, we’re offering a new “extended stay” option to enjoy 1-2 extra days at camp. Let us provide you with space to reflect and pray over all you gained from the conference, while enjoying meals and optional afternoon activities.
Virtual Bible Study: For those who can’t attend in person, we will once again be offering a virtual experience. Click here to register through Bible Roads to attend by Zoom.
Financial assistance is available for both the in-person and virtual events through The Campership Fund. If the need is beyond what is approved through The Campership Fund, please contact CedarS, and we can help assist with the difference.
Looking forward to exploring Exodus and its message of liberation with you,
Holly, Warren and the CedarS Team
P.S. Feel free to share this invitation with friends who could be blessed by attending the Bible Study!
