PYCLs: Take a gratitude walk… What does Jesus have to do with the discovery of Christian Science? Act out the story of the blind man being healed. Plant seeds of Truth. Make bread.
Possible Younger Class Lesson ideas for the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Christian Science”
for Sunday, June 25, 2023
by Kerry Jenkins, CS, of House Springs, MO
kerry.helen.jenkins@gmail.com • 314-406-0041
BONUS THIS WEEK! As CedarS Care House Practitioner this week, Kerry demonstrated each of the teaching ideas below (and more) on stage in her 10-minute Breakfast “Prac Talks.” All ages find this resource to be a very inspiring and helpful way to start each day here and at home. Click here and then on the Prac Talk(s) of your choice to hear it.
PYCL #1: How do we see/hear/feel God/Love/Truth, etc.
This is a favorite search for me with children…and for myself. Have them think about it together. Do they feel God when their mom or dad tucks them in at night? Do they see Soul when a beautiful bird lands on a branch nearby? Do they hear God as Truth when someone says something kind to someone? If it’s a nice day, take a walk together and have them point out all the ways that they can sense God!
The reason I think of this for this week’s lesson is that we have so much in it about seeing, and sensing God through understanding the spiritual nature of things that we learn in Christian Science.
PYCL #2: What does Jesus have to do with the discovery of Christian Science?
Mary Baker Eddy refers to her “discovery” of Christian Science, rather than her “invention” of it. This implies that it existed all along, right? Where did we see it most demonstrated in the Bible? Can the children think about that one? Certainly it was demonstrated in many, many places, but of anyone, Christ Jesus most clearly and abundantly demonstrated the rules of Christian Science healing!
It is pretty exciting to start to realize that what Jesus did with healing was based in laws of God and God’s goodness, including man, and that Christian Science uses the exact same laws to heal today.
PYCL #3: Act out the story of the blind man being healed.
We did this today in the youngest boys cabin Bible lesson study time. It was noisy, so I give you fair warning. It’s helpful to tell the story in the version where the beggar is named “Bartimaeus”. It is the same man, just named. In this version, he jumps up and throws off his cloak when Jesus calls him to him.
You can explain that each story and verse in the Bible can be “seen” in a more spiritual way when we think about them deeply. This spiritual interpretation of Scripture is what Christian Science continues, that Jesus started when he used parables to teach people about God and man. This kind of metaphor can be used while talking about blind Bartimaeus as well. For example, he was one who recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. He called loudly to him “Son of David! Have mercy on me!” This was a recognition that he was not going to keep silent, no matter how unpopular it might make him. And it was this recognition that brought Jesus to his side to be healed. We can also look at the version of this story where Bartimaeus throws off his cloak (beggar’s rag with pockets, likely) when Jesus calls him.
It is fun to think of this as a symbol of throwing off his limitations, his mortal sense of “this is how it always has been, always will be”.
Take turns being Bartimaeus/Jesus/and the crowd that is telling him to be quiet. Bring a smaller blanket or sheet to act as a cloak that he can throw off. What are the voices that tell us to “be quiet” when we are noticing/demonstrating Christly qualities? Sometimes it is inner voices like self-doubt, sometimes it really seems like people who are not supporting right activity.
PYCL #4: Plant seeds of Truth.
This week we talked about citation S10/270:31-5 in one of our breakfast Practitioner Talks. We discussed what that “good soil” is in our own lives, where seeds of Truth spring up into fruit/healing/joy/peace/intelligence and so on. About fifteen or more girls came up to plant radish seeds in small seed pots.
We discussed all the metaphors that this inspires about tending, watering, weeding and caring for these “seeds of Truth”.
How do we do this in life? You may want to try literally planting some seeds with the children, depending on if you can do this outdoors. Radishes do have a very short germination, so if you take them home and water them, you will see some fairly big leaves the following Sunday!
PYCL #5: Make bread.
It has been a week full of understanding how Jesus’ parables help us to understand God and spiritual thought better, and how Christian Science also helps us to better understand the Bible and the laws of healing that Jesus demonstrated. We talked a lot about metaphor and symbolism.
Jesus’ short parable about the woman hiding leaven in three measures of meal gives us lots to play with! (citation B9/Matt. 13:2,10, 11, 13, 16, 33) This is a really rich metaphor for older children if you want to discuss how leaven represents the “Science of Christ” (cit. S7/117:31-12).
For almost any age, making bread is a fabulous illustration.
Look up how yeast works and explain its transformative powers.
It doesn’t just lift things up, it changes starches into sugars and produces carbon dioxide. It’s actually a living organism!
With the smaller children just talk about what bread is without the yeast….paste! For our demonstration in the morning “Prac Talk” I brought in a loaf of bread I baked the night before, one loaf that was rising into a dome in a bowl, and the ingredients to mix up some dough on the stage. I had the kids add “3 measures (cups) of meal/flour to warm water, add some salt, a little sugar, and finally the yeast and stir together. Just add more or less flour depending on the level of water. You don’t have to get this elaborate.
Even mixing some up in class and sharing a bit of cooked bread would be fun and illustrative.
Have a great week in Sunday School!
