PSST: Faith, hope, and love destroy sin, disease, and death
Possible Sunday School Topics for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on
“Are Sin, Disease, and Death Real?”
for OCTOBER 2–8, 2023
by Lindsey Biggs, C.S of Maryland Heights, MO
540 460 3515 biggs.lindsey@gmail.com
P.S.S.T. for Golden Text
The Golden Text comes from I Cor 13:13 which, of course, is an excerpt of Paul’s letter on love.
These passages are famously read during weddings, and they have also been converted into hymn 588 in our hymnal:
Though I may speak with moving words, / Which can inspire the human heart, / But have no love to seal their worth, / They are but sham and empty art.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 588:1)
If you have students who are in the National Leadership Council (NLC) program through Discovery Bound, they may have dived deeply into these passages during their first year of the program through reading “The Greatest Thing in the World” by Henry Drummond. See if they have any insights that stood out to them from that reading and discussion.
P.S.S.T. for Responsive Reading
These passages in the Responsive Reading include some interesting verses from Psalms – praying to God and seeking God’s help.
The book of Psalms includes many types of Psalms:
Thanksgiving psalms (gratitude to God for who God is and what God does),
Psalms of praise (focus on praising God’s attributes; often including music or instruments),
Royal psalms (God works through various types of kings),
Wisdom psalms (teaching and advice on how to live a Godly life),
And more!
There are 5 videos under “Sunday School Teachers” on ChristianScience.com that discuss these different types of Psalms. Just search “Psalms” in the video section.
P.S.S.T. for Section 1 – Fruits of the Spirit
“What is God seeing and knowing?” can be a great way to pray.
“God is of purer eyes than to behold evil…” (B2/ Habakkuk 1:13)
So God can’t see or know error, but saves us from believing in it ourselves. When we start with God, and allow our consciousness to yield to what God is seeing and knowing, discord is replaced with harmony.
“Truth, Life, and Love are a law of annihilation to everything unlike themselves, because they declare nothing except God.” (S2, p. 243:27–31)
These are pretty powerful words! Truth annihilates error! The definition of annihilate is to destroy completely, obliterate. For students who like superheroes, transformers, or other such characters, this could be a good connection. There is also a Comic Book Bible that could be an additional fit for superhero fans.
The “fruits of the Spirit” can be a very fun lesson to teach. TeachersPayTeachers.com has some great lessons and crafts related to the fruits of the Spirit that are good for elementary school age students. I like to share with students that there are:
7 synonyms
8 beatitudes
9 fruits of the spirit
10 commandments
When we review these regularly they become much easier to remember!
P.S.S.T. for Section 2 – Share the W.A.L.L. treatment
This Section includes the “WALL” treatment from page 495 of Science and Health (S9).
This can be a great one to help students memorize. You may even want to print it out so they can keep it with them.
When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea.
Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought.
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.
P.S.S.T. for Section 3 – Guidance and choices
“Love for God and man is the true incentive in both healing and teaching. Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way. Right motives give pinions to thought, and strength and freedom to speech and action.” (S12, SH p. 454:17)
Perhaps discuss this passage and how it can help students in their choices. Are they looking at colleges, deciding what teams to join this year, whether or not they should participate in a theater production? Divine Love and right motives can lead the way….can lead and guide their thoughts into their proper channels. Perhaps you have an example of guidance from your own experience that you could share with them?
This passage from the Bible illustrates these right motives:
“…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (B10, Romans 12:1)
How can this help with career choices? College choices? Which relationships to choose?
P.S.S.T. for Section 4 — Forgiveness paves the way for healing
Why do you think forgiveness was important in this healing (B14, Luke 5:18–25)?
What does if feel like to be forgiven? Perhaps a fresh, clean start? Knowing you are worthy and loved? Dropping mental baggage…ready to make things new.
Why did the Pharisees dislike Jesus’ forgiveness of sins in this account? Why was it important for the people to know that Jesus could forgive sin – here and now – rather than waiting for heaven or a judgment day?
What role does forgiveness play in healing? Have your students ever had a healing that included forgiveness?
Notice the marginal heading in S18 (SH p. 253) – it says “Right endeavor possible”.
What a great way to start out any performance, academic achievement, athletic tryout, or prayer.
Mary Baker Eddy continues:
“The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea.” (cit. S19, p. SH 90:25)
This sounds like starting out rightly – not starting out with a limited concept of ability or self. Instead, first, admitting that God is all and that we are the image and likeness to God and then letting good flow from that point. In another passage, Mary Baker Eddy writes:
“To begin rightly is to end rightly.” (SH p. 262) That’s the type of prayer and attitude we want to have as we go forth to master new achievements.
P.S.S.T. for Section 5 – Constant prayers
Consider exploring this passage further:
“Self-forgetfulness, purity, and affection are constant prayers. Practice not profession, understanding not belief, gain the ear and right hand of omnipotence and they assuredly call down infinite blessings.” (S24, p. 15:26–30)
The Bible talks about “praying without ceasing”. The passage above hints at some ways we can do that. See if your students can memorize the 3 attributes listed above that are “constant prayers”. Discuss the meaning of this. Why are these constant prayers? How do you feel when you are continually embodying and expressing these qualities? It seems to me that we would feel much closer to God, and feeling our closeness to God – our oneness with God – heals.
Exploring this passage further, Mary Baker Eddy writes that two more things are requisite to “call down infinite blessings”. What are those two things? Why is understanding better than belief? Why does spiritual understanding heal? What is the difference between practice v. profession? Are there ways that students can incorporate spiritual understanding into their week more, challenge everything that is unlike God, and call down some of those infinite blessings?
The Stories of Healing book, sold in the Christian Science Reading Room, includes excellent accounts of both the healing in this section and the previous section. You may enjoy reading it and sharing it with students.
P.S.S.T. for Section 6 – Awakening to God’s love
“Let” is an important word in this passage (S27, p. 248:29). Consider exploring the distinction between “letting” these qualities reign in our thought – in other words, allowing these qualities to reign in our thought versus human will, stubbornness, etc. It requires a yielding of our consciousness to the Truth of being. And “let” also signifies that these qualities are already present, and that we simply have to allow them to dwell in our consciousness.
This shows us the everpresence of the Kingdom of Heaven which Jesus says is already within us (B19, Luke 17:21). Since the Kingdom of Heaven is already within us, each of us has access to the qualities of God that we need – qualities that are right at hand such as intelligence, kindness, forgiveness, tenderness, perseverance, strength, integrity, honesty, etc. We can never be deprived of these qualities since they are within us and we can let them reign in our consciousness more and more freely.
Perhaps ask your students which qualities they would like to express more clearly this week. They could write down 1 – 3 spiritual qualities that they want to let reign in their thought. Be sure to follow up with them the following week to see how it went!
This is also a really neat passage:
“When we wake to the truth of being, … the mortal dream will forever cease.” (S26, p. 218:32–2)
Waking implies something that is quite natural and gentle. It has similar connotations to me as “let”. Waking is the effect of spiritualization of thought. It is the effect of the natural activity of the Christ that is always going on.
Consider discussing some definitions of Christ to highlight the role the Christ plays in healing – in awakening our thought to the activity and presence of good. These can be found on pages 332 – 333 in the Platform of Christian Science in Science and Health, and also in the Glossary.
Enjoy your class!
