[PSST: Claim holy standing with God! Learn from Mary, Joseph, shepherds… (GT, 2-4)]
Possible Sunday School Topics for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on;
“Christian Science”
for Sunday, December 25, 2016
By Steve Henn, C.S. St. Louis, Missouri steven.henn@gmail.com
[Steve's been a CedarS Program Director & teaches English at The Principia School.]
PSSTs Golden Text (GT) – What does it mean to stand? Consider the meaning of that simple statement. How many different ways do we use the idea of standing in modern language? With a better sense of this, further explore, then, what it means to be standing on holy ground. Where is this holy ground? Is it even a physical place; what would it mean if it were not a material/physical place? [Always think of yourself as having holy standing with God!]
PSSTs Responsive Reading – What does it mean to walk in darkness? Do your students ever walk in darkness – consider that it does not need to be as dramatic as depression, but simply walking through a mental space that is not fully aware of the light of Christ. What does it mean for us to recognize the source of the great light that pierces through the darkness as the Christ idea? What is the connection between this light and the peace that is promised?
PSSTs Section 1 – Why was the Christian era ushered in by signs and wonders? Are we willing to believe/ seek to understand the purpose and meaning of those signs and wonders today? How do your students respond when they are tempted to believe that those demonstrations of Divine Science are outdated, or even questionable in their reality? How does Christian Science help us to better understand the true significance of the teachings of Jesus and of the rest of the Biblical figures?
PSSTs Section 2 – How did Mary respond to the angel? What can we learn from her response? What does it mean to be a handmaid – and what can each of your students do this week to be handmaids to God? What is the significance of Mary in the development of the Christ idea in Jesus? Was there any? How can we learn from Mary?
PSSTs Section 3 – Switching to the other side of the relationship – how can we learn from Joseph? What position was he put into with this whole situation? Study the local laws and rules about marriage, celibacy, and adultery to recognize just how important it was that Joseph be on the same page as Mary. What qualities does he express, and how can we be more like Joseph? When is it important for us to be like Mary, and when is it important for us to be like Joseph? Can we be like both?
PSSTs Section 4 – How did the shepherd’s respond when they heard the news of the Messiah being born? How do we respond when we read our lesson sermon on a daily basis? Are we as receptive of the divine message? Are we as aware of its magnitude? Do we underestimate just how incredible this science is that we have been given? What can we do as students to better grasp just how incredible this gift is? On another note, how wonderful was it that the word was spread to the shepherds? How many of us are willing to share this great news beyond just our immediate circle of friends/family? How many of us are courageous enough to sing the good song the way the angels did to the shepherds?
PSSTs Section 5 – How does spiritual healing work? We are told regularly that it is not formulaic; it is not like taking a pill or a serum, or any other sort of material medicine that you can see, taste, or touch. What is it then? And how do we respond when our prayers seem not to be working? What does this section teach us about the nature of healing?
