PSST: Explore the freshness and creativity of Soul!
Possible Sunday School Topics for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on
“Soul”
for February 13, 2021
by Lindsey Biggs, C.S of Maryland Heights, MO
540 460 3515 biggs.lindsey@gmail.com
P.S.S.T. for Golden Text – Where do we find spiritual beauty?
Beauty is often a great topic to explore for teens. Elevating our concept of beauty lifts thought off the physical to recognize the beautiful qualities of Soul. Patience, joy, humor, kindness, forgiveness, intelligence are all beautiful qualities to express. The nice thing is that these qualities don’t collaborate with arrogance, comparisons, inferiority/superiority, limitation, or harm. A spiritual sense of beauty blesses everyone.
“Bible Lens Research” from the Christian Science Sentinel has this addition about the Hebrew word used for beauty:
“Nō‘am, the Hebrew term rendered beauty, implies kindness, pleasantness, and grace rather than physical loveliness. It describes wisdom in Proverbs 3:17: ‘Her ways are ways of pleasantness [nō‘am], and all her paths are peace.’”
What are some ways you can be in awe of the beauty of the Lord? Perhaps a beautiful sunset, or a unique shell on the beach, or a kind gift from a friend. It’s a joy to be in awe of God and causes us to feel we are included in the goodness of God’s creation.
P.S.S.T. for Responsive Reading – Try a fresh approach!
Newness and freshness are beautiful expressions of Soul! Soul, God, is always fresh; never in a rut, outdated, lacking fresh inspiration, stale. Soul gives us new ideas, energy, and joy to live and sing praises for God.
Is there a fresh approach your students could take to a project, an assignment or a sport? Being open to fresh, new ideas breathes new life and joy into our activities and often gives us a new sense of accomplishment.
Read about how one teen swimmer learned to take a fresh approach in her endeavors.
What Success Really Looks Like
P.S.S.T. for Section 1 — Reflect and shine the fruits of the Spirit!
Citation B2 tells us we exist to show forth God’s praise! To magnify God’s beauty, grace, kindness! We show forth God’s qualities and God gets glorified. If your students are looking for a life purpose or considering what college to attend after high school, a great motto/lens for their motivation. could be: “This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.”
(Isaiah 43:21/citation B2)
Fruitfulness or evidence of Spirit is shown in beautiful qualities such as “love, joy, peace” (cit. B4/Galatians 5:22) Explore each of the 9 qualities — or fruits of the Spirit — together. What do these attributes tell us about God? How do they describe our nature as the reflection of God?
“Soul, or Spirit, is God, unchangeable and eternal;” (cit. S1/p. 120) So these qualities can’t be here one day and not the next. They don’t vary!
P.S.S.T. for Section 2 – Nature teaches grand lessons
Citation B5/Psalms 50 tells us that even the animals in the forest, the cattle on the hills, the birds on the mountain, and other animals of the field are known and belong to God. This means they are spiritual and reflect the divine intelligence. Nature can teach us wonderful lessons about God’s love and goodness.
Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Suns and planets teach grand lessons. The stars make night beautiful, and the leaflet turns naturally towards the light.” (Science and Health, p. 240:7)
What are some lessons or inspiration your students have gained from being in nature? Perhaps it could be at camp looking up at a starry night sky, or a particular horse, or a beautiful sunset.
How do these things “stir our heart” and enable us to contemplate more peace, harmony, and beauty?
Enjoy this translation from the New Century Version:
“God shines from Jerusalem,
whose beauty is perfect. . . .
and even the skies say he is right.
. . . “I am God, your God. . . .
. . . every animal of the forest is already mine.
The cattle on a thousand hills are mine.
I know every bird on the mountains,
and every living thing in the fields is
mine. . . .” (Psalms 50 NCV)
Mary Baker Eddy also gives us the “recipe for beauty” in citation S8/p. 247 — less illusion, more Soul! More genuine beauty, love, affection, tenderness, kindness, thoughtfulness, and appreciation!
P.S.S.T. for Section 3 – Spiritual sense leads us to discern spiritual good
“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (cit. B9/Psalms 119:12)
Spiritual sense comes from God. It’s our capacity to know and “see” or perceive God. Since the material senses can’t really perceive God, we rely on our spiritual sense, spiritual understanding, and faith in healing!
Elisha’s servant was afraid. (cit. B10/II Kings 6) He was seeing with the material senses. Elisha was not afraid. He was seeing with spiritual sense.
“Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality.” (Science and Health, p. 298:13–15)
These 6 attributes are wonderful ways to signify when spiritual sense is guiding us. Sometimes it may simply start with hope that things will get better; that hope then leads to study and prayer, which give us the spiritual understanding that we need; the spiritual understanding leads to the fruition of those prayers and seeing/experiencing the perfect reality God knows.
“The evidence of the existence of Spirit, Soul, is palpable only to spiritual sense…” which shows the importance of spiritual sense! (cit. S11/SH p. 359)
What are some helpful ways to allow spiritual sense to govern us?
- When the human mind yields to divine Mind, then this Soul-sense comes (cit. S13/85)
- When understanding changes our standpoint of life from a material to a spiritual basis (cit. S14/322)
- When Spirit imparts and uplifts our consciousness thus leading us into all Truth (cit. S12/ 505)
Elisha certainly saw through his spiritual sense — his conscious awareness and understanding of God. This enabled him to impart many blessings, healing, and protection for himself and others.
P.S.S.T. for Section 4 – God supplies all the talents and qualities you need!
“Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul.” (cit. S19/60)
Soul, God, has infinite resources. Infinite joy, peace, happiness. Supply can include more than monetary supply – it can include the supply of all the qualities that we need.
This beautiful healing account of Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fish showed his followers the ever presence of supply that is good. He showed that there really is no “desert” place. All space is already filled with goodness, since God and Her love are ever-present.
If your students are auditioning for a play, applying for an internship, trying out for a sport, they can trust and know that the qualities they need already fill all space.
“Knowing that Soul and its attributes were forever manifested through man…” (cit. S17/210) they can trust and know that the talents that they need to perform each given task are forever manifested through them. This passage acknowledges Soul as the Source, and we reflect Soul.
How can knowing their oneness with Soul, give your students greater confidence in their endeavors?
Check out this article that shares similar ideas Discover your God-given talents:
“As she learned to see herself as the fully capable child of God, she began to express more capability and freedom. Her family noticed how much more freely she expressed her thoughts. She was happy to contribute in her church and much more confident in what she had to offer others. For those who long to express themselves more fully, understanding that their abilities come from God can be transformative…”
P.S.S.T. for Section 5 – Live the Life that is God, good
Explore some qualities for Life – joy, vitality, energy, spontaneity, renewal, etc. Gaining a full sense of Life enables us to live joyously and freely. It gives us an assurance of our oneness with uninterrupted harmony and Life. Practice witnessing and appreciating Life expressed all around you!
“…God, the Soul of man and of all existence, being perpetual in His own individuality, harmony, and immortality, imparts and perpetuates these qualities in man, — through Mind, not matter.” (cit. S26/280)
God is forever imparting and perpetuating the qualities of Life and Soul through us – the ability to be joyful and successful, the unfoldment of good, new possibilities, the sunshine, the clouds and birds, etc. There is a joyful spontaneity to the Life that is God, good, so we can embrace and be open to the newness and freshness that are inherent to Life!
This citation is a great way to show us how we want to “shape our views” and be expectant of:
“Let us then shape our views of existence into loveliness, freshness, and continuity, rather than into age and blight.” (cit. S24/246) Be open to new views of Life each moment!
P.S.S.T. for Section 6 – Bring music, art and creativity into the classroom!
What role does music and song play in your class? Is there a way to write a hymn together or a poem? Maybe even set it to music? Are there students who are musically inclined in your class? There are some beautiful songs for Sunday School classes on ChristianScience.com such as “A Psalm For You” (scroll down to the bottom of this page).
“Sacred songs found in the Bible were written over hundreds of years, and many were part of oral tradition for centuries before that. Israelites sang psalms and hymns to praise God, to seek forgiveness, to ask for wisdom—and, just as we teach our children through singing, to convey basic religious precepts. Music became part of Christian education as well. Paul lists psalms as a teaching tool in a letter to the Corinthian church…” (“Bible Lens Research”, Christian Science Sentinel)
“Man is the expression of Soul.” (cit. S32/477) So it’s natural to express God through making music and art! Try out some ways to bring some fresh creativity to your class. Experience the newness, freshness, and vitality of the Soul that is Life together!
Enjoy your classes!
