PSST: Meet disastrous counterfeits with counter facts to witness Love’s control over all!

[PSST: Meet disastrous counterfeits with counter facts to witness Love’s control over all!]
Possible Sunday School Topics for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on;
“Is The Universe, Including Man, Evolved By Atomic Force?” for Sunday, 6-23-13
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.]

PSST for Golden Text (GT) –
With all the focus on disaster in the world (forest fires, civil wars, spying), what evidence is there that wisdom is the foundation of the earth?  What are the counter facts to these counterfeits of creation?  

PSST for Responsive (RR) –
What credit does God deserve in our lives?  The Responsive Reading gives many grand responsibilities of God – what are more immediate things does God do for us?  What role does he play in relationships, school, sports, etc.?

PSST for Section 1 –
We are called to praise the Lord in citation 1 from the Bible – but in order to do so, we must recognize why God is worthy of praise – consider the items from the Responsive Reading and add to that list of reasons why God deserves our praise.  Then, discuss how we praise God – what sort of praises does He recognize – (historically it was sacrifices that people offered to God to please/praise him – in what ways do we praise God today?  What truly shows our admiration or approval of God?)

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it” (B2 – Isa 55).  This is a great passage to memorize for times of trouble – what is this passage saying, and how does it help us in our relationship to God?

The first section declares that it is God who does the creating and governing of the universe – much of what we see around us suggests man is a creator – why is it preferable to place creation in the hands of God, not man?  What does this mean about our own daily lives and the things that we ‘create’?  Are we surrendering our individuality or creativity thinking this way? (An ongoing conversation you can have with your students week to week is an ever developing understanding of who/what God really is – this will have an impact on many of the other conversations you have in Sunday School)

“Divine Science, rising above physical theories, excludes matter, resolves things into thoughts, and replaces the objects of material sense with spiritual ideas” (S5 – 123:12). WHAT?!?!?!?! Read this passage carefully with your students and consider what it really is saying – excludes matter?? – and the implications for our immediate experiences.  This is another wonderful passage to memorize, but it must be done with understanding.  

PSST for Section 2 –
What is the distinguishing factor between God/Spirit and matter?  Look at citation B4 for the brief, but complete answer to this question.  (This reaches back into Section 1 and helps to answer the question, “how do we resolve things into thoughts, and replace the objects of material sense with spiritual ideas?”)

Are we willing to sacrifice what looks like wisdom to us for a greater wisdom of God?  (Are we willing rather to be absent from the body and present with God?)  

Are we willing to appear foolish to our fellow man in order to be closer to God?  

What sort of relationship and understanding with God does this require of us?

What changes in our experience – what is permanent?  Consider Hymn 148 (“In heavenly love abiding” as you read this second section of the lesson – it is all about change and permanency.  As you consider this section, you may also want to discuss with your students the differences between unfoldment and evolution – what does the progress that is the law of God look like?  Are we growing out from or up to perfection?

PSST for Section 3 –
Where do we search for progress and growth?  Can we do it on our own?  

Why is it foolish to look for perfection in the flesh?  Where does perfection come from?

Why are our ‘fathers’ or friends, others we interact with and even we ourselves tempted to find ‘iniquity’ (injustice or immorality) in God, or religion?  What ‘gods’ are we tempted to replace God with?  Why is this vanity? (Why does this not ‘hold water’, as a broken cistern?)

Where is the true origin of species?  Darwin titled one of his major works The Origin of Species, and Mrs. Eddy refers to him in this section – and yet she challenges the order of progression established by naturalists.  What evidence is there that God is the true origin of creation?

PSST for Section 4 –
What is our true heritage?
What does it mean to be a child of God, an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ?

What natural benefits does Mrs. Eddy claim for man who loses his sense of matter as substance?  How do we practice this in our own daily lives?

How does Mrs. Eddy claim, with confidence, that ‘nothing is real but the right?”

How do we remove our sympathies with error?

Beginning on Science & Health page 390 is a multiple-page series of commands regarding our responsibilities and opportunities in Christian Science.  Citation S21 is a snippet of these powerful statements.  Consider opening to page 390 with your students and exploring this section in more detail.

PSST for Section 5 –
What situations in our lives feel like they are in need of a ‘loaves and fishes’ intervention?
Do we feel like we need ‘more time’ or ‘more love’ or more of anything?  
What source are we acknowledging to receive these blessings?  
What source did Jesus acknowledge before receiving the bounty of the loaves and the fishes?
[Warren: You may also want to try acting out with your class a simple version of the story from a downloadable script of this event — click in the upper right corner — as written by counselor Sara Romo as a Girls Scout Gold project for CedarS. To see a video of a CedarS cabin acting out this skit go to http://www.cedarscamps.org/videos/categories/2425012/  It should be posted by Friday…]

How does it change perspective to look at creation as ‘appearing’?  
If mortal mind inverts this appearing – how do we reverse that inversion to get back to the original?  Practice replacing counterfeits with counter facts of existence – consider the facts that the loaves and fishes establish, and what counterfeits these facts replace.

Where should our inspiration come from?  Citation S25 gives us many avenues for growth in wisdom, Truth and Love.  What of these fit well with your students?  How can we be sure to connect with this growth on a daily basis?

PSST for Section 6 –
Why should we be comforted?  What is in the message of Section 6 that is comforting?  

Is the universe evolved by atomic force?  What evidence do you have to support your response to this inquiry?  What evidence is there to challenge your response and how do you refute those challenges through Science?

Is Science vulnerable? (see citation S29)  What is our role in the establishment of Science in its enthroned place?

What is ‘spiritual evolution’ as compared to material evolution?  
How is divine power exercised in spiritual evolution?