[PSST: Remember and show: You are built by Soul!]
Possible Sunday School Topics for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on;
"Soul and Body" for Sunday, 5-26-13
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) – what are the qualities present in a building built by God? How do those qualities translate to our experiences? You can cross-reference this with Jesus' claim about destroying and rebuilding the temple, as well as the house built in heaven. You can also look up temple in the hymnal for further ideas about God's building.
PSST for Responsive Reading (RR) – what is the relationship between a builder and his buildings? What is the relationship of an artist to his creation? This can mirror the relationship between Soul and His creation, man. What comforts come from this relationship? What responsibilities does Life have to his creation, man, in this relationship? What about the inverse?
PSST for Section 1 – how can we glorify Truth in our minds and bodies? What does it mean to be "an habitation of God"? Why does God delight in his creation? If God delights in mankind, how should we feel towards our fellow man? The foundation of each creation can be described as its identity — this section has a lot to say about man's identity and its relationship to God. What is the foundation for man's identity? What is comforting about identity from this section? What is true about identity? How does this vision of identity help our students' activities and self-identification?
PSST for Section 2 – what is the basis of our understanding? Do we see God as the builder? Or do we see mankind as the builders? What are the logical outcomes of seeing God as the builder? What are the unfortunate consequences of seeing mankind as the builder (creator)? How do we remain constant in our understanding of God as the true builder when evidence of our mortal senses suggests otherwise? What does it take to please God? Why would we want to please Him? Examine with your students the role of matter/limitation in this section, and the discussion of Spirit/Soul/infinity. How do those concepts play a role in our students' lives this summer?
PSST for Section 3 – What does Elijah's experience teach/model for us about making a joyful noise unto God? Why is it important to make this joyful noise? What from our mortal senses can we believe? How should we approach 'apparent discord'? What makes up God's true reflection? How does Science prove man's existence to be intact? How can this help our students as they deal with issues of relationships in their own lives?
PSST for Section 4 – Where does healing come from? How does this section illustrate the importance of seeing God's perfect idea before it may even be apparent to mortal sense? What can we do to grow our confidence in God as the health of our countenance? What role does Science play with respect to the body in this section? How do we ensure the harmonious action of the body through Science?
PSST for Section 5 – What impact will it have on the experiences of your students if they looked at God as the source of all their movements (both of mind and body)? Why does Peter invoke the 'name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth' in his healing? What does this represent (consider the statement this is making about where Peter puts his faith and confidence)? How can we follow in Peter's footsteps? What do your students ask for from God? What is worth asking for? (Do they ask for anything? Christ makes it plain (Mark 10:51, 52) that he will respond when he is asked for aid.) How do we 'divest thought of false trusts', and what is the result of such divestment? How do we 'stand porter at the door of thought' and what is the result of such action?
PSST for Section 6 – What is the significance of Zion in the Bible? Why does it matter that God is shining out of Zion? What do the 'garments of salvation' look like that we have been clothed in? (Consider the 'armour of God' from Eph 6:11-24) How does God bless and keep us — and how do we know He is blessing and keeping us? What does it mean to be God's image? If we are God's image, what is true about us? What is not possible if we are God's image? This lesson has addressed the concept of 'age' more than once — why is it important for our high-school-aged students to be mindful of this healing message — what lies about 'age' must they combat, and how does this lesson support that combat?
