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PSST— Update the parables together with meaning for today!
Possible Sunday School Topics for the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Christ Jesus” for classes on August 28, 2022
Questions by former CedarS Program Director, Steve Henn, C.S.
steven.henn@gmail.com
POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS (PSSTs) for the GOLDEN TEXT (GT):
What are parables?
How do parables help us to learn?
Do your students know any modern-day parables and the lessons they teach?
Why are stories better than just talking points?
POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS (PSSTs) for the RESPONSIVE READING (RR):
ACTIVITY –
As you look at the parables in Jesus’ teachings, remind your students about the people listening to his teachings – and that Jesus used images and situations that would feel familiar to his students. Can you shift any of the parables to have images that are more familiar to your students?
You could also have them join in the process of updating parables.
What is the parable of the mustard seed teaching us?
Can your students update this parable to use images they can relate to, and have the message of the parable hit closer to home?
How about the parable of the leaven – what modern symbols could be used to illustrate the meaning of that parable?
What is the point of each parable and how can you help your students really feel the lesson of each?
POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS (PSSTs) for Section 1:
What is discernment?
What is judgment?
How in this section are Christ Jesus (citation B3, Matt. 13:47, 48) and Mary Baker Eddy encouraging us all to use discernment and judgment? (citation SS3:332:22)
What is the way to heaven, harmony? (citation S6, 242:9)
POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS (PSSTs) for Section 2:
What are the four areas where the sower’s seed fell? (citation B9, Luke 8:4-15)
What do each of those areas represent?
ACTIVITY:
Have your students cut out pictures from magazines or draw and color images that reflect these four areas. Then have students write the qualities of each area as Jesus describes them. Then discuss with your students whether they feel like their own thought reflects qualities from these four different areas at different times in their lives.
How can your students practice keeping their thought and life as good soil, ready for Christ’s message to blossom? (citation S7, 270:31)
POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS (PSSTs) for Section 3:
PASSAGE TO MEMORIZE:
Have your students write down on a notecard that they can take with them citation S15 from this section: SH 25:31 “The divinity of the Christ was made manifest in the humanity of Jesus.”
How does this passage reflect what is happening in the story in this section? (citation S12, Luke 7:36-48)
How can we work to express humanity like Jesus?
POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS (PSSTs) for Section 4:
What is the key requirement for the healing work Jesus does in this section? (citation B15, Matt. 17:21)
What does it look like for your students to include prayer in their lives on a frequent basis? Daily? Hourly?
What does “fasting” mean?
Look it up in a Bible dictionary with your students and discuss how they might incorporate that into their daily lives – and how developing prayer and fasting leads to healing work.
POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS (PSSTs) for Section 5:
What does Christ demand of us? (citation B16, Matt. 16:24)
Is this demand too great?
How can we follow through on the expectation that we will ‘leave all and follow’?
What are we actually leaving, and what are we following?
How does this teach us what the way is that Jesus marked out? (citation S28, 23-24)
