PYCLs– Be on the lookout for angels & heartfelt Christ-light, every day, in every way! Consider New Year’s Resolutions!
Possible Younger Class Lesson ideas for the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Christian Science”
for Sunday, December 31, 2023
by Kerry Jenkins, CS, of House Springs, MO
kerry.helen.jenkins@gmail.com • 314-406-0041
PYCL #1: Be on the lookout for angels every day, in every way!
Oh good, we can keep celebrating Christmas!! Let’s talk about angels: what are they? (Read Mary Baker Eddy’s definition from the Glossary on p. 581 of Science & Health and also what she says on p. 298-299 of Science & Health. There is a lot there!
Where do angels appear? How do they appear?
Why do they appear, especially in this lesson?
You can read how they appeared to Mary in the Responsive Reading from Luke 1:26,27, 30-32, 34,35,37,38,46,47.
And you can read how angels appeared to the shepherds in citation B3/Luke 2:8-14. And how they appeared to Joseph in citation B5/Matt. 2:13, 14. Finally, there’s the angel in Revelation 10:1,2,10,11/cit. B18 followed by Mary Baker Eddy’s explanation of this angel in citations S24 and S25/558:9-16, 559:1-8.
There is a beautiful theme in this lesson about how the Christ communicates with us, and angels are a special part of that communication! All those questions above, about how angels come to us and what they are, can help us to see them more commonly in our daily lives. They are not necessarily a rare or “miraculous” appearance. They are with us all the time and we have only to be aware of them and feel gratitude when they come in order to more regularly experience these divine thoughts and answers. Maybe we can realize there are angels with us whenever we receive an answer unexpectedly, or are guided in a certain good way, or loved, helped, kept safe.
Make a list of all the ways that we have already experienced the presence of angels and then all the ways we might look for them. If the children are very young and they want to draw a representation of an angel, that’s ok too. Talk about why they seem to always be drawn with wings?
What do the wings represent?
Think about the nature of flying and height, lofty or spiritual thought, and so on. Why feathers?
Think of how a mother bird cares for her babies, tucked under feathered wings, safe from all kinds of weather!
You can also look at Mary Baker Eddy’s poem “Mother’s Evening Prayer” in Hymns 207-212. She refers to these wings, maybe thinking of an angel, motherly, presence.
PYCL #2: Stars (continued)
Last week we made stars and hung them. Feel free to continue this theme from the perspective of the light that is described in this week’s lesson as that same star that announced and pointed to the holy birth.
You could again talk about the symbolism of the light. And now emphasize that this light is the Christ that illuminated the birth of Jesus and lit all the powerful works of healing that he did throughout his life.
It represents the light that inspired Joseph to not only take Mary to be his wife and raise Jesus as his son, but also led him to hide with his new family in Egypt until Herod’s passing and it was safe to return to Israel. Why do we need this “light” to find the Christ “child” within us, or around us? Make some more stars to hang and to bring home with messages of spiritual light on them.
If you have kids that are a little bit older go through citation S1/vii:1-10 line by line. Talk about what it means to be a “wakeful shepherd”. They are the ones who are alert, conscious for those “first faint morning beams”, for the first glimmerings of inspired thought from the Christ. We don’t have to stay up all night, but there is symbolism in being shepherds, caring for innocence, and watching for inspiration and spiritual light. That star crossed the dark night — the ignorance and fear — and brought light/understanding to those who were humble enough to be ready to see and receive it. Anyway, you get the idea. It’s a fun paragraph to work with!
You can also discuss the symbolism of Jesus’ birth being held in an “obscure” place. What does that mean to us? What does it mean for how we need to be looking for the Christ?
Are we more likely to find this light in public places with lots of fame attached? Or, in humble stillness and quiet?
PYCL #3: The Christ is in our hearts already.
I love the Bible references to the Word of God being “written in our hearts” or the light “shining in our hearts”. (cit. B8/Jer. 31:33 and cit. B13/2 Cor. 4:6)
What does that mean? To me it means no one is left out or incomplete. We each have the full understanding and inspiration and light of Christ within us.
Have the little ones draw and cut out a big heart shape. Decorate it with all the ways that Christ is written in our hearts. Do they know love and goodness? Can they recognize it and feel it? This relates well to Jesus telling us that the kingdom of God is within us. You can specifically speak to the idea of the “law” of God being written in our hearts. What is this law? Is it something that just tells us what we can and can’t do?
Or, is it telling us why we are healthy, happy, free?
PYCL #4: Look at citation S23/14:12-15, 25.
How do we do this? How can we “Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual,–neither in nor of matter,–and the body will then utter no complaints.” (cit. S23/14:12-15)
Many of us have experienced such free-of-bodily-complaints moments. Even if they seem very temporary, they point to a very real truth!
How can we develop and nurture a consciousness such as this?
How were the shepherds doing this? The wise men? Mary? And Joseph? What does it mean to “become conscious”?
Talk about the difference between being conscious and just generally being awake.
PYCL #5: Do you have a new year’s resolution?
What makes a good resolution? Are they important?
Why do we make them? Think about what we might resolve to do with a “bigger picture” of our life.
Do we want to find a way to notice more angels this year?
Maybe we want to experience a healing that we are grateful for every week? There are plenty of ideas.
Feel free to hand-out small notepads on which you can work together to create new resolutions or express gratitude for resolutions demonstrated each week as we meet for Sunday School in the coming year.
Have an awesome week in Sunday School and happy New Year!
