[PYCL: Spring your Thought out of Mortality and Enjoy the Beautiful Immortal View]
CedarS PYCLs–Possible Younger Class Lessons for:
“Mortals and Immortals”
The Christian Science Bible Lesson for May 19, 2013
by Kerry Jenkins, CS, House Springs, MO (314) 406-0041
by Kerry Jenkins, CS, House Springs, MO (314) 406-0041
[Bracketed inserts by Mark Evans]
[PYCL1: Are there two types of men—mortals and immortals?] I think with the classes that are maybe second grade and up, I'd be tempted to discuss just what is a mortal vs. an immortal? Did Mrs. Eddy's title for this week's topic arise from the belief that there are two “men,” one made of matter and one of Spirit? If so, then where are we supposed to go from there? When we are sick, do we look at matter and say “Well, this is who I seem to be, so unless I get a grip on this ‘other guy,’ (the spiritual man), then I guess I'll just have to hope that some inspiration from God gets me through this quickly?” S28 [Science and Health pg. 476: lines 32-2] tells us that “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals.” Jesus saw immortal, real man everywhere. This is what made him a great healer, an instant healer. She also says here [S&H 476:21] that he saw this perfect man right where “mortals” saw mortal man. In that same citation she says: “Learn this, O mortal, and earnestly seek the spiritual status of man, which is outside of all material selfhood.” (underline added) Once you've thought these rather big thoughts through…maybe you could look together at the G.T and R.R [Golden Text and Responsive Reading] about putting on the new man, about how mortality is “swallowed up by life.” Rather than destroying something that has no real life, substance or intelligence, we discover reality, and that truth that we discern ends up completely “swallowing up” that false view that we seem to entertain so often.
[PYCL2: Grab a globe and imagine early world-explorers. How does a change in point of view bring healing?] One good way to help cinch this seemingly complex topic, is to bring in a globe. Point out that if we sail around the world in a ship, we will land in different parts of the globe and come back to where we started from. Will we ever reach the “end” of the globe and fall off? Talk about what it might really have felt like to be convinced that the earth was flat (just as it looks to be from everywhere except outer space). What kind of feelings do they think that explorers felt as they headed off in ships to see where things “ended” or went? Do you think they might have felt terror? Was that terror real to them? Was that terror based in truth? In just the same way, we experience fear, sickness and so on, because we think that man is a mortal construct and we are subject to laws of matter. When we get that “outer space” view (a higher spiritual view), like Jesus saw, we realize that actually matter is not what man is made of at all, and the only laws that apply are laws of God. If everyone is engaged with this conversation and seems to be following you can certainly circle back to your original question and see what they think of the “two man” idea now. I can say from experience that these questions are in the minds of even these young kids. They wonder why there seems to be sickness etc. We can't avoid addressing such questions even when they seem complicated.
[PYCL 3: Healing! Share your own examples and The Bible’s] Another way to approach these ideas is to look at them purely from the level of healing. This should be included even if you do venture into the area described above, because there is nothing like demonstration to drive a point home and make one feel the truth of something! So, have a battery of healing examples to share, where the healing clearly contradicts the idea that man is made of matter (don't all healings do this?!). Study together the different stories from the Bible in this week's lesson as well. Why are they included particularly? The story of Nicodemus is certainly an interesting one. There's a man who was struggling with a mortal concept of man! He couldn't even grasp what Jesus was saying to him in any but a literal way. See if the kids can understand what Jesus was saying about being born again. How does this track with the G.T and R.R about the “new man”?
[PYCL 4: Fill your spiritual arsenal] If you wish, you could also draw some connections with last week's lesson of Adam and Fallen Man. Where did we see this idea of “two” kinds of men in last week's lesson? True thoughts about man come straight from God, not through matter or body (from serpent, to woman and then to man) (S19) [S&H 103:5-2]. And our “warfare” with this mortal sense of man is successful as we use the “weapons” of God (B15) [2 Cor. 10:4,5]. These weapons bring our thought into “obedience.” You can construct an idea together of what these “weapons” are. Obviously they don't look like guns or swords, so what are they? Even though they don't have a “shape” and you can't “hold” them, don't they still have good “aim?” Don't they “shoot down” the lies? You can talk about “arming” yourselves with the most important weapons of all. You can pick a passage that is especially meaningful to you and see how that can be something that we can use to “arm” ourselves each day. Certainly you can use something like The Daily Prayer or The Lord's Prayer and so on, or choose something like B5 [1 Timothy 1:17] and put it in the first person and read it aloud together. What does that mean to them? Make sure you discuss the words like “primitive” in this context. Is this different than the Adam and Eve version of creation? What sort of creation does this refer to from the Bible?
[PYCL 5: Use some fun clothes to symbolize “putting on the new man”] With the small children, think about talking about putting on the “new” man or “clothing” ourselves with immortality…Why not bring in some “new” clothes that represent some of the immortal truths about who we are. Could they put on an article of clothing when they think of what that “new” sense of man is? Each new idea about themselves might be a “new” piece of clothing. Most little people like trying on new clothes, even little boys. Bring things that are somewhat interesting to them: hats, ties, boots, scarves, dresses, motorcycle helmets, or just colorful fabric to tie around them. You can be creative. Stay away from things that can be wielded as if they are swords etc. What does the Bible mean when it says that we “wish to be further clothed” (G.T)?
[PYCL 6: Challenge students to see from a spiritual point of view] So much of the essence of this week's lesson lies in a very radical view of man. I'm not sure how to talk about this except directly. I'm very moved by the translation used in the R.R where it says: “From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;” What does that mean for us? Isn't that a fabulous challenge for us as healers? Isn't that a demand that we can't get around as healers? Can everyone think of something that they can either see in a new way now, or take home the idea and practice it for a week and come back next Sunday with a “new” way of seeing things? If you decide to make this a take home, make sure you send a reminder and an example of your own about midweek so they can be thinking of this.
Have a great Sunday!
