PSST: REALIZE PRESENT PERFECTION AND BE FREE!
Possible Sunday School Topics for the Christian Science Bible Lesson on
“Are Sin, Disease, and Death Real?”
for October 10, 2021
by Lindsey Biggs, C.S of Maryland Heights, MO
540 460 3515 biggs.lindsey@gmail.com
P.S.S.T. (POSSIBLE SUNDAY SCHOOL TOPICS) FOR GOLDEN TEXT
“I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it:” Eccl 3:14
Isn’t it wonderful to know that Genesis 1 — the fact of God and God’s creation — can never change? It is permanently established forever. So, you and I can rest in the understanding of who we are as spiritual ideas of God. God made us, God sustains us, and that is an everlasting fact. In fact, there is nothing you can ever do to change that. It simply is. We simply get to realize what God is already knowing and sustaining forever – indissoluble perfection. What a gift!
P.S.S.T. FOR RESPONSIVE READING
God is powerful! I love thinking about God in terms of action words: he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalms 107:9) He satisfies. So, it is God that we want to seek.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God…and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33) Isn’t that a wonderful promise? We have the right and authority to keep our eye on God. The world wants to get us to take our eye off of God, but that’s when things get “misty” (Genesis 2). By keeping our thought on God – on the Truth – we will be able to detect those lies quickly and get rid of them.
Which Beatitude does this Psalm remind you of?
“Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” (Psalms 143:8) We have a beautiful hymn in our new hymnal that corresponds to this Psalm. Hymn 457. Check it out and enjoy the beautiful melody:
“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; / Teach me to do Your will, O God. / Cause me to know the way where I should place my feet / To walk in the pathway of Your love.” (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 457:1)
P.S.S.T. FOR SECTION 1
There are 5 great videos on the book of Psalms on ChristianScience.com. These videos give helpful scholarship on understanding different types and themes of the Psalms. You can watch an overview video here. To view the rest of the collection, visit this link, scroll down to the video archive, and type “psalms” in the keyword box.
“Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make, — hence its unreality.” (citation S2, Science & Health, p. 525) I love this statement because it shows us that all the thoughts that we have that are good and worthy, God made. We can stick with knowing what God knows about us and feel our worthiness and value are secure.
In this TeenConnect article, this author learned to understand her worth and value more, and this helped her feel more secure. She writes: “Your worth, my worth, everyone’s worth, is already an established fact, because God made us to express all His wonderful qualities. And that’s why we are all somebodies—and can know it.” Read her story here. (“How can I stop feeling like a nobody?” Oct 11, 2021 Issue JSH TeenConnect)
P.S.S.T. FOR SECTION 2
The story of Joseph has so many wonderful themes to share with students. There are many great children’s Bibles that share this story in beautiful ways that are particularly appropriate for kids. If you need a new children’s Bible for your students, Shine On is a great one. It’s available in English and Spanish.
In this particular passage, we see a great example of repentance and forgiveness. Joseph’s brothers recognize the wrong they have done and are ready to be made mere slaves to Joseph. But he doesn’t respond with revenge. His own sense of purpose, mission, and oneness with God enables him to have compassion on them.
The New Living Translation states it this way:
“Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said. But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So, he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.” – Genesis 50:18-21 (NLT)
I love this passage on the proper handling of sin or wrongdoing: “The destruction of sin is the divine method of pardon…Being destroyed, sin needs no other form of forgiveness.” (cit. S9, 339) His brothers had repented and changed their wrong doing. They realized what they had done and repented so there wasn’t any other retribution needed. Isn’t it wonderful that we, too, can have that clean slate and be wiped clean? Once we recognize an error we have done – either accidentally or intentionally – we can turn from it and be free, too. No need to labor or harbor any resentment about it. We can simply rectify it and move forward.
P.S.S.T. FOR SECTION 3
In this account of healing of the woman, to me it seems clear Jesus saw this woman as a beloved daughter of God and at one with God. It didn’t take time. Mary Baker Eddy writes: “Jesus required neither cycles of time nor thought in order to mature fitness for perfection and its possibilities.” (Unity of Good, p. 11)
Nothing else mattered – the physical senses, the opinions of others around her. They had no real bearing on her true identity because that identity was forever established in heaven. (This echoes back the Golden Text – nothing could be added to her nor anything taken from her). None of the erroneous thoughts or opinions of those surrounding her held up. They couldn’t interfere with her direct connection to God. Jesus saw this and so knew (with absolute certainty) that she was whole, beloved and free) so the thoughts of others – and even her own erroneous concepts – couldn’t have any effect and she was restored to wholeness.
I love the clear instructions that Mary Baker Eddy gives for healing here:
“Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good.
It is well to be calm in sickness; to be hopeful is still better; but to understand that sickness is not real and that Truth can destroy its seeming reality, is best of all, for this understanding is the universal and perfect remedy.” (ci. S14, Science & Health, 393)
What wonderful qualities to focus on: being calm, being hopeful, and to have a clear understanding that only what God creates is real and true and that you are completely spiritual. This is a universal and perfect remedy.
She continues with this assurance:
“Then they will control their own bodies through the understanding of divine Science.” (cit. S13, p. 228)
P.S.S.T. FOR SECTION 4
Isn’t it wonderful that the material senses can’t even behold all of the wonderful things that God has prepared for us? (cit. B10, I Cor 2:9, 10) They can’t perceive the real you! How are they revealed to us then? Through the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit reveals our identity. It reveals our relationship to God. It makes “intercessions” for us, defending us, and helping us to see (perceive) who we really are.
Jesus gave his disciples power to cast out “unclean spirits…and to heal all manner of sickness…” (cit. B12, Matthew 10:1) That certainly means that the will of God is for each of us to be successful in healing. The will of God is for us to fully realize the presence of health and harmony. To realize how loved, valuable, and worthy we are. And not to believe any “spirits” or evil that tells us differently.
Bible Lens Research has this to add:
“Jesus simultaneously qualifies his disciples for the dual role of healing and preaching and authorizes them to take it on. A scholar explains that this sacred ministry carried ‘a message which was not confined to news of eternity; . . . It insisted that physical health was as integral a part of God’s purpose as spiritual health.’”
P.S.S.T. FOR SECTION 5
Paul was preaching for a long time – till midnight! (cit. B14, Acts 20) It was so long that one young man fell asleep and fell off the loft. But Paul knew that “his life [was] in him.” Paul knew he couldn’t be separated from Life, God. His Life was in him because he lived, moved and had his being in God, divine Life.
Spiritual consciousness must have revealed to Paul that he didn’t have to believe the testimony of the material sense – he could be so sure of the young man’s oneness with God.
This is the activity of the Christ – the Christ comes to us when we need it to dispel the illusions of the material senses. It comforts, strengthens, and encourages us. It says, “don’t believe that” – the goodness I am showing you is so much more real and true and better.
Exchanging the false view for the true view heals. Spiritual discernment leads us to be able to discern between the false and the true. Well, this resulted in the young man waking up and being healed.
Bible Lens mentions this about citation B15:
“Paul’s theme of victory over death is repeated in another epistle to the church at Corinth (see II Corinthians 2:14–16). ‘The future is so certain,’ notes a commentator, ‘that the Apostle speaks of it as a subject for present thanksgiving; the victory is one which God gives now through Jesus Christ.’”
Here is the same citation B15 from the New Living Translation:
“But thank God! …Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God…to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.” (2nd Corinthians 2:14-16)
P.S.S.T. FOR SECTION 6
I love these passages from Revelation where everything is resolved, peaceful, and we fully behold reality. Mary Baker Eddy assures us that we don’t need to wait until we change our physical location (or earthly address) to do this. She says:
“This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.” (cit. S27, p. 573) This is what healing is all about — revealing the nature of what is already true.
I also love these passages because to me they denote that even the memory of it will fade away.
Here is an inspiring testimony of how one student realized that this spiritual consciousness is a present possibility and was completely healed: Catching light (August 10, 2020 Christian Science Sentinel)
ENJOY YOUR CLASSES!
