This is the discussion sheet I will use with my junior high Sunday School students on August 31, 2008. Its title is the title of the Bible Lesson that students of Christian Science have been studying since August 25. “SH” refers to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Christ Jesus 8-31-08 Sara Lincoln
How do you like to be treated by others? I like to be treated with ______
Underline the attributes you are best at using towards others.
God blesses all efforts to treat others well because ___________
Jesus mentioned eight attributes that ‘God blesses.’ See Responsive Reading from
Matt. 5, CEV translation. Let’s put each attribute in our own words. God blesses
Why did you come to this place, Sunday School? My parents sent me? _____
It’s in my weekly routine? _____ I like talking to my friends? _____
I like learning how unlimited I am as Mind’s manifestation? ______
I like talking about Life and Truth and Love and Mind as the Bible Lesson helps us know more about these each week? ___
You could ask this question everyday at school: why did I come to this building, this classroom? Why did I come to this text message? Why did I come to this phone conversation? I wonder what you would find out! Are we supposed to have a purpose for every place we go to and come to? _____
Maybe people asked Jesus, why did you come to my village?
Why does your message come to my attention? Jesus told why he came, John 10: 10:
I came ____________ _ _ _ _ _
Could you say that’s why you came? Can you help people have a full life? _______
What does it mean to have a full life?
Yes indeed, you can help everyone in your day to know
I am loved, not forgotten
I am whole and healthy, not sick
I am confident, not afraid
I am humble, not proud
I am man, “…a compound idea of God, including all right ideas…” SH 475: 14
When Matthew was writing a biography of Jesus, Matthew said (4: 23) that Jesus came to
teach in the ________________, preach the __________, and heal all sickness and all ___________.
These are some things I appreciate about Christ Jesus:
Here are some other things to appreciate about Christ Jesus.
1. Jesus gave / lived the true idea of being. SH 325: 7
2. He accepted a ‘full life,’ unlimited affection, the never-limited power of Truth.
3. He respected children at a time when children did not get much respect (Mt. 19:13-14)
4. He taught, even as Christian Science teaches, that “man is in a degree as perfect as _____ _________ _________ ___________ _______.” SH 337: 10-11
5. He would not let himself be separated from ____________, God’s idea of man, and this enabled Jesus to demonstrate his control over _________ SH 482: 19-23
6. He proved that a person has self-completeness by choosing to acknowledge only one God, and refusing to acknowledge another god. SH 201: 1-6; SH 264: 15
7. He said, “if you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. …
The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.” Luke 6: 38 CEV
8. He would not let himself be drawn into the hurtful cycle of guilt and condemnation, and he refused to be discouraged by the teachings of the popular religions that man is a sinner and should be punished. John 8: 3-11
9. He taught that the kingdom of heaven (of God) is ______________ _____
Luke 17: 21; SH 476: 28
10. He taught me to let my light shine so that everyone can see
my _________ _________ and glorify not me but glorify
our Father __________ ____ _____ ___________ Matt. 5: 16
11. He teaches me about reflection. Because I have ‘freely received,’ I can
‘freely give.’ He said heal ____ _______, cleanse people with ‘contagious diseases,’ raise the _________, and cast out the so-called _____________that cause mental problems and disturbed thinking. Matt. 10: 8 and seal on SH
12. Christ Jesus asks me (Matt. 5) *to publish peace *to subdue grief with comfort
*to be humble *to obey God *to be merciful *to be pure *to do right even when treated badly *to make my light shine *to act like my Father in heaven,
and I SAY, YES, I WILL.
13. He convinces me over and over again that the Christ is with me always, in all ways and conditions, even though mortal mind’s world tries to make me forget or doubt this great truth. SH 317:11
Are there any other things you would mention in your biography of Christ Jesus?
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Mind
This is the discussion sheet I will use with my junior high Sunday School students on August 24, 2008. Its title is the title of the Bible Lesson that students of Christian Science have been studying since August 18. “SH” refers to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Mind 8-24-08 Sara Lincoln
Who was the first man/woman? Some think it was Adam/Eve because of the story beginning in Gen. 2: 6. That reporter was trying to see through a fog. We need to look at a more accurate report. Not forgetting Noah who proved man’s affinity for divine knowing, I like to think of Abraham as the first man, illustrating that Creation intentionally reflects Creator. Listen to what Creator said to Creation in our Golden Text from Gen. 17: 1: “…I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Adam was focused on himself and listened only to his own opinions. Did Abraham do better? ______ Give us an example of Abraham deliberately ‘walking before God’ rather than focusing on himself.
A man/woman cannot lean in two directions at the same time!
Isn’t it natural to lean on ‘the One Almighty God’? Jesus did. He said, ‘Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’ Mary Baker Eddy also learned how to lean more and more on ‘the One Almighty God.’ She said ‘Enable us to know, - as in heaven, so on earth, - God is omnipotent, supreme.’ These underlined words are from _______________________ and teach us more about leaning.
1000 years after Abraham, Moses accepted the idea of One Almighty God, so God revealed to Moses the Ten Commandments which can help every man walk before God and be perfect. It’s logical that the First Commandment would be what?______
2000 years after Abraham, the Apostle Paul makes a similar appeal to the small group of Christians trying to follow the teachings of Christ Jesus, Rom 12: 2. Here’s The Message:
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”
Does Mary Baker Eddy, the author of SH, make a similar appeal? Look at her first statement in ‘Preface,’ SH vii.
What’s your intent or purpose in being a Christian? Have you decided ‘to walk before God and be perfect’ and to accept the help of Mind (God) in rejecting the notion of ‘gods many, and lords many’? ______ I Cor. 8: 5 – 6.
After all, “we can have but one Mind, if that one is ___________.” SH 469: 20-21
Infinite means ______________, not limited by any counterfeit.
Science and Health affirms the message of Abraham, Moses, and Paul: “You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have _______ ______, and to love ________________ _____ ________________. SH 496: 5
After David had reigned for 40 years, Solomon became King of Israel. His first prayer was for ‘an understanding heart’ to judge God’s people. How would it read to substitute ‘mind’ for ‘heart’? What was God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer? I Kings 3: 9-12
Solomon was a Christian Scientist 2000 years before Christian Science was explained
in SH! Solomon focused his attention on “the laws of God and …His government of the universe, inclusive of man.” SH has the same focus. SH 128: 4 Do you want the same focus?____ How do you gain it and maintain it? How does our 6th tenet help?
What ingredients do you need to make a loaf of bread? Can Mind make bread without these ingredients? _______ Let’s read what happened when a lot of people were wanting lunch and there was no bread. Mark 8: 1-9
Jesus could multiply the bread through Mind alone because he knew …..Matt. 6: 8
SH explains it this way: SH 7: 23
Did you ever get a strong negative reaction when you understood and stated a truth about ‘perfect God and perfect man’(SH 259: 11)? _______
How did Jesus handle strong negative reactions? Mark 1: 14-15, 21-27.
“Jesus cast out evil spirits” because they were only _________ __________. SH 79: 17 Evil spirits, false beliefs, are not real power or real people or real Mind.
“…the testimony of the physical senses…” is presented by mortal mind.
Is there a ‘mortal mind’? ______ Do I make mortal mind testimony true by believing it?
Paul says to us in Philippians 2: 5: “Let _______ ________ be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Tell us about a time you did that. What happened when you agreed to be God’s perfect reflection and not mortal mind’s victim?
Mind is with us all the way, always helping us to ‘walk before God and be perfect’! Thank God!!
In our lesson today, what did you find that will help you think about God as The Mind, man’s mind, your mind?
Mind 8-24-08 Sara Lincoln
Who was the first man/woman? Some think it was Adam/Eve because of the story beginning in Gen. 2: 6. That reporter was trying to see through a fog. We need to look at a more accurate report. Not forgetting Noah who proved man’s affinity for divine knowing, I like to think of Abraham as the first man, illustrating that Creation intentionally reflects Creator. Listen to what Creator said to Creation in our Golden Text from Gen. 17: 1: “…I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Adam was focused on himself and listened only to his own opinions. Did Abraham do better? ______ Give us an example of Abraham deliberately ‘walking before God’ rather than focusing on himself.
A man/woman cannot lean in two directions at the same time!
Isn’t it natural to lean on ‘the One Almighty God’? Jesus did. He said, ‘Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’ Mary Baker Eddy also learned how to lean more and more on ‘the One Almighty God.’ She said ‘Enable us to know, - as in heaven, so on earth, - God is omnipotent, supreme.’ These underlined words are from _______________________ and teach us more about leaning.
1000 years after Abraham, Moses accepted the idea of One Almighty God, so God revealed to Moses the Ten Commandments which can help every man walk before God and be perfect. It’s logical that the First Commandment would be what?______
2000 years after Abraham, the Apostle Paul makes a similar appeal to the small group of Christians trying to follow the teachings of Christ Jesus, Rom 12: 2. Here’s The Message:
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”
Does Mary Baker Eddy, the author of SH, make a similar appeal? Look at her first statement in ‘Preface,’ SH vii.
What’s your intent or purpose in being a Christian? Have you decided ‘to walk before God and be perfect’ and to accept the help of Mind (God) in rejecting the notion of ‘gods many, and lords many’? ______ I Cor. 8: 5 – 6.
After all, “we can have but one Mind, if that one is ___________.” SH 469: 20-21
Infinite means ______________, not limited by any counterfeit.
Science and Health affirms the message of Abraham, Moses, and Paul: “You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have _______ ______, and to love ________________ _____ ________________. SH 496: 5
After David had reigned for 40 years, Solomon became King of Israel. His first prayer was for ‘an understanding heart’ to judge God’s people. How would it read to substitute ‘mind’ for ‘heart’? What was God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer? I Kings 3: 9-12
Solomon was a Christian Scientist 2000 years before Christian Science was explained
in SH! Solomon focused his attention on “the laws of God and …His government of the universe, inclusive of man.” SH has the same focus. SH 128: 4 Do you want the same focus?____ How do you gain it and maintain it? How does our 6th tenet help?
What ingredients do you need to make a loaf of bread? Can Mind make bread without these ingredients? _______ Let’s read what happened when a lot of people were wanting lunch and there was no bread. Mark 8: 1-9
Jesus could multiply the bread through Mind alone because he knew …..Matt. 6: 8
SH explains it this way: SH 7: 23
Did you ever get a strong negative reaction when you understood and stated a truth about ‘perfect God and perfect man’(SH 259: 11)? _______
How did Jesus handle strong negative reactions? Mark 1: 14-15, 21-27.
“Jesus cast out evil spirits” because they were only _________ __________. SH 79: 17 Evil spirits, false beliefs, are not real power or real people or real Mind.
“…the testimony of the physical senses…” is presented by mortal mind.
Is there a ‘mortal mind’? ______ Do I make mortal mind testimony true by believing it?
Paul says to us in Philippians 2: 5: “Let _______ ________ be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Tell us about a time you did that. What happened when you agreed to be God’s perfect reflection and not mortal mind’s victim?
Mind is with us all the way, always helping us to ‘walk before God and be perfect’! Thank God!!
In our lesson today, what did you find that will help you think about God as The Mind, man’s mind, your mind?
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Soul
This is the discussion sheet I will use with my junior high Sunday School students on August 17, 2008. Its title is the title of the Bible Lesson that students of Christian Science have been studying since August 11. “SH” refers to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
8-17-08 Sara Lincoln
SOUL
What is satisfaction?
Are you satisfied with your performance in school?
What are the dangers of being satisfied?
Is God satisfied with you? _____ Why?___
I know I satisfy the expectations of God’s law because I carry out the terms of the contract or covenant, namely, that God, Good is the only creator, and I am that good creation, therefore I am satisfied (and so it he and so is she).
Mary Baker Eddy wrote a book ________________________ and she also wrote poems. In one poem (hymn 160) she specifies who is satisfied: ________ ________ ________ _______________ -- ___________ ________________ ___________ -- is satisfied.
Jesus explained the ‘motives and acts’ of people who are ‘blessed.’ In which of the Beatitudes in Matt. 5 could you substitute ‘satisfied’ for ‘blessed’?
Are you ever dissatisfied? I am dissatisfied each time I become aware of my (so-called) limitations. Thank God I can know that they are not real limitations. A sense of limitation is the illusion that I/you live ____ _____________ instead of _____ ____________,
in ___________________ instead of in _________________. SH 223: 3
What’s another example of an ‘illusion’? What can you and I do about an illusion?
As usual, the Psalmist gives words to our desires, Ps. 17:15: “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, _______ _____ __________.”
What a promise this is from our textbook, SH 264: 28: “we shall behold and understand God’s creation, -- all the glories of earth and heaven and man” when we
‘Spirit’ and ‘Soul’ describe the nature of Creator / Creation. Perhaps we could say that ‘Spirit’ describes what I’m made of, and ‘Soul’ describes the unique and individual way I (Creation) express the Creator: Spirit, Soul, Mind, Love, Truth, Life, and Principle.
“Soul is the substance, Life, and intelligence of man, which is individualized, but not
____ __________. …Man is the expression of Soul.” SH 477: 20
“The _________ ________ is the Soul of man, and gives man ______________ over all things.” SH 307: 25-26
The descendants of Abraham and Jacob/Israel were known as the Israelites and they were slaves in Egypt, a country where no one acknowledged and obeyed the one God. The Israelites had broken the contract – covenant because they had forgotten to thank God everyday for being the One, the one good God and the only creator. But all the while, this one good God was keeping the covenant and arranging to deliver the Israelites from slavery. Tell us the story about how God did that. The story of the exodus from Egypt is told in the book of ____________ and still remembered hundreds of years later by the Psalmist: Psalm 105: 24, 26, 37, 40, 43, 45. We are still learning from the story today!
Through Christian Science we are learning to be more worthy descendants of Abraham, to remember that God is my _________ and my __________ and what else?
In one of his parables, Jesus explained what a shepherd would do if one sheep was missing. Put that parable in your own words. Luke 15: 3-6
Since you are not a sheep, how does that parable apply to you?
One time a woman from Canaan, a pagan country, asked Jesus to heal her daughter.
Matt. 15: 21-28. At first Jesus said he couldn’t help her because his mission was to find “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He did finally heal the daughter because the woman had so much __________. She was indeed ‘blessed’ because of the kind of thinking Jesus called ‘blessed.’ Which of the ‘blessed’ states of thought do you think the woman had? See Matt. 5.
Science and Health says that “man is harmonious when governed by Soul” SH 273: 18. Could we also say that man is satisfied when governed by Soul? ______
You and I are satisfied because _________________
We can know what Jesus knew, that “Soul and its attributes were forever manifested
___________ ________” SH 210: 11-16.
8-17-08 Sara Lincoln
SOUL
What is satisfaction?
Are you satisfied with your performance in school?
What are the dangers of being satisfied?
Is God satisfied with you? _____ Why?___
I know I satisfy the expectations of God’s law because I carry out the terms of the contract or covenant, namely, that God, Good is the only creator, and I am that good creation, therefore I am satisfied (and so it he and so is she).
Mary Baker Eddy wrote a book ________________________ and she also wrote poems. In one poem (hymn 160) she specifies who is satisfied: ________ ________ ________ _______________ -- ___________ ________________ ___________ -- is satisfied.
Jesus explained the ‘motives and acts’ of people who are ‘blessed.’ In which of the Beatitudes in Matt. 5 could you substitute ‘satisfied’ for ‘blessed’?
Are you ever dissatisfied? I am dissatisfied each time I become aware of my (so-called) limitations. Thank God I can know that they are not real limitations. A sense of limitation is the illusion that I/you live ____ _____________ instead of _____ ____________,
in ___________________ instead of in _________________. SH 223: 3
What’s another example of an ‘illusion’? What can you and I do about an illusion?
As usual, the Psalmist gives words to our desires, Ps. 17:15: “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, _______ _____ __________.”
What a promise this is from our textbook, SH 264: 28: “we shall behold and understand God’s creation, -- all the glories of earth and heaven and man” when we
‘Spirit’ and ‘Soul’ describe the nature of Creator / Creation. Perhaps we could say that ‘Spirit’ describes what I’m made of, and ‘Soul’ describes the unique and individual way I (Creation) express the Creator: Spirit, Soul, Mind, Love, Truth, Life, and Principle.
“Soul is the substance, Life, and intelligence of man, which is individualized, but not
____ __________. …Man is the expression of Soul.” SH 477: 20
“The _________ ________ is the Soul of man, and gives man ______________ over all things.” SH 307: 25-26
The descendants of Abraham and Jacob/Israel were known as the Israelites and they were slaves in Egypt, a country where no one acknowledged and obeyed the one God. The Israelites had broken the contract – covenant because they had forgotten to thank God everyday for being the One, the one good God and the only creator. But all the while, this one good God was keeping the covenant and arranging to deliver the Israelites from slavery. Tell us the story about how God did that. The story of the exodus from Egypt is told in the book of ____________ and still remembered hundreds of years later by the Psalmist: Psalm 105: 24, 26, 37, 40, 43, 45. We are still learning from the story today!
Through Christian Science we are learning to be more worthy descendants of Abraham, to remember that God is my _________ and my __________ and what else?
In one of his parables, Jesus explained what a shepherd would do if one sheep was missing. Put that parable in your own words. Luke 15: 3-6
Since you are not a sheep, how does that parable apply to you?
One time a woman from Canaan, a pagan country, asked Jesus to heal her daughter.
Matt. 15: 21-28. At first Jesus said he couldn’t help her because his mission was to find “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He did finally heal the daughter because the woman had so much __________. She was indeed ‘blessed’ because of the kind of thinking Jesus called ‘blessed.’ Which of the ‘blessed’ states of thought do you think the woman had? See Matt. 5.
Science and Health says that “man is harmonious when governed by Soul” SH 273: 18. Could we also say that man is satisfied when governed by Soul? ______
You and I are satisfied because _________________
We can know what Jesus knew, that “Soul and its attributes were forever manifested
___________ ________” SH 210: 11-16.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Spirit
This is the discussion sheet I will use with my junior high Sunday School students on August 10, 2008. Its title is the title of the Bible Lesson that students of Christian Science have been studying since August 4. “SH” refers to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Spirit 8-10-08 Sara Lincoln
What things in this world have power or operate by power?
Is this power ‘material’ or ‘spiritual’?
Power means ________________________
The ‘spirit of God’ means the _________________ of God.
What words fit in the blank?
Genesis 1 tells how the ‘spirit of God’ moved / acted, and the true idea of everything was established. Does that ‘true idea’ still exist, or has it become materialized?
“…creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their
identities…” SH 502: 29
As Spirit unfolds the idea, it becomes manifest, obvious to human
thought. Does it become material?
“…God’s ideas, {reflect} Him in countless spiritual forms.” SH 503: 15
Are you an example of ‘God’s idea’ in a spiritual form, or are you a material form?
As the Children of Israel settled in the Promised Land, they were tempted to worship the idols that were everywhere. Prophets of the Lord, like Elijah, warned the people to worship the one God, not idols, but most people ignored the prophets. Why?
What does a prophet know? The future? No. A prophet is a ‘spiritual seer’ and knows the truth. A prophet is conscious of spiritual Truth and presides over the disappearance of material sense, SH 593: 4. Which of the Commandments does a prophet obey?
Over 2000 years ago, when King Ahab of Israel married Jezebel and participated in her pagan worship of Baal, the Prophet Elijah said the Lord would send rain only if the prophets of Baal (materialism) were defeated in a contest. What was the contest? I Kings 18. Fire from heaven consumed the sacrifice offered by Elijah; Baal’s prophets could not produce fire. As a result, the people acknowledged the Lord and rejected Baal whose prophets were abolished, and God sent rain to end the drought. The prophet Zechariah, quoted in our Golden Text, said, in effect, you can’t force people or nature; good happens because of Spirit: Zech. 4: 6.
Like Elijah, Jesus trusted God to express the precise power needed at the moment, whether it was to heal the sick or sinning, or perhaps teach a man whose thought was open. Let’s read the story of Nicodemus, John 3: 1-8. What does it mean to be ‘born again’? How will you answer a school chum who asks if you have been ‘born again’?
Pentecost was the 50th day after Jesus’ resurrection. What happened on that day?
Acts 2: 1, 2, 4. Could today be a day of Pentecost in our church and Sunday School?
Christian Science is the religion that gives the true perspective on being ‘filled with the Holy Ghost’ and speaking the unexpected words of the power of Spirit to heal, transform.
Who is the modern day prophet that rises above ‘physical knowledge’ and finds the knowledge and understanding of the Christ-man that Jesus taught us to be?
Listen. The voice of the prophet may come from family members or friends in Sunday School, waking you from contentment with physical knowledge which ignores Spirit.
Are you a prophet, speaking the words of the ‘spirit of God’?
Spirit 8-10-08 Sara Lincoln
What things in this world have power or operate by power?
Is this power ‘material’ or ‘spiritual’?
Power means ________________________
The ‘spirit of God’ means the _________________ of God.
What words fit in the blank?
Genesis 1 tells how the ‘spirit of God’ moved / acted, and the true idea of everything was established. Does that ‘true idea’ still exist, or has it become materialized?
“…creation consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their
identities…” SH 502: 29
As Spirit unfolds the idea, it becomes manifest, obvious to human
thought. Does it become material?
“…God’s ideas, {reflect} Him in countless spiritual forms.” SH 503: 15
Are you an example of ‘God’s idea’ in a spiritual form, or are you a material form?
As the Children of Israel settled in the Promised Land, they were tempted to worship the idols that were everywhere. Prophets of the Lord, like Elijah, warned the people to worship the one God, not idols, but most people ignored the prophets. Why?
What does a prophet know? The future? No. A prophet is a ‘spiritual seer’ and knows the truth. A prophet is conscious of spiritual Truth and presides over the disappearance of material sense, SH 593: 4. Which of the Commandments does a prophet obey?
Over 2000 years ago, when King Ahab of Israel married Jezebel and participated in her pagan worship of Baal, the Prophet Elijah said the Lord would send rain only if the prophets of Baal (materialism) were defeated in a contest. What was the contest? I Kings 18. Fire from heaven consumed the sacrifice offered by Elijah; Baal’s prophets could not produce fire. As a result, the people acknowledged the Lord and rejected Baal whose prophets were abolished, and God sent rain to end the drought. The prophet Zechariah, quoted in our Golden Text, said, in effect, you can’t force people or nature; good happens because of Spirit: Zech. 4: 6.
Like Elijah, Jesus trusted God to express the precise power needed at the moment, whether it was to heal the sick or sinning, or perhaps teach a man whose thought was open. Let’s read the story of Nicodemus, John 3: 1-8. What does it mean to be ‘born again’? How will you answer a school chum who asks if you have been ‘born again’?
Pentecost was the 50th day after Jesus’ resurrection. What happened on that day?
Acts 2: 1, 2, 4. Could today be a day of Pentecost in our church and Sunday School?
Christian Science is the religion that gives the true perspective on being ‘filled with the Holy Ghost’ and speaking the unexpected words of the power of Spirit to heal, transform.
Who is the modern day prophet that rises above ‘physical knowledge’ and finds the knowledge and understanding of the Christ-man that Jesus taught us to be?
Listen. The voice of the prophet may come from family members or friends in Sunday School, waking you from contentment with physical knowledge which ignores Spirit.
Are you a prophet, speaking the words of the ‘spirit of God’?
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