Harmony in the Sunday School

MABEL CAMERON HARDCASTLE

"What is harmony?" asked the teacher of a class of little folk in a Christian Science Sunday School. "Harmony is when all voices sing together as one voice," instantly and sweetly replied a little five-year-old girl. This wonderful statement, coming from the mouth of a babe, deeply impressed the teacher; and the prayerful contemplation of it later on opened up many inspiring thoughts, which greatly helped her in her work.

The better we understand divine Principle and practice the rules of pure harmony, the more will peace and joy and spiritual understanding be made manifest in our Sunday schools. God is the Principle of harmony; man is the expression of this Principle. Mrs. Eddy, on page 587 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," defines "heaven" thus: "Harmony; the reign of Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere of Soul."

Surely the Christian Science Sunday School should express something of the kingdom of heaven on earth; and it is the duty of each pupil, officer, and teacher of the Sunday school to realize and demonstrate that nothing "that defileth . . . or maketh a lie" shall be found therein. Each teacher should come to Sunday school with his whole spiritual armor on, clad in the beautiful garments of love, joy, inspiration, receptivity, faith, and should leave outside all such erroneous and trouble-making thoughts as hurry, fear, home anxieties, vainglory, impatience, criticism, or self-depreciation. Each should be in his right place at the appointed time. We know what discord ensues when musical notes get out of place and come straggling in at the wrong time, or stay out entirely. The same is true when teachers and pupils are late, or do not come at all. When punctuality and orderliness are seen as brotherly love, error will lose its seeming power to make our pupils and teachers late at Sunday school.

Each musical note is governed by the law of music, but is never swallowed up by it or lost in confusion among brother notes. The identity and the beauty of each note are intact. The identity of each individual and of each class in the Sunday school is intact, and will remain untouched even should any seeming noise or confusion seem to occur. In reality there is no discord in the "atmosphere of Soul;" and since God is Soul, this atmosphere is all around us all the time, even when the miasma of so-called mortal mind claims to be present, causing confusion, apathy, or discord.

And surely the "atmosphere of Soul" can and does produce harmony always. The realization of the truth that each class is free and intact, governed by divine Mind alone, entirely surrounded by Love, and not influenced by mortal mind in any way, once healed a discordant situation in a class of children in the primary room of one of the branch Churches of Christ, Scientist. This healing also encouraged and sustained other teachers in their efforts to establish harmony and order in their classes. Let each teacher be sure that he is doing his part in taking care of his own class, leaving the other teachers and pupils free to make their own demonstrations.

A lovely piano, if neglected, will get out of tune and become coated with dust; but with intelligent treatment it may be restored to its former beauty of tone and finish. And with time, as is well known, a violin may become even more melodious and valuable. And may not this be said of the children who come to our Sunday schools? They come from all sorts of homes; and blessed indeed is the one who has never been neglected and allowed to become discordant and cloaked in the dust of Adam beliefs.

Let us, as teachers, not become discouraged or impatient with the little ones who seem to come all begrimed with materiality; but let us strive to cleanse our own selves so thoroughly that the light of Love will shine through our mentalities and heal these little ones who seem to be so out of harmony with God. Let us help them to find and claim their forever unity with God; help them to wipe away the accumulated dust of error, that they may respond to the tender touch of divine Truth and Love. These tiny ones are very responsive to good; and even though they have been weighed down and pulled awry by neglect and ignorance, still it often takes such a little work to lift them up and tune them! We should remember what Mrs. Eddy says on page 213 of Science and Health: "Mortal mind is the harp of many strings, discoursing either discord or harmony according as the hand, which sweeps over it, is human or divine."

At a time when error seems to find a way to enter our Sunday school, and the demons or false beliefs of disobedience, stubbornness, indifference, shyness, disorderliness, and selfishness claim to use the child, the teacher should at once heal himself of impatience, fear, and false responsibility; and by entirely impersonalizing the error and clinging steadfastly to God and His perfect idea, he will see the nothingness of the intruding error, and thus destroy it. We should always remember that it is error which is to be firmly dealt with; and in this way we shall have love, and courage, and tact enough to restore harmony.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

The Divine Will and the Human

July 3, 1926

Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit