Article May 26, 1928 Issue

Inspired Teaching

MARGARET HOWES

When a new teacher enters that garden spot of the Christian Science movement, the Sunday school, he wonders just how he is to proceed. As the youthful faces, eager for spiritual cultivation and refreshment, surround him, he ponders what he, as a gardener, is to do. Since it is his duty to give to each one the particular attention that is most needed, the task may at first seem stupendous. Often the query comes, "What shall I do first?" Let the teacher take heart and fear not; for he will soon find that the tools he needs in this mental garden are obedience, cooperation, humility, and love. Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 496), "You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have one Mind, and to love another as yourself."

Through obedience the teacher learns what to do first; for in Article XX (Sects. 2, 3) of the Manual of The Mother Church he will find the "first lessons" carefully pointed out. When those first steps have been conscientiously taken, the next steps, the questions and answers, will be revealed. The method of teaching unfolds as the need arises, in proportion to the spiritual discernment of the teacher. But this discernment can come only as a result of prayerful study. Obedience to God involves strict adherence to divine Principle. Through such obedience the teacher gains a clearer vision of "the way" God points out. Failure to obey will lead him into some bypath where Truth is obscured by the shadows of mortal thought. Then he will not be ready to teach absolute Christian Science to the student. Obedience includes the teacher's conforming to the rules of the Sunday school as carefully as the children are expected to do. "Never absent from your post, never off guard, never ill-humored, never unready to work for God,—is obedience; being 'faithful over a few things,'" our Leader says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 116). Thus it may be seen that obedience unfolds the truth, and reveals ways and means to present it to the child-thought.

The obedient one will also be cooperative, for obedience to God's command brings about a manifestation of the oneness of Mind. If one obeys the First Commandment and has only one God, he is congnizant of the fact that he has only one Mind, which operates with oneness of purpose for the good of all. No thought of personal glory can enter, with all working for the glory of God! With such a foundation for cooperative work in the Sunday school, nothing but harmony can reign. There can be no other power than good, since God is All-power. This reasoning necessarily fosters a spirit of willingness, helpfulness, and preparedness. No teacher can be conscious of such an atmosphere without conscientiously studying and preparing the lesson to share its feast with the children in his class. The teacher will keep from his thought any criticism, fear, or antagonism toward the officers of the Sunday school; for he will know that the same oneness of purpose and spirit of helpfulness must pervade the thought of all. The effort of each individual to reflect the one Mind in his work brings about the good of the whole Sunday school.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Inspired Teaching

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access