Sunday School Notes and Comments

with contributions from John Sutherland Bonnell

With their increased understanding gained from the study of the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly, older Sunday school pupils will find new inspiration in a review of the Ten Commandments. Rather than a mere reciting from memory, the review should consist of a searching study and a new application of their meaning to daily living.

Study of the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, for correlated statements, as well as the citing of various Bible stories to illustrate the Commandments, will reveal their practicability.

An enlightening method of relating the Commandments to the young pupils' study of Christian Science is to state their message in positive terms. Thus each one inspires obedience and results in consequent blessings. An example may be found on page 301 of Science and Health, where Mrs. Eddy paraphrases the First Commandment in positive terms, "Thou shalt have one God, one Mind." This procedure may be applied to all the Commandments, thus helping the pupil to think of them as affirmations of Truth.

The members of a class of girls from nine to eleven years old were very careless with the books provided in our Sunday school. The teacher talked with them about orderliness, hoping to encourage in them a sense of responsibility. This, however, did not provide the solution.

The teacher had just finished rereading "The Life of Mary Baker Eddy" by Sibyl Wilbur, and had gained a greater appreciation of our beloved Leader and her inspired writings and also of the Bible. She spoke of this increased appreciation to the pupils, and explained the sacrifices and the unselfed love of our dear Leader and then emphasized the fact that the books are our friends; they are here to bless us.

The children were awakened, and healing began. One girl appointed herself monitor, taking care of the books before and after class. Another borrowed "The Life of Mary Baker Eddy," and soon the children began bringing their own books with them. When the temptation to be careless tries to enter, a reminder that the books are our friends may thus quickly bring order.

The Christians of the Apostolic Church were called "children of joy" because they were confident that Christ was the only answer to the world's need.—The Rev. Dr. John Sutherland Bonnell.

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