Article July 1, 1950 Issue

IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE SUNDAY SCHOOL

STELLA D. CRANKSHAW

Every week Sunday School teachers and pupils come together to share the fruits of their labor, the harvest of spiritual understanding reaped by consistent study of the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly and the application of its truths. The fruits of a spiritualized consciousness, garnered in the atmosphere of consecration and unselfed love, are characterized by the Apostle Paul as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22, 23). These are offerings which indeed bless the Sunday School and forward the Cause of Christian Science in a world yearning for comfort and peace.

All who participate in the Sunday School activities rightfully desire that their classes should be happy and progressive. The second part of Mary Baker Eddy's definition of "Church," on page 583 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," reads: "The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick." Pondering that definition, teachers learn something of the importance of the Sunday School as part of that institution. How necessary, then, that they live their religion daily and that they claim the Christ-presence in their classes!

The order of the Sunday School session provides, immediately after the Responsive Reading, for a few moments of silent prayer, during which an opportunity is given to become increasingly aware of God's allness as an ever-present, demonstrable fact, to declare the truth of creation, and to claim man's sonship with God. Maintaining this attitude of prayerful listening enables teachers to reject and destroy limitations that would hinder progress, and they find that their classes are blessed and aided in the apprehension of the allness of God and the perfection of His idea, man and the universe.

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