Sunday School Notes and Comments

The subject of smoking and drinking came up in a Christian Science Sunday school class recently during a discussion of the verse in Matthew (13:44), "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The thought was brought out that the truth is so valuable to us that we gladly relinquish things that are not in accord with Principle.

The experience of a young Christian Scientist was cited. Her friends all smoked, and she was very much tempted to follow their example. Mortal mind tried to tell her she would be unpopular if she refrained, but she knew that smoking is not in agreement with Christian Science. She decided to abide by her understanding of divine Principle. She continued having many friends, and about a year later, when a group of young people were gathered together, one of the girls was heard to say of her, "You know, even though she never smokes, we always have a jolly time with her, and she never criticizes the rest of us." This young Christian Scientist then realized that she had never actually sacrificed anything good by taking her stand with Truth.

A Christian Scientist knows that real happiness and contentment are experienced only when he follows the leadings of divine Mind.

It is helpful to call attention to our Leader's writings other than "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." When some portion of the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly brings a reminder of a passage in one of the other writings by Mrs. Eddy, the reference to this passage is brought to the class and the pupils have the privilege of looking it up later at home. Many times pupils become interested in our Leader's other writings in this way.

Bible history or geography is also interesting to refer to in Sunday school, when some particular place is mentioned in the Lesson. By proper explanations the pupils may thus be helped to learn that the people and places referred to in the Bible are not remote from our present-day problems and conditions.

Another teacher always tries to impress upon the thought of the pupils the importance of the Bible, to help them perceive in it the fundamental truths of Life. They often stop to ponder the words "God created," "God said," "God saw," "God blessed," in an effort to make the thought implicit in these words applicable to the present day. They endeavor to grasp more fully the fact that the revelations of the Bible give a plan of salvation, a living way, and are links in a chain extending from Genesis to Revelation, and including the revelation of a creation wholly good.

In the Sunday school work the teacher's endeavor should be to live the truth each day so sincerely that he may be a transparency through which it shines, and to rise to what our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, in a marginal note on page 354 of Science and Health calls "Scientific consistency." In this paragraph she says, "Consistency is seen in example more than in precept."

Jesus' prayer for his disciples gives the example for the prayer of the Sunday school teacher: "For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."

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