• What is soul?
• Does  it exist in the body?
• What is the body?
• What is our true sense of identity?
• What does it mean to dwell in the house of the Lord?

The ideas in this week’s lesson are very practical and bring out the metaphysics of Christian Science. What does it mean to be God’s reflection?

We read in section 3 of the lesson Jesus explanation that “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body is also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, they body also is full of darkness.” How can we apply this teaching in every day life?

In section 4 the working practices of matter-physicians and the meta-physician are contrasted. In Section 5 we read of Jesus healing of a woman that had been ill for 18 years, and how some of the Jewish rulers were unhappy because he healed on the Sabbath, but Jesus taught it was right to loose from bonds of captivity every day of the week.

This week’s entire lesson shows how a clearer understanding of soul and body enables us all to claim our God-given freedom and be healed. I look forward to exploring some of the ideas from it in class this Sunday. See you soon!

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The Golden Text from Psalms encourages us to Bless God and forget not all His benefits. We are reminded that God has redeemed our life from destruction and crowned us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.

How would you define mortals? and immortals?

What a contrast between these two concepts of man! Thank God, the the picture of man as mortal, while forever claiming and sometimes seeming very real, is actually shown by this lesson to be a false sense of who we really are.

In Section 2 of the Lesson we have the tale of David and Goliath. And in one of the Science and Health passages in this section a parallel is drawn between this battle and the the bigger battle between material and spiritual hypotheses.

The third section brings out our inescapable immortality as children of God, and the utter falsity of a material, mortal sense of Life. Wishful thinking? Just a nice theory? In the Fourth Section of the lesson we see how Christ Jesus proved these facts by healing. There are some clues in this section and the next and final section as to how Jesus healed, can you find some pointers to help you heal in Jesus’ way?

See you Sunday!

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…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Our salvation – or the saving from sickness and sin – removes any need for punishment. The Bible verses in the first section of the lesson tell us of God’s everlasting mercy, love and righteousness.

So what of  punishment? The second  section explains: “Sin is its own punishment” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy page 537:14) and this is illustrated in lesson with the parable of the prodigal son and patient Father. This parable helps us understand the Third Tenet better:

Science and Health page 497:9

3.  We acknowledge God’s forgiveness of sin in the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts.

The lesson also contains the reformation of the tax-collector Zacchaeus, and the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda.

And (as if we need anything more to talk about in our class on Sunday!), the last section returns to the Golden Text, revealing the new heaven and new earth as present possibilities.

Look forward to seeing you this Sunday!

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It’s really about how we overcome “sin” and feel that at-one-ment with God.

What is “sin”? What did Christ Jesus do to rid the world of sin? What’s our role?

The 3rd section of the lesson begins with Philippians 2:5:

Let this mind by in you, which was also in Christ Jesus

How do we adopt this Mind of Christ?

One of the last citation in the lesson is comprised of the last three Tenets of Christian Science, it may be very worthwhile for us to review these. But do bring your own questions, looking forward to seeing you Sunday!

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What is its significance for us?

How do we understand the crucifixion? Can we celebrate the resurrection?

What did Jesus’s disciples make of those momentous events?

And what have Easter Eggs got to do with Easter? !

See you on Sunday

Jane

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All about looking up and seeing things from a spritual view.

See you for a discussion on Sunday !

Jane

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What about faith? How does faith relate to our understanding of God?

The topic we shall be looking at this week in our class is Christ Jesus.The lesson brings out the answer to those questions and shows how this understanding of “God with us” helps in every aspect of our lives.

See you on Sunday- usual time 11am for a great discussion- Daniel is away this week  so I shall take his place.

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This week’s Bible lesson in on Mind – another of Mary Baker Eddy’s seven synonyms for God. The Golden text is from Philippians (2:5).

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

And the question of the week video on tmcyouth.com asks:

Question of the Week

if there is just one Mind (one God and intelligence of the universe), then how come there are so many disasters (like Haiti) and so on.

Do check out the video before Sunday and we’ll watch it again in class before discussing this topic.

There lots in the lesson to help us answer this question and to spark other discussions.

The first section reminds us “The time for thinkers has come”. How do God’s thoughts and mortals differ? The section ends with Mary Baker Eddy – the author of Science and Health – and founder of our church – describing herself as “a willing disciple at the heavenly gate, waiting for the Mind of Christ.” (S&H ix:16)

In section 2 – we see how Solomon serves God with “a perfect heart and with a willing mind”. We see how God opens the way, blesses and rewards, those with the right motives. Here there are perhaps some links back to last week’s question about “moral freedom”. There is also a big clue in this section to what it really means to have “that Mind which was also in Christ.”

The third section focuses on Christ Jesus himself. We read of his childhood as described in the Gospel of Luke – and how at the age of twelve he was found discussing religious and spiritual matters with the learned men of the church. It is perhaps no coincidence that 12 is the age one can unite with The Mother Church. In this section we are reminded that “we owe (Christ Jesus) endless homage.” Why?

The fourth section contains the bible story of the woman healed by touching Jesus garment. Jesus felt her spiritual touch – even while the multitude thronged him. The story illustrates how Christ Jesus read “mortal mind on a scientific basis”, and the passages in Science and Health explain this form of mental discernment or intuition and the essential role it continues to play in the healing the sick today.

The Fifth section features Jesus overcoming the power of death when he heals Jairus’ daughter (see Luke 8 40-55) and reminds us that while the same God-given healing power is available in every age – we need the “Mind .. which was also in Christ Jesus” if we are to “repeat the ancient demonstrations of prophets and apostles” (S&H 243:12)

The sixth and final section explains how having the Mind that was in Christ Jesus is the “foundation of fellowship” - how it is needed to establish the brotherhood of man. It’s a great section to work with in overcoming disputes in families, at work, in our churches and the world. The lesson ends with the sixth Tenet of Christian Science from Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy:

6. And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.  (S&H 497:24)

BTW I have just posted all the Tenets of Christian Science on this site.

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Check out the Bible resources and the Question of the week on TMCYouth.com

There is plenty is this week’s lesson for us to discuss this week, the Commandments, God’s covenant, the journey from sense to Soul.  Recipe for happiness.

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The subject this week which we’ll be considering in our Sunday Youth Discussion Group at 11am is “Soul”. Mary Baker Eddy identifies Soul as one of the seven synonyms for God (the other six are Principle, Mind, Spirit, Life, Truth and Love). Each of these synonyms helps us to understand God’s nature better. Soul is often misunderstood. I have to admit Soul was the one that it took me longest to get! But I finally realised what Soul was all about during a two week course of Class Instruction in Christian Science. And Soul really is so cool! So this week enjoy finding out more about what Soul is really all about.

As we go through the week, I’ll post ideas on the different sections of the Bible lesson and then we can talk about it all – or whatever you choose – on Sunday.

As I read the responsive reading this morning, I was struck by this verse from Psalm 66:

One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.

Before today, I think I always read verses like that (and there are other similar verses in the Bible) to mean that the older generation would pass on knowledge to the younger generation and so on down the centuries – after all that’s how the ideas of Christianity have been passed down for millennia. But today I was really struck at how today’s younger generation can teach the older generation a thing or too about God’s works!

Mary Baker Eddy begins her chapter “The Science of Being” in Science and Health with these words:

In the material world, thought has brought to light with great rapidity many useful wonders.

Today “useful wonders” seem to be coming to light very rapidly indeed, facebook, twitter, google, wikipedia. The world is changing, and the younger generation understands these tools – these “useful wonders” – in a way that much of the older generation doesn’t yet. So the Psalmist is right – here’s an oportunity for the younger generation to praise God’s works to another – and declare His might acts!

When Mary Baker Eddy was asked what she thought of the pursuite of modern material inventions she replied:

“Oh, we cannot oppose them. They all tend to newer, finer, more etherealized ways of living. They seek the finer essences. They light the way to the Church of Christ. We use them, we make them our figures of speech. They are preparing the way for us.” (First Church and Miscellany page 345)

Let’s hope this blog encourages some more young people to join our discussion group on Sundays – anyone up to the age of 20 is most welcome.

P.S. If you’ve over 20 you are of course most welcome to join our Church Services where the Weekly Bible Lesson forms the Sermon.

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