Have you ever been asked to teach the youngest Sunday School class at your branch Church of Christ, Scientist?
Often, in deciding whether to accept such an appointment, you perhaps categorize your relationship to the children at church in terms of your present personal circumstances. For instance, do you think of yourself as a person out of touch with youngsters and therefore unqualified to do the job?—an "empty nester" with grown children, who has already "served enough time" with little ones?—a young parent surrounded by small children, who at least deserves to delegate their care at church to someone else?
Students of Christian Science must be alert to reject these and other stereotypes, for it is not hard to see that tacit acceptance of them would leave the youngest Sunday School class without a teacher! Instead, by addressing the issue prayerfully and viewing it from a spiritual standpoint, one can gain a deeper understanding of the place and importance of youngsters in church.
What children contribute to church is the childlike qualities that have their source in God, including humility, trust, joy, spontaneity, innocence, and purity. These are qualities that we all need to cultivate; for, as Christ Jesus' teachings make clear, the receptive, childlike state of thought is vital to our progress in understanding God. Since it is essential to our individual progress, it must also be essential to the collective progress of our branch church. Surely that church whose members glow with a joyous willingness to teach its youngest pupils is expressing affection in a practical way and is furthering the collective strength, vibrancy, and progress of the church. Through appreciation of the spiritual qualities expressed by the children in our branch church, we can open our hearts with willingness to teach these precious ones.
As the mother of a two-year-old and a worker in the children's room of my branch church, I was tempted to feel I was already spending enough time with children when the Sunday School superintendent asked me to teach a new class of three-year-olds. Upon deeper reflection, I realized the need to welcome these little ones and to view them from a spiritual basis. Then I could see them not as a bunch of unruly three-year-olds but as reflecting God's qualities, and already part of Church. I accepted the appointment wholeheartedly and have found that the experience includes spiritual growth for the teacher as well as for the pupils.
Confidence is gained when we discover that sure guidance for dealing with youngsters is found in the teachings of Christ Jesus and the writings of Mrs. Eddy. The New Testament clearly records Jesus' respect for little children and his tender treatment of them. When the disciples rebuked those who brought little ones to Jesus, the Bible tells us, "He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." Then, taking the children in his arms, he blessed them.See Mark 10:13-16. Jesus also admonished his disciples, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones."Matt. 18:10.
In the Glossary of Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, the definition of children begins with a description of their true spiritual identity: "The spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love." Then follows the material counterfeit of the spiritual fact: "Sensual and mortal beliefs; counterfeits of creation, whose better originals are God's thoughts, not in embryo, but in maturity; material suppositions of life, substance, and intelligence, opposed to the Science of being."Science and Health, pp. 582-583.
We bear witness to the spiritual selfhood of children by understanding that traits associated with the counterfeit are lies about them. We correct our perception through prayer that rises to the vantage point of spiritual vision. It is wise to check frequently our perception of the children we are working with (as well as our view of our own "child" nature) and to ascertain what we are upholding as true.
Often the biggest challenge that presents itself with the young ones is discipline. Certainly youngsters can be distracted (and so can teachers) from the quiet attention and even lively participation that make Sunday School so special. Thus, maintaining a spiritual altitude of thought gives us the spiritual insight needed to reverse the restlessness or rebelliousness that would deprive the class of the real love and learning the Sunday School offers. We can replace any disruptive error with the spiritual facts of each one's natural, God-derived love of good. A teacher can always pray effectively for tangible ways to express the Christly affection that melts away resistance. He or she can prayerfully (and audibly, if necessary) affirm the actual presence of the spiritual representative of Life, Truth, and Love right where the unruliness seems to be. Persistently praying to see each child in his or her true nature brings healing and calm to the whole Sunday School class and supports the spiritual growth of each individual in it, including the teacher.
Direction for preparing the first lessons of the youngest Sunday School pupils is provided by Mrs. Eddy in the Manual of The Mother Church. These lessons should be the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, with its spiritual interpretation by Mrs. Eddy, and the Sermon on the Mount (the Beatitudes are specially pointed out).See Man., Art. XX, Sect. 3. The teacher's consecrated prayer for the class during the week reveals appropriate ways of presenting these subjects to the littlest pupils.
It is a comfort to the teacher to know that God is speaking directly to the children and meeting their needs in wonderfully creative and spontaneous ways. For instance, when asked how we talk to God, a three-year-old boy answered: "Shhh. You must be very, very quiet —and listen." And this is precisely what the Sunday School teacher must do in order to establish effective communication with the little ones. Listening for God's direction when preparing for the class and during the class session itself keeps the lessons both spontaneous and spiritually anchored.
The rewards of teaching the youngest class lie in witnessing the pupils' progress in understanding God and their practical applications of the lessons learned. Although the young ones may exhibit high-spiritedness and need more than a few lessons on obedience, the healings these children experience are proof of this statement in Science and Health: "While age is halting between two opinions or battling with false beliefs, youth makes easy and rapid strides towards Truth."Science and Health, p. 236. Seeing our young pupils' accomplishments, we learn the importance of preserving childlike qualities in our own lives.
One three-year-old Sunday School pupil eagerly reported that God had healed him when he woke in the middle of the night feeling ill. He had called his mother, who came to his bed and prayed with him. After ordering the trouble, "Stop hurting!" in a loud voice, he was able to go back to sleep, and he woke up the next morning completely well. To hear this little one, in his own simple words, share this healing with his classmates was indeed to have proof of the naturalness of Truth to the childlike thought.
Our youngest Sunday School students need teachers who are humbly willing to help them learn about God. In a message to the superintendent and teachers in The Mother Church Sunday School, Mrs. Eddy wrote, "It is a joy to know that they who are faithful over foundational trusts, such as the Christian education of the dear children, will reap the reward of rightness, rise in the scale of being, and realize at last their Master's promise, 'And they shall be all taught of God.'"The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 230.
When you are asked to teach the youngest Sunday School class in your church, be assured that if you can accept this task with an open heart, it will bring you sweet and abundant blessings.
