ONE OF THE SPLENDORS OF NEW YORK at Christmastime is the annual Christmas tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the creche at the base of the tree. I headed uptown one afternoon some years ago to take in this wondrous sight. As I inched my way through the crowd to the front, I overheard a young family's conversation. A little girl, with her eyes drinking in every detail, pointed to the three kings at the foot of the tree and asked her mother who they were. Looking a little stunned, the mother said, "I'm sorry to say, I really don't know." She then turned to her husband who shrugged. I had one thought: That little girl and her parents deserve to know the story of the three kings and the baby Jesus.
Around that time, I'd been spending hours in prayer about the Christian Science Sunday School at our branch church. The church had just appointed me as Sunday School superintendent. Although I'd done that job before in another branch church, this assignment felt different. This time, I wanted to get to the very crux of the idea of Sunday School, to truly understand its promise and to see it fulfilled. It seemed essential to glimpse what Mary Baker Eddy must have seen as the potential of this aspect of Church so her view could be articulated and lived in a vibrant, active way.
I wanted to get to the very crux of the idea of Sunday School, to truly understand its promise and to see it fulfilled.
