A vivid memory of my time as a pupil in the Christian Science Sunday School is the love that my Sunday School teachers had for the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and for the Bible Lessons from the Christian Science Quarterly, consisting of citations from those two books. These dedicated teachers introduced me to the teachings and healings of our Way-shower, Christ Jesus. I also learned about many other men and women in the Bible, and gained a familiarity with the books of the Bible. And I learned how Science and Health sheds light on the Bible and on Christ Jesus’ words and works.
My clearest memory is of the teacher I had when I was in seventh grade. She was a single mom with two children. In spite of her busy schedule, each week she prepared a list of questions relating to that week’s Bible Lesson and sent it to the students in her class. We each read the Bible Lesson during the week to prepare for the class discussion on Sunday. This Sunday School class sparked a realization that the weekly Bible Lessons would help meet our individual needs.
The Sunday School class sparked a realization that the weekly Bible Lessons meet our individual needs.
For example, our family kept a horse at a stable where my dad and I took riding lessons. When my dad rode him, he was well behaved, but when I began riding him, he often ran away (with me on him) and I sometimes fell off. My riding instructor shared helpful tips and said I needed to let him know who was in charge.
One of the Bible Lessons we talked about in Sunday School at that time included this passage from the book of Genesis: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (1:26). I began to see that God had given dominion or authority to me as His image and likeness. In Sunday School we also prayed the Lord’s Prayer each week, which ends with this statement about God: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever” (Matthew 6:13).
Over a few weeks, I became more confident of God’s presence and government as I led the horse to the riding ring each day and rode him. A better understanding of my God-given dominion resulted in a better working relationship with my horse. He stopped running away with me, and I became more aware of God’s love and control when I was riding. This caused me to enjoy horseback riding even more and to see that our activities are a way we give glory to God. I rode the horse several times a week for the next two years, and it was a happy, progressive time.
There were other Christian Science healings during this time, including one after my horse unintentionally stepped on my foot and injured one of my toes. It was painful to take off my riding boot and painful to walk. My parents asked if I would like to call on a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me. It was my first time working with a practitioner, and I was very grateful for his prayers and the resulting quick healing. Today I can’t even tell which toe was injured.
When I turned twenty and graduated from Sunday School, the link between discussing the weekly Bible Lesson in Sunday School and the reading of the same Lesson in church bridged over my transition from Sunday School to church in a natural way. I had already been reading the Bible Lessons regularly, and they had become a loved source of spiritual education, inspiration, and guidance.
After college I moved away from home and joined the Christian Science branch church in my new town. The church members were friendly, and a member who had two college-age daughters very kindly invited me to join their family for lunch after church each Sunday.
I pray to know that each child’s needs can be met and their questions answered through the study of the Scriptures.
Over the years I’ve taught in the Christian Science Sunday School at different times. In this joyous, active work, I pray to know that each child’s needs can be met and their questions answered through the study of the Scriptures. Each week the Bible Lesson includes stories or passages of interest to students of all ages, including the very youngest. There is often a Bible story that brings out one of the “first lessons” designated by Mrs. Eddy in the Manual of The Mother Church—the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and her spiritual interpretation of it, and the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (see pp. 62–63).
I’m grateful for the faithful Sunday School teachers who guided my early study of the Bible and of the Bible Lessons, which introduced me to Science and Health. My years in Sunday School showed me how helpful it is to use the truths of Christian Science in my daily life. Because of this I began to go to our church’s Wednesday testimony meetings to hear how others were using Christian Science to meet their needs. Soon I took Primary class instruction from an authorized teacher of Christian Science. For these many blessings, and for the weekly Christian Science Bible Lessons, I am most grateful.
