Articles

The Bible tells us that when Nathanael first met Christ Jesus, before Nathanael even had an opportunity to speak, the Master said of him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" Now, Nathanael's friend Philip had told him that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Still, Jesus' instant insight into his character evidently surprised Nathanael—as it probably would have most of us.

We are used to dismissing as illusion certain things that our physical senses behold—a rainbow on the rug from sunshine striking a prism, tracks narrowing off in the distance, the distorted images of ourselves in a house of mirrors. We disbelieve what our eyes take in because we know what's really true.

Igniting fresh hope. Breaking through fear.

Devout Jews had been waiting for centuries. Their prophets—men like Isaiah, Zechariah, and Daniel—had promised a Messiah would come, bringing peace and the foundations of righteousness to Palestine and establishing God's kingdom all over the earth.

A few years ago I had a toothache that persisted for several days and nights. It was so intense that, at times, I found I was unable to pray for myself.

On a clear day, as you cross a large lake to the east of the city where I live, you can see the city skyline on the horizon. It seems a wide expanse and a very long way, and yet you're aware that your vision is limited by the horizon and that there is much beyond this that you're unable to see.

" Several years ago, in our Sunday School we organized our classes by topics. We let the students know ahead of time what the topics were going to be, and they could choose any one that they wished.

" What constitutes a successful Sunday School experience for a student? Is it enough to think that a student has had a good Sunday School education if, after sixteen or seventeen years attending, he or she merely knows how to call a Christian Science practitioner and knows very well how to be a good patient? "Suppose all of us sit around a swimming pool for seventeen years, just talking about how to swim. When I turn twenty years old, I feel a push and I'm in the pool.

" We have to teach the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures, the scientific meaning. This is what's unique to Scriptural teaching in our Sunday School.

Almost everywhere we look in today's world, adversity and difficulty confront us. They may come as discordant family relationships, unemployment, homelessness, or sickness.