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Each week, students of Christian Science around the globe independently study the week’s Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly. They read citations from the Bible and from Science and Health written by the church’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy. These two books are the pastor of our church. On Sundays, the weekly Bible Lessons are read aloud at services serving as the day’s sermon.
There are 26 different lesson topics covered twice over the course of a year. They explore the primary themes of Christian Science: the nature of God, the healing and redeeming power of the Christ, and our spiritual identity as the children of God. Included in each lesson is a “Golden Text” that summarizes the pastor’s message that week, a responsive reading where the congregation joins together to affirm the message, and passages from the Bible and Science and Health presented by Readers who are elected to serve in this unique role.
There is no “formula” on how to study the Lesson. Many people like to begin with the “Golden Text” to discover the essence of the Lesson and then dive into the passages from the Quarterly. Others like to read each section of the Lesson (usually there are six) and make notes on their meaning and how they apply to their lives. Christian Scientists rely on the Bible Lesson for healing ideas that can be applied to themselves, their families, their communities, and the world.
Daily study of the Bible Lesson brings one’s spiritual journey to a richer level of understanding and helps ground us in the Bible’s message corroborated in Science and Health.
You can learn more about the Quarterly and the Bible Lesson at the Bookstore & Reading Room.