Saturday, October 24, 2015

Apostasy and Restoration

Apostasy and Restoration


Suggestions for Songs
He Sent His Son
I'm Trying to be Like Jesus
The Priesthood is Restored


Suggestions for videos:





Related Scriptures
Preparation:

Gather at least fifteen plastic or Styrofoam cups. Write the following words on the cups:  Heavenly Father (God), Jesus Christ (Jesus), Holy Ghost, priesthood, prophets, faith, repentance, baptism, confirmation (gift of Holy Ghost), prayer, scripture, Sacrament, temple, endure to the end, and the name of your child. The words in parenthesis are if you want to make the words more simple for your child. Since they can't read anyway, you are also welcome to substitute pictures on each cup. If you're using regular cups and not disposable ones, put masking tape on the side and write the words on the tape.   

Activity and Lesson:
(This lesson is a pretty common visual aid for missionaries. For older kids, there is a different version here and here that you can check out. This lesson has fewer cups because toddlers have shorter attention spans.)
Remind your child about prophets and how God calls prophets to lead and guide his church and to teach everyone about Christ and the ordinances that help us return to our Heavenly Father. 

Bring out your cups. Place the first cup that says, "Heavenly Father," upside down on the table or ground in front of your child. Make sure you place it on a stable surface. You're going to be stacking the cups. Then place "Jesus" and "Holy Ghost" next to it in a line. Explain that the Godhead is made up of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. They want us to return to heaven to be with them again. So, they give the "priesthood" (place the appropriate cup), God's power on earth to their "prophet" (place the fifth cup. This completes your bottom row. (For better participation, you can have your child help you stack the cups, though there is the danger that the cups will fall prematurely.)

Explain how when prophets are called, they teach similar things every time. When a prophet speaks, he does so with the authority of Heavenly Father. D&C 1:38 says: 
"whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."
Then explain that they teach us the principles and ordinances that make it possible for us to return to heaven. You can define ordinance as "a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood. Some ordinances are essential to our exaltation." Link

Place faith, repentance, baptism, and gift of the Holy Ghost on top of your bottom row. You can recite the fourth Article of Faith while you do so. 
We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Then, add your next row of cups. As you add, explain that once we have the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, we are asked to continue praying, reading our scriptures (or words of past prophets), and taking the Sacrament.

Finally, explain that as your child gets older, they will be allowed to enter God's house and make more sacred covenants at the temple. Then, they are asked to endure to the end, which means keep doing all the things that the prophet tells you until you return to Heaven.

 Finally, place the cup with your child's name or picture on top and ask your child what the cups look like. Hopefully they say something like, "Church or temple." If not, help them see the resemblance. Then say something like, "If you do all these things, you will return to live with your Father in Heaven again. That is the purpose of the church."


Then explain that when people decide not to obey the commandments or listen to the prophet, they become cut off from their Heavenly Father. Tell your child how sometimes people became so bad that they even killed the prophet.

Have your child pull out the cup that says or shows prophet. Most of your "church" should collapse.

Depending on which cups are left standing, you can explain that many church know about Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost and some of the principles, but without prophets and priesthood, we don't have the complete church or gospel and we personally can't return to heaven.

You can have them help you put the "church" back together and explain that when a restoration happens, the Lord calls a new prophet and they bring the church back in the way that God's wants it, complete with all of the principles and ordinances.

If you want, at this point you can add part of the video.

Conclusion:

Bear your testimony that without prophets we cannot have the fullness of God's teachings and we won't be able to return to heaven. Bear testimony that the church has been restored today, and that if we listen to the prophet we will be guided to return to our Heavenly Father. 

Other Resources:
Nursery Manual: Lesson 28
Preach My Gospel


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

God Calls Prophets

God Calls Prophets

Suggestions for Songs
Follow the Prophet
We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet


Suggestions for videos:




Related Scriptures
Preparation:

Read and study some stories about prophets from the scriptures based upon what your child would find interesting. For example, you could study the stories of Noah's Ark and Daniel and the lion's den if your child is interested in animals. I will use these stories for examples in this lesson. Also, read Preach My Gospel's section on prophets (Link).

Activity and Lesson:

Start off the activity by reminding your child that Heavenly Father loves them. Review with your child ways that Heavenly Father shows his love for us (He is our father, He sent us families). Now tell your child that another way that our Father in Heaven shows love for us is by sending us prophets.

Explain that a prophet is a man who is called of God and given his priesthood, or the authority to act in his name. That means that he can tell the world what God wants them to know and perform miracles to accomplish that work.

Now share a couple of stories to illustrate. Pictures are helpful at this age, or, if you're feeling really motivated, you can make some puppets. (I didn't, but you can).

A painting by Harry Anderson showing Noah standing on a stack of lumber with his arms raised, warning the people who stand around him laughing.
Click here for this picture

Noah's Ark:

Noah was a prophet.The Lord told him to warn the people that a flood was coming, and that they needed to repent. They laughed at him and made fun of him. He built a huge boat, called an ark, and placed two or more of every animal in the boat. Then, he took those people who would listen to him, mainly his family, into the boat as well. After they shut the doors it began to rain for a really long time.

Eventually, the rain stopped and the floods went down. Noah and his family were able to leave the boat and start over, because the Lord had warned them and saved their family.

A black-and-white illustration of the young Daniel kneeling in prayer beside a lion.
Click here for this picture
Daniel in the Lion's Den:

Daniel was a prophet. He wanted to keep God's commandments, and one of those commandments is for us to pray only to Heavenly Father. Some evil men tricked the king into making a law that said that everyone to pray to the king instead of to God, but Daniel refused. Even though the king and Daniel were friends, the king had to punish Daniel for breaking his law. The punishment was to be thrown into a pit with lions.

Daniel kept praying, and when he was thrown in, the lions didn't eat him. Instead they left him alone.

The next morning, the king rushed to the pit to see if Daniel was still alive. He was, and the king pulled him out. Then, he punished the evil men who had tricked him. He also commanded that everyone should pray to Daniel's God.

Teach your child that the words of the prophets are found in the scriptures. Tell them that prophets teach us about Jesus Christ and His atonement, and that those teachings are called the gospel. The gospel is taught every time there is a prophet.

Conclusion:

Bear your testimony that prophets are sent by the Lord to warn us and protect us. Testify that there are prophets on the earth today, because God loves us now as much as he did in the times of Noah and Daniel. Testify that if we listen to the counsel of prophets that we will be safe and protected.

Other Resources:
Nursery Manual: Lesson 24
Preach My Gospel

Monday, August 17, 2015

The Gospel Blesses Families

The Gospel Blesses Families

Suggestions for Songs
Families Can Be Together Forever
The Family
The Family is of God

Suggestions for videos:
Related Scriptures
Ephesians 6:1–3Ephesians 4:32, The Family: A Proclamation to the World

Preparation:

Get a picture of your family. Either print one off the computer, or use some other means. Cut the picture apart, separating each family member in a puzzle-type format. Make it as easy or difficult as your child can handle. Put all the pieces in an envelope.

Activity and Lesson:

Start by telling your child how much you love them. Remind them that God loves them too, and that is why he sent them to be with their family. Explain that the family is central to the plan of salvation. Heavenly Father made families to bring us happiness and help us return to Him. We have parents to teach us about the gospel in a loving place. It is important that all family members love and treat each other with respect and love. We show love by being helpful and respectful.

At this point, you can watch one of the videos, or another video of your choosing. Then, pull out the puzzle. Show your toddler how the family isn't complete when it's just one person. Have them put the puzzle together. Show them how every person is necessary for the family to be complete. Heavenly Father wants families to be together forever.

You can then read a scripture or watch another video.

Conclude with your testimony of the importance of families and how the gospel can bless us through our families.

You may end with a song and a prayer.

Other Resources:
Nursery Manual
Preach My Gospel

Monday, August 10, 2015

Week 1: God is Our Loving Heavenly Father

Suggestions for songs:
I am a Child of God

Suggestions for videos:

Related Scriptures:
Psalm 82:6Acts 17:28–29;Hebrews 12:9,1 Nephi 17:362 Nephi 9:6Mosiah 4:93 Nephi 12:483 Nephi 14:9–113 Nephi 27:13–22D&C 38:1–3D&C 130:22Moses 1:39Matthew 5:48John 3:16–17Acts 17:27–29, Romans 8:16Hebrews 12:91 John 4:7–9

Preparation:
Get a picture of your child/children. Place them inside of a box and wrap it in wrapping paper.

Activity and Lesson:
Go for a walk outside. If you can, go somewhere away from people. Enjoy the natural setting with your child. As you look around, find beautiful things and explain that God made beautiful things on this earth because He loves us. Tell them that God is our Father and we are His children. He is happy when we are happy, and sad when we are sad. Explain that he wants to talk to us, and we can talk with Him when we pray.

Then, you can either return home, or give the present to your child while you stay out in nature. Tell them that inside of the present is the most wonderful gift that the Lord has ever given you.

As they unwrap it and find a picture of themselves in the box, tell them that the Lord has given them earthly parents and that you love them very much. Tell them that you are their earthly parents, but Heavenly Father is their heavenly parent.

You can then watch the video or read a scripture.

Conclusion:

You can then conclude the lesson by bearing your testimony of Heavenly Father's love for us, and your testimony that He is indeed our Heavenly Father.

Other resources
Nursery Manual
Preach My Gospel