Lesson 4: John 1

January 21-27
John 1
We Have Found the Messiah

Opening Song: "The Lord is My Light" (Hymnal, 89)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Attention Activity:

Turn out all the lights so that the room is totally dark. (You might go to a different room for this activity.) Ask the children how they feel about being in a dark place? (scared, unsure, sad, angry) What do they want? Give each member of your family a small light like a tea light or a flashlight. How do they feel now that they are holding the lights? (safe, happy, grateful, etc.) Turn the lights on.

Lesson:

Read aloud John 1: 4-5; 9. Who is the light that these scriptures are talking about? Jesus Christ is the light of the world. What do lights do? (shine, warm, illuminate, etc.) Christ also does all these things. He warms our hearts, illuminates our understanding, and shines hope to the whole world. When we were in the dark everyone wanted the light on. We need the light--just like we need Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. 

Show the following picture and read the quote from Simon Dewey on the link.

View "Let Your Light So Shine" by Simon Dewey

Elder Robert D. Hales shared the following story: “When I was a boy, I used to ride my bicycle home from basketball practice at night. I would connect a small pear-shaped generator to my bicycle tire. Then as I pedaled, the tire would turn a tiny rotor, which produced … a single, welcome beam of light. … I learned quickly that if I stopped pedaling my bicycle, the light would go out. I also learned that when I was ‘anxiously engaged’ in pedaling, the light would become brighter and the darkness in front of me would be [forced away].”

Elder Hales explains that “spiritual light comes from daily spiritual pedaling. It comes from praying, studying the scriptures, fasting, and serving—from living the gospel and obeying the commandments” (“Out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light,” Ensign, May 2002, 71).

When we live the gospel and keep the commandments, we can have the Light of Christ with us always. Light is an important symbol in the New Testament. Jesus is the light, we can receive spiritual light, and we should share the light of Christ with others as we serve.

Activity: Stained-Glass Window Picture
(Taken from The Friend October, 2003)

Print and color the traced picture. Brush your picture very lightly with salad oil, and blot it with a towel. Place your picture in a window to remind you of the light the Savior provides in your life.

Closing Song: "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" (Children's Songbook, 177)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment: Fruit Pizza recipe click here

Lesson 3: Luke 2; Matthew 2

January 14-20
Luke 2; Matthew 2
We Have Come to Worship Him

Opening Song: "Called to Serve" (Hymnal, 174)
Opening Prayer: By Invitation

Attention Activity:

Hold up a picture of a missionary. If you have a family member, friend, or ward member missionary use his or her picture or use the one provided below.

View A photo of Elders from lds.org

Who are these people? What do missionaries do? Missionaries share the gospel. They do the work of the Lord. They teach people about the gospel of Jesus Christ and answer people's questions.

Lesson: 

When Jesus was twelve, he went with his family to Jerusalem for a holiday called, The Passover. When they had been traveling back to Nazareth for about a day, Mary and Joseph could not find Jesus.  They thought he was with other members of their extended family. They were worried about Jesus and turned back to Jerusalem to find him. They found him three days later at the temple. He was with a bunch of doctors and teachers. He was teaching them and answering their questions. The doctors were surprised at how much Jesus knew and the answers he was giving them. 

View "Jesus Teaching the Elders in the Temple", by Grant Romney Clawson

*For older children and teenagers. You can point out the differences between the JST and KJV versions of Luke 2:46. (see footnote c) Why is it important to note that the doctors were asking Jesus questions and not the other way around?*

Joseph and Mary had been worried about Jesus and Mary asked him, "why has thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." (Luke 2:48) Jesus replied that he was doing his "father's business?" 

Show the following short clip depicting this scene: 

https://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/young-jesus-teaches-in-the-temple?lang=eng

What did Jesus mean by his "father's business?" What is Heavenly Father's business? Read Moses 1:39, "For this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." 

Activity: 

Gather a jar, pieces of paper, and writing utensils. How can we do our "father's business?" Talk to the children about things they can do be like Jesus and do their Father's business? (sharing the gospel with a neighbor, being kind, playing with the new kid in school, sharing your toys, doing a siblings chores, serving others, writing letters to missionaries, etc.) Put all the ideas in a jar and have each person pick one out. This week they must try to do their Father's business by accomplishing the item they picked. Tell them next Sunday at dinner they will share their experiences. 

Optional Activity: 

Jesus teaching at the temple coloring page. Click here.

Closing Song: "I Will Be Valiant" (Children's Songbook, 162)

Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Refreshment:

Passover Chocolate Macaroons. For recipe click here

*** A note about this lesson: This section of the New Testament includes the story of Christmas, I made the decision to not do the FHE lesson on the Nativity. I thought that it would be better to go in depth on this story rather than the Nativity because, we will have learned about the Nativity story just three weeks earlier for Christmas. The manual does have some excellent commentary and questions on the Nativity sections of these chapters, which I would encourage you to study for family scripture study and/or personal study. 

Lesson 2: Matthew 1; Luke 1

Jan. 7-13
Matthew 1; Luke 1
"Be it unto Me according to Thy Word"

Opening Song: "I Will Follow God's Plan" (Children's Songbook, 164)
Opening Prayer: By Invitation
Scripture: Luke 1:37 "With God nothing shall be impossible."

Attention Activity:
Have the children draw a picture of something they really want. Talk to each child about why they want that thing. Ask the children if they think they will get it right away? Could it take longer? Will they have to work for it?

This week we will be reading about two cousins in the New Testament, Elisabeth and Mary. Heavenly Father had a plan for Elisabeth and for Mary and he has a plan for you.

View "Mary and Elisabeth Rejoice Together"still image from lds.org

Lesson: 
Elisabeth was married to a man named, Zacharias. They were both righteous and kept the commandments, but Elisabeth was not able to have a baby, even though she wanted one badly. She prayed to have a baby, but she was very old. One day, an angel came to Zacharias and said, "Fear not, Zacharias; for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name, John."(Luke 1:13) It was a miracle for Elisabeth to have a baby because she was too old, but Heavenly Father had a plan for her and her son John, later known as John the Baptist.

Refer back to your discussion about the thing your child wanted. Elisabeth wanted a baby ever since she was young, but Heavenly Father had a different plan for her in mind. She had to wait until she was an old woman before she could have a son. "If you find yourself having to wait for a blessing, or if it seems that God isn't hearing your prayers, the story of Elisabeth and Zacharias can be a reminder that He hasn't forgotten you." (Come Follow Me... pg.7) Sometimes, the blessings we want do not come right away. We should always be patient and have faith in Heavenly Father and His plan for us. Elder Holland promised, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." (Ensign, 1999).

If your children remember the story of Gabriel appearing to Mary, have them try to tell it in their own words. Or, you show the video "An Angel Foretells Christ's Birth to Mary." found on lds.org

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-10-002-an-angel-foretells-christs-birth-to-mary?category=nativity&lang=eng

Explain in your own words that is was impossible for Mary to have a baby since she had "known not a man," but that Heavenly Father had a plan for Mary. She was to give birth to the baby Jesus, who is the Savior of the world. Mary had not planned to have a baby before she married Joseph, but she accepted God's plan for her by saying, "Be it unto me according to Thy Word."

Tell this story in your own words:

When Katie was nine, all she wanted for Christmas was a Barbie Dream House. She had seen the commercials on television and had seen the box sitting on the shelf at the toy store. She wanted it so badly she wrote Santa and asked her parents to get it for her. When Christmas morning came, she ran downstairs, expecting to see her Barbie Dream House, but it wasn't there. Instead was a beautiful three-story dollhouse made of wood. It was so big, it was even taller than she was. At first, Katie was dissappointed because she hadn't gotten the toy she expected. Her dad explained that this dollhouse was special because he had had it made just for Katie. It wasn't the Barbie Dream House, it was even better. Katie felt grateful for her parents and for her new dollhouse that was made just for her. She loved it and played with it every day.

How did Katie feel when she saw the dollhouse on Christmas morning? What made that dollhouse special? How did Katie feel about the dollhouse after her dad talked to her?

Conclusion:
Just like with Katie, Mary, and Elisabeth, sometimes God's plans for us are different than our own. We need to be patient and have faith that Heavenly Father has blessings in store for us if we keep the commandments and accept His plan.

Closing Song: "Faith" (Children's Songbook, 96)
Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Refreshment: 

Little Peanut Baby Cookies Click for recipe here
Tip: if your family has nut allergies, try substituting with a rice crispy treat.

Lesson 1: We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning

Dec. 31- Jan. 6
Lesson 1: We Are Responsible for Our Own Learning

Opening Song: "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" (Hymnal pg. 304)
Opening Prayer: By invitation 
Scripture: D&C 93: 36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.

Attention Activity:
Give children a list of interesting and unfamiliar words. I used ampersand, bamboozle, colossus, and digeridoo. Ask the children, "How do you find out what a word means when you don't know?" (look it up online, in the dictionary, ask an AI., ask someone else) Have the children define the words using one of the resources discussed.

When you don't understand something, you ask for help. You seek out answers. This is exactly what our Heavenly Father wants us to do. He wants us to gain knowledge, to learn, and get an education. In D&C 130: 19  it says, "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come."

Lesson:

Elder Bednar taught, "as learners, you and I are to act and be doers of the word." That means that as we learn we need to practice what we learn. He also said, "Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception." This means that learning is not always easy. Sometimes we will have to work really hard to understand what we are being taught. 

Sometimes we have questions, not just about funny words, but about important things. When Joseph Smith was a boy, he was confused on which church he should join. He talked to a lot of people about his questions, but no one seemed to have a good answer. One day he was reading in the New Testament when he came across a verse that helped him. It said, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5) Joseph knew after reading that scripture that he needed to try praying to get an answer to his question. So he did, and that's when he received the First Vision where he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus. 

View Picture: Joseph Smith Seeks Wisdom in the Bible (Joseph Smith Seeks Wisdom from the Bible), by Dale Kilbourn; GAK 402; GAB 89; Primary manual 3-08; Primary manual 5-04; Joseph Smith—History 1:5–13


When we have questions we should do these three things 

1. Search for answers from good sources. (the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, prophets, apostles, parents)

2. Act in Faith. Answers might not always come right away. We need to be patient and have faith.

3. See the big picture. Try to see things like the Lord does. Remember the Plan of Salvation.


This year we will be learning from the New Testament. What do you know about the New Testament? The New Testament teaches us about Christ's life and the teachings of His apostles. Christ invites us all to "Come Follow Me." How can we follow the Savior? Learning from the Savior starts when we strive to understand what he taught. We can do this as we study the New Testament this year. 

View Picture: Light of the World, by Brent Borup

Activity: Come Follow Me Coloring Page 

Illustration by Apryl Stott

Closing Song: "Come Follow Me" (Hymnal pg. 116)

Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Refreshment: "Smart cookies"

3/4 c. Brown sugar

3/4 c. granulated sugar

1 small box vanilla pudding (1/2 c.)

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. butter

1 egg

2 T hot water

1/2 t. vanilla

2 1/4 c. flour

1 t baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. nuts (optional)

3/4 pkg. chocolate chips

Vanilla ice cream (slightly softened)

Preheat oven at 350. Cream butter, shortening, sugars, and pudding mix. Add eggs cream for 3-4 min. more then add hot water. Cream 3 minutes then add vanilla. Combine dry ingredients with whisk then slowly add to mixture. When fully combined add nuts and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. Cool then serve two cookies with ice cream in the middle to make a cookie ice cream sandwich a.k.a. "A Smart Cookie"

Come Follow Me 2019

So I've been looking over the new curriculum for the upcoming year. I've been stressing about out it and praying about it. It was very daunting to me at first. I've always known that, as a mother, I am mainly responsible for gospel instruction in my home. However, that responsibility has never seemed so important, as it did until after this last General Conference when the new "Come Follow Me" curriculum was announced.

So, I started studying the manual as soon it was available. I have gained a testimony of it and its potential to help me to teach my children the New Testament. I'm starting this blog as a way to share my family home evening lessons. These lessons will be pulled from a variety of sources such as the manual, my own ideas, as well as other FHE blogs. I will try my absolute best to credit resources, but I am not perfect. This blog is meant to be for individual family instruction and nothing on this blog should be used for profit. I believe I am operating under "fair use" for nonprofit and educational purposes.