1 Nephi 8-10
"Come and Partake of the Fruit"
Materials: 2 blankets (one dark colored, one blue), a pole, a tree or plant, sweet treats tied on strings (i.e. powdered donuts), a blindfold
Opening Song: "The Iron Rod" (Hymnal, 274)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 1 Nephi 8:12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great ajoy; wherefore, I began to be bdesirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was cdesirable above all other fruit.
Attention Activity:
I'm going to read items which all have something in common. Raise your hand when you know what the following elements have in common. (1. a river, 2. a tree, 3. mist, 4. a path, 5. fruit, 6. a great building, 7. an iron rod) These are all elements of the vision of the Tree of Life. Show the picture below.
Lehi's Dream by Jerry Thompson (Gospel Art Book, 69).
Lesson:
When Lehi is traveling with his family in the wilderness, he has a dream--a vision. In his vision he saw a great tree with white fruit and many people trying to get to it. Today we are going to talk about Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life.
*Before FHE, have the following set up. Tie a sweet treat onto a string and place them onto a small tree or plant you have in your home (fruit). Leading up to the tree, have a large dark blanket folded vertically to symbolize a path. On the blanket, have a pole like a broomstick (iron rod). To the side of the path have a blue blanket or blue paper laid down to symbolize a river. Also, utilize one of your couches as the great and spacious building. Finally, have a blindfold (mists).
Play out the 4 following scenarios with your family.
#1- Read 1 Nephi 8:21-23. Blindfold one member of your family. Tell them the blindfold represents the mists of darkness. Have him walk blindfolded down the path without holding onto the pole. Tell them that because they aren't holding onto to iron rod they get lost and don't make it to the tree. Getting lost in the mists of darkness is like becoming lost in sin. If we don't hold onto the iron rod--the word of god-- we will become spiritually lost when faced with temptation. How can we hold onto the word of God?
#2 Read 1 Nephi 8:26–27, 31–33 Have one person prepare to step onto the path. Have others in your family act like the members of the great and spacious building tempting her to not go on the path but join them. The great and spacious building is the pride of the world. There are those people in the world who care more about themselves than choosing the right. These type of people often make fun of others for choosing the right or being religious. What can we say to those who make fun of us for choosing the right?
#3 Read 1 Nephi 8:24–25, 28 Have one person blindfolded hold on to the iron rod and walk down the path to the tree. When he gets to the tree, the others on the couch (the great and spacious building) should laugh at him. He should act ashamed and then wander off leaving the fruit behind. These are those who once had testimonies of the gospel but have since left the Church. They listened to the adversary saying that living righteously is not fun, not necessary, or just too hard. How can we help those who have forgotten their testimonies?
#4 Read 1 Nephi 8:30, 33. Have this person blindfolded walk successfully down the path while holding onto the rod. When they reach the tree have them taste the treat. These people are those who repent after sinning, try to choose the right, and are happy with who they are as disciples of Jesus Christ. These are the people we ultimately want to be--receivers of eternal life.
Everyone should have a turn eating the sweet treat (the fruit from the tree of life). Explain that after Lehi had his dream, Laman and Lemuel did not believe their father. Nephi believed but he also wanted to see the dream for himself. So he asked Heavenly Father to show it to him, and he did. When we want to know if something about the gospel is true, we can ask Heavenly Father in prayer. He will send the Holy Ghost to testify to us so that we may know that it is true.
As we continue on our journey on earth, we will face many hardships. We will have to endure temptation, sincerely repent when we sin, and withstand those in the world who don't like our ways and want us to fail. We have been told that if we "hold to the rod" or "the word of God" we will be able to endure to the end and receive eternal life. This means, we need to be ever seeking the word of God: studying the scriptures, listening to the prophet and apostles, saying sincere prayers, and listening to the guidance from the Holy Ghost. We need to stay on the covenant path by keeping the commandments and repenting when we fall short. If we do this, we have been promised not just a little piece of white fruit, but "all that our Father hath."
Optional Activity: Tree of Life coloring page
Closing Song: "Choose the Right" (Hymnal, 239)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: White powdered donuts
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