Jacob 5-7
"The Lord Labors With Us"
Materials: Puzzle, Match game (prepared beforehand; see below), chart in CFM manual pg. 49 (print it out)
Opening Song: "The Spirit of God" (Hymnal, 2)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Jacob 5:75 I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessedart thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
Attention Activity:
Have your family put together a puzzle. When the puzzle is complete tell your family that the gathering of Israel is similar to putting together a puzzle. Before the puzzle was put together, the pieces were scattered. They needed to come together to fulfill their purpose. Each puzzle piece had a special place in the overall picture. Just like we put the puzzle pieces together, we have been asked by President Nelson to help in the gathering of Israel. This we are going to talk about the gathering of Israel through the Allegory of the Olive Tree.
Lesson:
What is a symbol? What are some common symbols? (peace sign, heart, happy face, emojis, etc.) In an allegory symbols are used to tell a story to teach us something. Over the next week, we will be talking about a rather lengthy allegory in the Book of Mormon called the Allegory of the Olive Tree.
Activity: Allegory Match Game
Directions: Cut out the following cards and place onto card stock. Have your family take turns matching the symbols in the allegory to their counterparts.
Now that we familiar with the symbol that Zenos used in his allegory, let's have a brief overview of the allegory. Show the chart on pg. 49 of the Come Follow Me Manual. This chart gives a visual representation of what is described in Jacob 5. The allegory describes the gathering of Israel over the course of the Plan of Salvation. The Master of the vineyard, God, will make different trips to the vineyard to check the progress of the trees. Each visit is symbolic of a different period of Earth's history.
Have your family member take turns reading the chart starting with the green section, then yellow, orange, pink, and purple. As we read Jacob 5 this week, we can refer back to this chart to help us understand what is taking place in the allegory.
Which phase are we in right now? We are in the pink phase, where the restoration of the gospel is taking place and Israel is being gathered together. Since President Nelson became the prophet, he has emphasized that it is our responsibility as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help gather Israel. So what does that mean? How do we gather Israel? President Nelson explained, "the gathering of Israel ultimately means offering the gospel of Jesus Christ to God's children on both sides of the veil who have neither made crucial covenants with God not received their essential ordinances." ("Hope of Israel" Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018)
So how can you help? What can we do to help gather Israel? President Nelson also gave some ideas in this same devotional: do family history work, talk with others about the gospel, be a good example showing Christlike attributes, do baptisms for the dead, make better choices, travel where the Lord wants us to go, learn a new language, share copies of the Book of Mormon, be kind, pray daily for investigators, and share copies of the For Strength of Youth. All of these things are simple but powerful, and that is how God does the majority of his work. "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6)
Bear your testimony of the Gathering of Israel. The wonderful thing about the gospel is that the blessings of the gospel are available to all. Even though most of us were not born into the house of Israel, we can all be "grafted in" as we become truly converted and obtain all of those amazing blessings.
Closing Song: "Israel, Israel, God is Calling" (Hymnal, 7)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment:
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls recipe here
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