September 21-27
3 Nephi 12-16
"I Am the Law and the Light"
Materials: Beattitude cards (below) printed and cut on yardstick, Law of Christ Matching printout.
Opening Song: "Keep the Commandments" (Hymnal, 303)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 3 Nephi 12:48
Attention Activity:
Before FHE, print and cut out the cards onto card stock. Using the cards below, play the Beattitudes Matching game. Match the Beattitude to its blessing. Use 3 Nephi 12 or Matthew 5 for reference.
Lesson:
During the Saviors mortal ministry in Israel, Jesus set up His church. He called twelve apostles and taught the people the gospel. What are some things Jesus taught while on the earth? Just like in Judea, when Jesus appears to the Nephites, He calls twelve apostles (disciples) and teaches the people the gospel.
Do you remember leaning about the Sermon on the Mount? Well, in 3 Nephi 12, Jesus gives a similar sermon to the Nephites. He teaches them the beattitudes (point to the cards). He also teaches the Law of Christ. The Law of Christ is a kind of more advanced version of the 10 commandments and the Law of Moses.
Activity: Law of Christ Matching
Print out the Matching sheet below. Have your family match the old mosaic laws to the new law of Christ taken from 3 Nephi 12.
Read 3 Nephi 12: 47. Christ explains that the old laws, The Law of Moses, are done. The practice of sacrifice, which the Nephites had been doing is now fulfilled in Christ. Now people are to follow Christ's teachings.
Read 3 Nephi 12: 48. Woah! Raise your hand if you are perfect. Uh oh! No one is raising their hand. Christ said that we need to be perfect like Heavenly Father and He is. So what now? Do we give up? In October Conference 2017, Elder Holland gave a marvelous talk on perfection called, "Be Ye Therefore Perfect--Eventually." (Have your family take turns reading the quotes from the talk below. You may also read or listen to the talk in it's entirety here.)
_________________________________________________
"I also know that, as children of God, we should not demean or vilify ourselves, as if beating up on ourselves is somehow going to make us the person God wants us to become. No! With a willingness to repent and a desire for increased righteousness always in our hearts, I would hope we could pursue personal improvement in a way that doesn’t include getting ulcers or anorexia, feeling depressed or demolishing our self-esteem."
"As President Russell M. Nelson has taught, here in mortality perfection is still “pending.”
"From the beginning the gospel has been “for the perfecting of the saints, … till we … come … unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
Our only hope for true perfection is in receiving it as a gift from heaven_—we can’t “earn” it.
"It is not too much for Them to ask us to be a little more godlike in little things, that we speak and act, love and forgive, repent and improve..."
"So while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call “toxic perfectionism.”
"Brothers and sisters, every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human."
"If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete—which is the New Testament meaning of perfection."
______________________________________________________
Obviously perfection is a tall order. It's impossible for us as mortal beings to be perfect. We make mistakes. But we can always try a little harder and do a little better. We can't do everything perfect all the time, but we can start with doing one small thing perfect right now. For example there's no such thing as a perfect child, but there is such a thing as a perfectly clean room.
Read Moroni 10:32-33. Through Christ's atonement we are made perfect as we repent. After all when we repent Heavenly Father remembers our sins "no more." We obtain ultimate perfection as we receive celestial glory and everyday we can try to come a little closer to that goal by following the Savior's teachings.
Closing Song: "Love One Another" (Children's Songbook, 136).
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: S'mores cookies recipe here
No comments:
Post a Comment