November 9-15
Ether 1-5
"Rend that Veil of Unbelief"
Materials: questions picture below, brother of Jared video, coloring page
Opening Song: Faith (Children's Songbook, 96)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Ether 3:5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power , which looks small unto the understanding of men.
Attention Activity:
Show the picture below. What do all these words have in common? They are all the beginnings of questions. Asking questions help us learn.
Lesson:
Story: Jessica was reading in class one day out of her library book, when she read a word she had not seen before. Jessica raised her hand and asked her teacher what the word meant. Her teacher told Jessica to look at the rest of the sentence to see if it would give any clues about what the word could mean. Jessica tried this, and it helped a little bit, but she still couldn't fully understand what it meant. Jessica raised her hand again and her teacher brought over a dictionary. She told Jessica to look up the word alphabetically in the book, and it would tell her exactly what the word meant. When Jessica found the word, she finally understood what it meant. A few weeks later the word appeared on a vocabulary quiz. Jessica remembered flipping through the dictionary and scanning the pages for her mystery word. She recalled the definition perfectly and got 100 percent on the quiz.
Jessica's teacher could have just told her what the word meant but she didn't. She wanted Jessica to find out for herself the answer to her question. Asking questions shows humility, and we better ourselves when we try to find answers to our queries. We learn more by finding the answers ourselves than by just being given the answer.
For the next few weeks we will be going further back in time during our study of the Book of Mormon. Further back than Nephi or even Moses. The beginning of the Book of Ether takes place just after Noah saves all the animals on the ark. Some of Noah's descendants became wicked and built a tower to reach heaven. God destroyed the tower and the righteous descendants were directed to leave and travel across the sea to the promised land.
The leader of these righteous people is called in the scriptures, "the brother of Jared." We know from a revelation given to Joseph Smith that his given name was Mahonri Moriancomer. The Jaredite people were directed by the Lord to build barges to travel across the ocean. These boats had to be sealed tight so they would not sink in the mighty waves of the ocean. Show the picture below.
Mahonri discovered two practical problems while building the boats. If the boats had to be perfectly sealed, they would not be able to breathe, have light, or steer. Mahonri went to the lord and asks these questions.
Video: Watch this 5 minute animated video depicting Ether 2-3
"What does the brother of Jared's example teach us about how to find answers to our problems and questions? Maybe family members could share experiences when they sought and received answers from the Lord." (Come Follow Me For Individuals and Families) What are some different sources we can go to look for answers to our questions about the gospel?
The brother of Jared showed great faith in the Lord as he proactively asked for His help. He went to the Lord with a plan in mind. He put in effort and forethought. If we follow his example when we encounter challenges and questions of our own the Lord will bless us with the answers we need.
Activity: Brother of Jared coloring page
Closing Song: "Search, ponder, and pray" (Children's Songbook, 109)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Cookie Dough Brownies recipe here
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