This is a blog meant for the use of individuals and families which contains Family Home Evening lesson ideas and plans for the 2019-2020 "Come Follow Me" curriculum. This is meant to supplement the resource "Come Follow Me: For Individuals and Families". This is not an official page of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
April 20-26 Mosiah 4-6 "A Mighty Change of Heart" Materials: name tags, markers, video (see below) Opening Song: "I Belong To the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Children's Songbook, ) Opening Prayer: Scripture: Mosiah 5:7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters. Attention Activity: Have each child make/decorate a name tag using their full names. Place the name tags on each child. You each have a name. Your name was carefully selected by your parents. (If you have any stories about how each child got their name you could share them or talk about specific people they are needed after.)
Lesson: Names are important things to our Heavenly Father. We know from the scriptures that Heavenly Father knows us by name. We all have first names and family names, some of us have middle names, but did you know that when you are baptized you are given an additional name? Read Mosiah 5:8. Whose name do we take when we are baptized? When we are baptized we promise to take upon ourselves the name of Christ. That means that we represent Him and His church. How can we represent Jesus Christ? Activity: Role Play Have each family member act out the following scenarios and role play how a representative of Jesus Christ would act in each situation. You are eating lunch with your friends at school, and one of your friends keeps saying mean things about a girl in your class. You forgot to have your mother sign your progress report at school, and it is due today. You don't want to get in trouble with your teacher, so you think about forging her name. One of your friends tells you that they no longer believe in God. They only believe in science and things they can see. Your little brother broke one of your favorite toys. He doesn't say he's sorry, but goes and hides in the closet. Your sister refuses to play a game she had agreed to play earlier in the day. You are upset because you have been looking forward to it. Your older brother didn't help you clean up before he left for practice. Now you have to do it all by yourself. You want to leave his stuff out even though you know it will be late by the time he gets home. When you are in the grocery store parking lot, you notice a lady struggling to open up her car while carrying her grocery bags. We have each covenanted or will covenant to take upon the name of Christ. We will forever carry His name as one of His disciples. Read Mosiah 5: 11. What does King Benjamin warn us not to do? So if we sin, we are not acting as one of His disciples. We need to make sure that when we mess up and make mistakes that we sincerely repent so that we are worthy to bear Christ's name. Activity: Video Watch the following clip from Toy Story. What is written on the bottom of the Woody and Buzz's feet? Just like Andy's name is on the bottom of Buzz's foot, Jesus's name is written in our hearts. We sometimes can feel insignificant like Buzz, but Jesus loves us. We are His. We belong to Him. Read Mosiah 5: 12. Jesus knows us by name and He wants us to know Him, to "know the voice by which ye shall be called." We need to always remember Him and always keep His name written on our hearts.
April 13-19 Mosiah 1-3 "Filled with love towards God and all men" Materials: a step ladder or tall stool, a crown, Childlike Match Game (see below) Opening Song: "I'm trying to be like Jesus" (Children's Songbook, 78) Opening Prayer: Scripture: Mosiah 3:19 Attention Activity: Set the stage for learning about King Benjamin's message. Use a step ladder or tall stool to act as King Benjamin's tower and have a crown made for you to wear as King Benjamin. If you have a small play tent or pup tent have your family set it up or build a blanket fort to act like the families in tents that came to hear King Benjamin speak.
Lesson: Monologue: (Stand on the stool and read from MSH 3:3-4 and give it some gusto!) "Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you thegladtidings of greatjoy. For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thyrighteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy." Welcome to the first recorded General Conference! That's right, in The Book of Mormon, 124 years before Christ's birth the prophet, King Benjamin called all his people together to come hear him speak and proclaim the good news of the gospel. King Benjamin gives his sermon on the atonement of Jesus Christ. What does the atonement do for us? The atonement helps us in four ways: it saves us from physical death, it saves us from spiritual death due to the fall of Adam and from our sins, it helps us overcome our weaknesses, and it helps us overcome our afflictions and infirmities. Without the atonement, there would no hope for us because we are imperfect. King Benjamin calls this the "natural man." "For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been since the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord." The natural man is who we are when we are being bad or disobedient. King Benjamin says we need to "put off the natural man" and become a saint. So how do you do that? Read Mosiah 3:19 but stop after "becometh as a child". Who here is a child? King Benjamin says that in order to "put off the natural man" and become a saint, adults need to become more like you. Does that make you feel good? Next King Benjamin's going to tell the group how they need to be like little children. Read Mosiah 3:19 again and this time read it all the way to the end. We can all put off the natural man and become saints by practicing childlike qualities. This should not be confused with being childish. "The Savior’s invitation to become as a little child did not include a call for childish behavior. No matter our age, we must put aside our temper tantrums, belligerent attitudes, and shortsightedness in an effort to become childlike, embracing all that is good about childhood." ("Suffer the Children to Come to Me: An Invitation to Become Childlike" comeuntochrist.org) Activity: Childlike Match Game Have the cards below printed and cut out onto card stock. Use these cards to play a short matching game. Each time a family member gets a match, have them share a way they can practice the trait on the card.
In conclusion, we can become a saint through the atonement of Jesus Christ as we continuously strive to become like Him. We need to have a childlike faith, be obedient, and rely on the Savior. Elder Bednar said, "It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength." ("Clean Hands and a Pure Heart." Ensign, Nov. 2007)
