November 8-14
Doctrine and Covenants 129-132
"When We Obtain Any Blessing From God, It Is By Obedience"
Materials: Paper Doll printout (print and cut out), paper (1 half sheet per family member), art supplies
Opening Song: "Families can be together forever" (Children's Songbook, 188)
Opening Prayer:
Attention Activity: Can you describe what happens at a conventional wedding? What do the bride and groom wear? Where do they stand? What do they say? Who marries them? etc.
Conventional weddings are often big glamorous affairs where two people make vows to each other "till death" or "for as long as [they] both shall live."
Lesson:
The Lord values marriage and family. Families are a main part of Heavenly Father's Plan. Because they are so important, Heavenly Father wants our families to last forever--for time and all eternity.
In D&C 132, the Lord revealed important truths about eternal families. All eternal families start with marriage. When two people decide to be married in the temple, it is called being "sealed" because they are sealed to each other and to Christ. Blessings are promised to those who faithfully keep the covenants they make in the temple in accordance to receiving highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom.
Activity:
Directions: Before FHE, print and cut out the image below onto card stock. Have your family take turns selecting wedding apparel to put on the bride and groom. As they choose each piece, read the corresponding passage below to learn more about the blessings of temple sealings.
Groom's Hat- Eternal Marriages are meant to be performed by "whom I [the Lord] have anointed...appointed on the earth to hold this power" (D&C 132:7). Marriages performed in holy temples are done by temple sealers. Sealers are men who have been ordained to perform sealings under the direction of the President of the Church who holds the keys of the sealing power. Joseph Smith was given the keys to the sealing power by the prophet Elijah in the Kirtland Temple. Activity: If you know a couple who has been sealed for time and all eternity, ask them who their sealer was and what they remember about him.
Groom's Shirt- All eternal marriages must be sealed upon by the Holy Spirit of Promise. What does that mean? In essence, The Holy Ghost puts a "stamp of approval" on the relationship, saying that couple was faithful to their covenants. Without this, marriages--even temple marriages--cannot last after death, "because [of] the angels and the gods are appointed there [in heaven], by whom they cannot pass" (D&C 132: 18). Angels will act as guards to celestial glory. In contrast, if they Holy Spirit of Promise does seal your covenant, "they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things..." (D&C 132:19). Activity: Draw a picture of an angel.
Groom's Pants- Those who are sealed in eternal families have been promised by the Lord, "Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection" (D&C 132:19). Being in the first resurrection is a high honor and means we have lived worthily of the celestial kingdom. Activity: Sing "Choose the Right" (#239)
Groom's Jacket- We want our family relationships to last forever. We want to live with our family through eternity. The Lord said in D&C 132: 19 that this is possible through making and keeping ordinances and covenants. Eternal families will last for "time and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world..." (D&C 132:19) Because we want our relationships to last forever, we should try to be loving to our family members. Activity: What is one thing you can do to be more loving towards your family?
Bride's Veil- Heavenly Father has said that if we faithfully keep our temple covenants we will "inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities and powers, dominions, all heights and depths..." (D&C 132:19) Those are some pretty amazing blessings. Activity: Call your family member "king" and "queen." How does it feel knowing Heavenly Father wants to give you all those blessings?
Bride's Dress- One of the biggest blessings of marriage is having children. Families grow through having children. Marriages who obtain the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom will be blessed with "a continuation of the seeds forever and ever" (D&C 132:19). On the other hand, those who do not receive the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom "cannot have an increase" (D&C 132: 4). Activity: On a piece of paper, draw a picture of your future family. What do you think your family will look like in twenty years?______________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately, family relationships on earth can be messy. Many members of the church experience being single, divorce, or having unhappy or unfulfilling relationships with family members. President Eyring counseled those individuals, "You just live worthy of the celestial kingdom, and the family arrangements will be more wonderful than you can imagine" ( "A Home Where the Spirit of the Lord Dwells," General Conference, April 2019).
Heavenly Father's Plan was to send us to earth to gain a body, to learn to become like Jesus, and to make the ordinances and covenants necessary to be able to return to Him again after we die. He wants to give us eternal life and exaltation and that can only be done as a family. President Nelson said, "In God’s eternal plan, salvation is an individual matter; exaltation is a family matter" ("Salvation and Exaltation," General Conference, April 2008).
Bear your testimony of eternal families.
Closing Song: "The Family is Ordained of God" (Additional Songs, Gospel Music App)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Caramel Puppy Chow Recipe here
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