October 10-16
Jeremiah 1-3; 7; 16-18; 20
"Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee"
Opening Song: "I lived in heaven" (Children's Songbook, 4)
Opening Prayer:
Attention Activity:
Watch the video "Jeremiah the Prophet" from the church website.
Lesson:
Jeremiah was a prophet in the years before Jerusalem was destroyed and Israel was taken captive by the Babylonians, during the reign of the kings Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. When Jeremiah was first called to be a prophet, he was a young man and he did not feel capable of such an important work. (Display the two papers below.) The Lord told him, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
(Hold up the first have of the quote again.) God knew each of us before we were born. Before we came to earth, we knew Heavenly Father and He explained His plan for us. Our opening song today spoke was about our time in the pre-existence.
I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true.
Lived there and loved there with people I know; so did you.
Then, Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan,
All about earth and eternal salvation for man.
We also sing another song all the time that mentions the Heavenly Father's plan for us.
I am a child of God,
and He has sent me here,
has given me an earthly home,
with parents kind and dear.
How does the knowledge that Heavenly Father knew you before you were born make you feel? The knowledge that Heavenly Father knows us personally can help us get through troubling times in our lives. It can give us the confidence to do what He needs us to do. Jeremiah didn't feel like he was qualified enough to be a prophet but the Lord knew Jeremiah was capable.
(Hold up the second half of the quote and read it again.) In the pre-mortal life, Heavenly Father chose certain people to fulfill certain roles here on earth. This is called foreordination. For example, Jesus was fore-ordained to carry out the atonement. Prophets like Abraham, Joseph Smith, and Jeremiah were also foreordained to fulfill specific duties on the earth according to their faithfulness.
"The doctrine of foreordination applies to all members of the Church, not just to the Savior and His prophets. Before the creation of the earth, faithful women were given certain responsibilities and faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood duties. As people prove themselves worthy, they will be given opportunities to fulfill the assignments they then received" ("Foreordination," Gospel Topics, ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
One way to find out what plan Heavenly Father has in store for you personally is to receive your patriarchal blessing.
Activity: Pass out paper and pencils to your family and have them take the True or False quiz from the website below and then go over the answers.
Jeremiah might have felt inadequate in the beginning, but he went on to be a great prophet. He counseled the king, taught the people, and prophesied of the gathering of Israel. Through his, faithfulness, he fulfilled the mission God had given him to do before he was born. Heavenly Father knows each of us personally. He's known us since before man came to earth. He has a unique role and mission for us to fulfill. We probably won't be called to be prophets, but we each have an important work He wants us to do to build His kingdom.
Bear your testimony of Heavenly Father's plan for you.
Closing Song: "The Family is of God" ("Additional Songs for children" Gospel Music App)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: caramel apple bark recipe here
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