Lesson 14: Easter

March 30-April 12
Easter
"He Shall Rise.. With Healing In His Wings"

Materials: whiteboard, dry erase marker, plastic easter eggs, scripture strips (below) 
Opening Song: "Jesus has Risen" (Children's Songbook, 70)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 2 Nephi 25:13 Behold, they will ^acrucify him; and after he is laid in a ^bsepulchre for the space of ^cthree days he shall ^drise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have ^eseen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.

Attention Activity:
Play a round of hangman with your family using the phrase "I will be resurrected like Jesus" on a whiteboard or piece of paper. What holiday is coming up next Sunday? Why do we celebrate Easter? 

Lesson:
This year we have been studying the Book of Mormon. It testifies of the resurrection of Jesus Christ just like the New Testament. The Book of Mormon provides a second witness that Christ really did die and was resurrected. Because of His sacrifice, we will also be resurrected. 

Activity: Easter Eggs 
Have the following scripture strips below printed, cut out, and put each one into a plastic easter egg. Hide the eggs around the room. Have your family take turns finding an easter egg and reading the scripture within the egg. Paraphrases below can be used for younger children. 

2 Nephi 9:6 Resurrection is part of our Heavenly Father's Plan to overcome physical death. 

2 Nephi 9:7 The atonement made our resurrection possible. Without it we would rot and crumble into the earth forever when we die. 

2 Nephi 9: 16 When we are resurrected the righteous will stay righteous, and the filthy will stay filthy. 

Alma 11:43 We will be resurrected to our "perfect form." All of our limbs and joints will be restored and we will maintain all of our knowledge including our guilt. 

Alma 11:44 Resurrection will be for all people young and old, wicked and righteous, and then we will be judged before God. 

Alma 11:45 Once we are resurrected, our bodies won't die. Our spirit and body will be joined together forever.

Alma 40:21 There is a period of time between our death and our resurrection--the spirit world. 

Alma 40:21 Our bodies will be restored perfectly. Every hair on our heads will be restored along with limbs and joints. Our body will be perfected!

 3 Nephi 26:5 We will be judged according to our works and have the resurrection of everlasting life or the resurrection of damnation. 

What are some activities we do around Easter? (Easter parade, wear new Sunday clothes, see the Easter bunny, attend church, Easter baskets, Easter egg hunt) Easter egg hunts are a long and loved tradition. Every year little boys and girls get so excited to hunt for brightly colored eggs. The eggs often have treasures inside like candy and toys. 

Easter egg hunts can help remind us of our Savior. Just like we earnestly seek the colored eggs, we should be seeking the Savior, always striving to come unto Him and be like Him. When we come unto Christ we enjoy the treasure of his infinite atonement and the joy of His resurrection. Our Easter eggs should remind us of the true treats of Easter: the resurrection of the Jesus Christ and the knowledge that we will one day be resurrected too. 


Closing Song: "I know that my Redeemer lives" (Hymnal, 136)
Closing Prayer:


Refreshment:
Easter confetti cookies recipe here

Lesson 13: Enos-Words of Mormon

March 23-29
Enos-Words of Mormon
"He Works In Me to Do His Will"

Materials: Enos handout, scissors, glue, piece of construction paper, Picture: Enos Praying by Robert R Barrett (in manual)
Opening Song: "A Child's Prayer" (Children's Songbook, 12)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Enos 1:4

Attention Activity: 
Do a small physical activity with your family like a pillow fight, dog pile, wrestling, whatever your comfortable with. What does the word wrestle mean? In the book of Enos, Enos describes his prayer as a "wrestle". Read Enos 1:2. What do you think he means? Why do you think he picked the word wrestle?

Lesson:
Enos was the son of Jacob and the next keeper of the plates. He went hunting and had a spiritual experience through prayer. Enos's prayer was full of faith and so Heavenly Father answers Enos's prayer. The chapter is sort of laid out like a Q&A. Enos prays for something; then the Lord responds. 

Activity: Enos Paper Doll
Have a copy of the paper doll printed and cut out. Have your family members take turns pasting a piece of the paper doll to a piece of construction paper starting with the torso. As you go read the scriptures the are on the pieces. Below are some discussion points you can talk about with your family.

Torso- Enos prays for repentance. Read Enos 1:4. Enos uses powerful language to describe his prayer. What was some of the language Enos used to describe his prayer? ("my soul hungered", "cried to Him", "raise my voice high") How long did Enos's prayer last? Although we do not have to pray that long to have a heartfelt prayer, we should take our time and try not to rush through our prayers. Enos also went to a quiet, private place to pray. He knelt down on his knees and said his prayer out loud. Enos is an excellent example of saying a meaningful prayer.

What do you think was the Lord's response? Read Enos 1:5. God forgave Enos of his sins and promised to bless him. 

Right Arm- Enos prays for others. Read Enos 1:9. After Enos asked for forgiveness, he asked the Lord to bless his brethren, the Nephites. What can we learn for Enos's example here? In response the Lord replies to Enos in verse 10: "I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments." Blessings from the Lord are always based on our faithfulness in keeping his commandments. 

Left Arm- Enos prays for his enemies. Read Enos 1:11. Why do you think Enos prayed for the Lamanites? Why is it important to pray for our enemies (the people we struggle with, don't agree with)? 

In response to this inquiry, God gives Enos an amazing answer because he is impressed by Enos's faith. Read Enos 1:12. The Lord tells Enos he will grant his desires. Enos demonstrated having a righteous desires. Righteous desires are specific blessings we ask from the Lord that help us to stay on the covenant path. Righteous desires do not come from a place of greed or vanity. They are the sacred and meaningful things that we want for ourselves and for others. "Our heart is right with God when we truly desire what is righteous—when we desire what God desires" ("The Desires of Our Hearts" Dallin H. Oaks, BYU Speeches October 8, 1985). 

Legs- Enos prayed for the records to be preserved. Read Enos 1:16. Enos was worried that the Lamanites would destroy the plates. He asked the Lord to help keep the plates safe. The Lord did keep the plates safe and promised he would bring them forth when it was time--which now know was when the Prophet Joseph restored the church in the latter-days. Enos wanted the work of God to continue. How can we pray for God's work to continue in our day? (We can pray for missionary experiences, pray for investigators in our area, pray for the missionaries, pray for our church leaders like our bishop and President Nelson.)

Optional Activity: 
Book of Mormon Videos: Enos Prays Mightily 

Review with your family some examples Enos set for us in his prayer. Testify of the power of prayer in your own life and how it has helped you and others come closer to Heavenly Father. 


Closing Song: "Sweet Hour of Prayer" (Hymnal, 142)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment:
Triple Vanilla Brownies recipe here

Lesson 12: Jacob 5-7

March 16-23
Jacob 5-7
"The Lord Labors With Us"

Materials: Puzzle, Match game (prepared beforehand; see below), chart in CFM manual pg. 49 (print it out)
Opening Song: "The Spirit of God" (Hymnal, 2)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Jacob 5:75 I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessedart thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.

Attention Activity:
Have your family put together a puzzle. When the puzzle is complete tell your family that the gathering of Israel is similar to putting together a puzzle. Before the puzzle was put together, the pieces were scattered. They needed to come together to fulfill their purpose. Each puzzle piece had a special place in the overall picture. Just like we put the puzzle pieces together, we have been asked by President Nelson to help in the gathering of Israel. This we are going to talk about the gathering of Israel through the Allegory of the Olive Tree. 


Lesson:
What is a symbol? What are some common symbols? (peace sign, heart, happy face, emojis, etc.) In an allegory symbols are used to tell a story to teach us something. Over the next week, we will be talking about a rather lengthy allegory in the Book of Mormon called the Allegory of the Olive Tree. 

Activity: Allegory Match Game

Directions: Cut out the following cards and place onto card stock. Have your family take turns matching the symbols in the allegory to their counterparts. 

Now that we familiar with the symbol that Zenos used in his allegory, let's have a brief overview of the allegory. Show the chart on pg. 49 of the Come Follow Me Manual. This chart gives a visual representation of what is described in Jacob 5. The allegory describes the gathering of Israel over the course of the Plan of Salvation. The Master of the vineyard, God, will make different trips to the vineyard to check the progress of the trees. Each visit is symbolic of a different period of Earth's history. 

Have your family member take turns reading the chart starting with the green section, then yellow, orange, pink, and purple. As we read Jacob 5 this week, we can refer back to this chart to help us understand what is taking place in the allegory. 

Which phase are we in right now? We are in the pink phase, where the restoration of the gospel is taking place and Israel is being gathered together. Since President Nelson became the prophet, he has emphasized that it is our responsibility as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help gather Israel. So what does that mean? How do we gather Israel? President Nelson explained, "the gathering of Israel ultimately means offering the gospel of Jesus Christ to God's children on both sides of the veil who have neither made crucial covenants with God not received their essential ordinances." ("Hope of Israel" Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018)

So how can you help? What can we do to help gather Israel? President Nelson also gave some ideas in this same devotional: do family history work, talk with others about the gospel, be a good example showing Christlike attributes, do baptisms for the dead, make better choices, travel where the Lord wants us to go, learn a new language, share copies of the Book of Mormon, be kind, pray daily for investigators, and share copies of the For Strength of Youth. All of these things are simple but powerful, and that is how God does the majority of his work. "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6)

Bear your testimony of the Gathering of Israel. The wonderful thing about the gospel is that the blessings of the gospel are available to all. Even though most of us were not born into the house of Israel, we can all be "grafted in" as we become truly converted and obtain all of those amazing blessings. 

Closing Song: "Israel, Israel, God is Calling" (Hymnal, 7)
Closing Prayer: 

Refreshment:
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls recipe here

Lesson 11: Jacob 1-4

March 9-15
Jacob 1-4
"Be Reconciled Unto God Through the Atonement of Christ"

Materials: secret message worksheets, scriptures, construction paper, art supplies. 
Opening Song: "We thank thee oh God for a prophet" (Hymnal, )
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Jacob 1:19 And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.

Attention Activity:
Who is the leader of our ward? What is our bishop's name? Our bishop holds the keys of the priesthood for our ward. "He has overall responsibility for ministering the temporal and spiritual affairs of the congregation. " (Gospel Topics: Bishop) We also have other church leaders. Can you name some? (prophet, apostle, general authority, stake president, elders quorum president, relief society president, etc.)

Lesson:
Nephi's brother Jacob became the leader of the church after Nephi died. Jacob took his calling very seriously. Read Jacob 1:19. Jacob tried his very best to serve the Lord and to serve his people. Jacob loved his people and wanted to serve the Lord honorably. 

Activity: Secret Message
Print out the following worksheet. You can complete it as a group or individually. 

By reading these words and phrases it is obvious that Jacob loved his people, but he was also  their leader. His people started to rebel and make bad choices and that meant Jacob had to tell them to repent. He had chastise them for being wicked which was a very hard thing for him.

What have our church leaders done for us that shows they care about "the welfare of [our] souls"? In what ways do our teachers and leaders in the church show us they love us?

The secret message was "We should sustain our church leaders." What does that mean? Sustaining is more than just raising our hand to the square when their name is called during ward business. We sustain our church leaders by accepting them in their calling, showing our support for them, and doing things that they ask us to do. Can you share a personal experience about a time when you fulfilled a task a church leader asked you to do?

Activity: Thank you notes
Using construction paper and art supplies, have each member of your family make a thank you card for a church leader like their primary teacher, bishop, young women's leader, etc.

One simple but powerful thing we can do to sustain our church leaders is to keep them in our prayers. We can ask Heavenly Father to bless them and help them in their calling. If we  sustain our church leaders, we will be blessed. 


Closing Song: "Our bishop" (Children's Songbook, )
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment:
Strawberry Lemon Blondies recipe here

Lesson 10: 2 Nephi 31-33

March 2-8
2 Nephi 31-33
"This is the way"

Materials: copy of game board below printed on card stock, picture of a path, dice
Opening Song: "Fourth Article of Faith"
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 2 Nephi 31:20

Attention Activity:

Think back to Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. What led up to the tree? (the strait and narrow path) Show the picture of the path. When it says strait--the way it's spelled--it actually means difficult. Strait means "used in reference to a situation characterized by a specified degree of trouble or difficulty." The journey of life is not straightforward or easy. It is meant to be difficult. Today we are going to talk about the strait and narrow path and our journey of mortal life. 

Lesson:
Ask your family to close their eyes and try to picture a path. As you listen to the following scriptures, try to imagine the path, the gate and anything else described. Read 2 Nephi 31:17-19. What does the gate represent? Is it enough just to get onto the right path? What else do we need or rather who else do we need? That's right; we need Jesus Christ. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is kind of like the car that takes us up the path. Our faith is like gas. If we put the gas/faith in the atonement, grace enables us to travel up the road toward eternal life. If we lose faith or stop relying on Jesus Christ's atonement through repentance, we won't make it up the path. 

Activity: The Pathway to Eternal Life Game. 
You will need the game board below and one die. Each member of your family needs a game piece of some sort (a coin, a matchbox car, a paper clip, etc). To play everyone will start at the "birth" square and take turns rolling the dice, advancing toward death and eternal life. When you come to a blue square you must stop there before your next turn. When everyone has finished the game, they will receive a treat. (A cute idea for a treat would be angel food cake.) The squares all have things the we need to learn and do to prepare to meet God and gain eternal life. 

We often hear the phrase in the church, "endure to the end." What does that mean? Read 2 Nephi 31:20-21. So in other words, we've got to keep on keepin' on. In order to receive exaltation we need to receive ordinances and make covenants--the boxes in blue. But the enduring to the end--that is made up of the small things, the day to day things, the things we learn slowly through a lifetime of practice. If we practice the things in the white squares, that's enduring to the end.

So, "This is the way." This is the way we obtain celestial glory. It's that simple, but it isn't easy. Our path to exaltation will be filled with ups, downs, and curves. We might even have mountains and deep gullies to traverse, but we are not alone. We have an eternal family to travel with us and help us. We have the gift of the Holy Ghost, and we have the atonement of Jesus Christ to make our loads lighter and keep us on "the covenant path."



Closing Song: "I Believe in Christ" (Hymnal, 134)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment: 
Angel Food Cupcakes recipe here

Lesson 9: 2 Nephi 26-30

February 24-March1
2 Nephi 26-30
"A Marvelous Work and a Wonder"

Materials: string or yarn, picture of a dragon, flame printouts (cut out and placed in a bowel), tape
Opening Song: "The Iron Rod" (Hymnal, 274)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 2 Nephi 26:22 And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.

Attention Activity:
Invite a member of your family to come participate in an object lesson. Tie a string or a piece of yarn in a loose knot around their wrists. This string represents a sin they made. Have them try to break free from the string. Do it again but this time, come up with more "sins" they committed and wrap the string around and around until the string is thick around the wrists. Ask them to break it. When they can't tell them this is how Satan gets us. He tells us it's just a little lie or it's just one time until we feel like we can't get out. 

Lesson:

Read 2 Nephi 26:22. Elder Carlos E. Asay said, “The first wrongdoing is like a single strand of flaxen thread; it is easily broken and thrown aside. But each time the wrong is repeated another strand is intertwined around the first, and on and on it goes until an almost unbreakable cord of multi-strands is woven. ‘The chains of habit,’ said Samuel Johnson, ‘are too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken’” (The Road to Somewhere: A Guide for Young Men and Women[1994], 88).

Satan tries to lead us away from God with temptation and sin like rope around someone's neck. He seeks to bind us forever with our sins in hell. Obviously, we don't want that. We want to live freely with our Heavenly Father. So we need to be aware of all of the ways Satan will try to get us to make bad choices. What are some ways Satan tries to get us to do bad things? (lies, half-truths, tries to get us to act in anger or on impulse, he uses doubt, pride, lust, greed, promises instant gratification, promises no consequences)

Activity: The Dragon
Display the picture of the dragon below. Remind everyone that the dragon is the symbol John used in Revelation to describe Satan. Take the bowl of flame papers (see materials) and have each member of your family take turns pulling out a flame from the bowl and reading the tactic Satan uses against us described in 2 Nephi chapter 28. Tape the flames around the dragon for a visual. 

Why is it important that we understand how Satan operates? Every prophet has warned us against sin and pleaded with us to repent and not to fall into Satan's grasp. President Gordon B. Hinckley has warned us and pleaded with us: ‘I wish to say in the strongest language of which I am capable, stay away from moral iniquity. You know what is right and wrong. You cannot use ignorance as an excuse for unacceptable behavior...I beg of you, my dear young friends, to avoid such behavior. It will not be easy. It will require self-discipline. … You need the strength that comes of prayer’ (“To Men of the Priesthood,” Ensign, Nov. 2002, 58–59)”

With the guidance of the Holy Ghost, self control, and perserverance we can withstand the tactics the devil will try to use against us. Bear your testimony. 

Closing Song: "Choose the Right" (Hymnal, 239)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment: 
Dragonfruit popsicles recipe here

Lesson 8: 2 Nephi 11-25

February 17-23
2 Nephi 11-25
"We Rejoice in Christ"

Materials: video on temple endowment (see below), web browser, scriptures, picture of local temple. 
Opening Song: "I Love to see the temple" (Children's Songbook, 95)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 2 Nephi 12:3 And many ^apeople shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the ^bmountain of the Lord, to the ^chouse of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will ^dwalk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Attention Activity:
Show a picture of the temple in your local area. Ask your family, "What do you know about the temple?" Today we are going to talk about the temple.

Manti, Utah Temple

Lesson:

Nephi liked to read from the book of Isaiah in the Bible. He decided to record some of the important chapters into his book. Read 2 Nephi 12:2-3. Isaiah saw latter-day temples in his vision. He called the temple, "the mountain of the Lord" and invited us all to go there so the God may "teach us of his ways." This is exactly what happens in the temple. After we are baptized, we can start to prepare to enter the holy temple. When you reach adulthood and are worthy and ready to enter the temple, you can receive your own temple recommend. When you attend the temple for the first time, you will make personal covenants with God. This is called receiving your temple "endowment." Endowment is another word for gift. And in the temple, the gift we receive is knowledge. We learn key information that will enable us to enter into Heavenly Father's presence in the celestial kingdom. 

On a table or computer show the video, "What is the temple endowment?" found on temples.churchofjesuschrist.org. In the endowment we make sacred promises with the Lord to obey certain gospel laws we learn about in the scriptures--specifically the law of obedience, the law of sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration. We also learn about the plan of salvation. At the end we get to enter the celestial room which is symbolic for entering into the presence of the Lord. 

The temple is a holy and scared place. We should always speak of the temple and its ordinances with reverence and respect. Certain things we learn in the temple are to be kept sacred and should only be discussed within the walls of the temple. However there is a lot you can learn about the temple ordinances before you enter to receive your endowment.

It is important that we learn about and prepare for our time in the temple. Elder Bednar in last April's general conference stressed the importance of teaching children about the temple ("Prepare to Obtain Every Needful Thing"). And President Howard W. Hunter counseled: “Let us share with our children the spiritual feelings we have in the temple. And let us teach them more earnestly and more comfortably the things we can appropriately say about the purposes of the house of the Lord.”¹³

Activity: 
On your families computer or tablet. Show your family temples.churchofjesuschrist.org. Browse the website with your family. Ask your family if they have any questions about the temple and its ordinances. This website is a wonderful tool if you or your family have questions about the ordinances of the temple and the temple garment. It also has galleries of  exterior and interior pictures of many temples. 

If you have received your endowment, share how your temple covenants help you "walk in [the Lord's] paths?" Bear your testimony of the temple and how it has blessed your life. 


Closing Song: "Families can be together forever" (Hymnal, 300)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment:
Shirley Temple Cake Recipe Here

Lesson 7: 2 Nephi 6-10

February 10-16 
2 Nephi 6-10
"O How Great the Plan of Our God"

Materials: picture of Christ in Gethsemane with cut scripture strips taped to it (see below), photos of sand, grass, and stars (below), video (optional; link below)
Opening Song: "Gethsemane" 
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 2 Nephi 9:7 Wherefore, it must needs be an ^ainfinite ^batonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the ^cfirst judgment which came upon man must needs have ^dremained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

Attention Activity:
Show the picture of the sand below. Ask a family member: Can you count the grains of sand on this beach? Then hold up the meadow picture and the galaxy picture and ask different family members if they can count each blade of grass or each star in the sky. Why can't you count them? These things are infinite--meaning they seem to have no end. They go on forever. 

Lesson:
Last week, we talked about the fall of Adam and Eve and how the fall was part of Heavenly Father's Plan for the redemption of His children. Because Adam and Eve fell and became imperfect, we need a Savior. We will all make mistakes and we need Christ to help us enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Read 2 Nephi 9:7. This verse calls the atonement "infinite". Show the picture of the stars again. How is the atonement infinite? The atonement of Jesus Christ has no end. It goes on forever. 

Activity:
Before FHE, cut out a piece of paper into 7 strips. On each strip right one of the following scripture references from #1 2 Nephi 9:7, #2 2 Nephi 9:10, #3 2 Nephi 9:13, #4 2 Nephi 9:18, #5 2 Nephi 9:21, #6 2 Nephi 9:23-24, #7 2 Nephi 9:2

Loosley tape each strip over a picture a copy of Christ in Gethsemane by Harry Anderson (above) to hide the picture underneath.  Have each family members take turns picking a scripture and reading it. Discuss each scripture as you go. Summarize and clarify each scripture for younger children. There are some ideas below.

2 Nephi 9:7- The atonement means we don't have to be punished for Adam and Eve's transgression in the Garden of Eden and we can be resurrected. 

2 Nephi 9:10- The atonement provides away to escape from Satan.

2 Nephi 9: 13- The atonement allows us to be resurrected again and receive a perfected body. 

2 Nephi 9: 18- Through atonement the righteous can receive eternal life and exaltation.

2 Nephi 9: 21- The atonement is infinite because it saved everyone. All will be saved if they are obedient to Jesus Christ.

2 Nephi 9: 23-24 Faith, repentance, and baptism are essential to fully accept the atonement of Christ and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven

2 Nephi 9: 26- The atonement satisfies the laws of justice. We do not have to be punished for our mistakes because Christ already suffered for them. 

Optional Activity: "Jacob Teaches of the Resurrection" Video from churchofjesuschrist.org (5 min.)

The atonement is infinite in many ways. We already talked about how the atonement is for everyone: children, adults, men, women, righteous, and unrighteous. If we "hearken" unto the Savior, meaning if we are obedient and keep his commandments, we will be saved. 

It is also infinite because it saves us from all our sins. Satan will always try to deceive you and tell you that you are not worth saving, that you're not good enough. But Christ's loving sacrifice covers not only our sins but our weaknesses and imperfections. 

Bare your testimony of the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Closing Song: "I Stand All Amazed" (Hymnal, 193)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment:
Valentines Pretzel Buttons link here

Lesson 6: 2 Nephi 1-5

February 3-9
2 Nephi 1-5
"We lived after the manner of happiness"

Materials: trifold poster board, 9 cups, tissue paper, 9 rubber bands, scissors, brown and green crayons, slips of paper (see below), hot glue gun
Opening Song: "Follow the Prophet" verse 1 (Children's Songbook, 110)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: 2 Nephi 2: 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

Attention Activity:
Show the picture of Adam and Eve below. Who are these people? Ask a family member to briefly tell the story of Adam and Eve as they remember it or they can act it out. 

Adam and Eve, by Lowell Bruce Bennett (62461); GAK 101; Primary manual 1-33; Primary manual 5-56; Primary manual 6-04; Genesis 1–3; Moses 2–4


Lesson:
We've been reading about Lehi and his family in The Book Of Mormon. After Lehi and his family crossed the ocean and came to the Americas, Lehi had become very old. He knew he would soon die, so he decided to talk to each of his children to tell them important things. One of the important things he wanted to teach his children was about the fall of Adam and Eve. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we understand the story of the Garden of Eden a lot differently than most churches.

The Fall of Adam and Eve Punch Game
Before FHE: Prepare a punch game with a trifold poster board and 9 plastic cups. First, draw a simple tree in the middle back section of the trifold board. Using the cup as a stencil draw 9 circles to represent "fruit" on the tree, cut out circles with scissors or exacto knife (cut the circle smaller than the brim so the cup won't fall through). Slide the cups into the holes in the board and hot glue in place. Cut out strips below and place one in each of the plastic cups. Cut 9 pieces of tissue paper large enough to cover and wrap around the opening of the plastic cups. Rubber band tissue to brim of plastic cups to stay in place (it needs to be tight). For good tutorial click here. 

To play: Have each member of your family take turns punching into the poster board and reading the strips below discussing the truths about the Fall of Adam and Eve described in 2 Nephi 2. 

- If Adam and Eve had not fallen they would have been stuck forever in the Garden of Eden. In a way the garden of Eden was just a beautiful prison. 2 Ne 2:22 "they must have remained forever and had no end." 

- If Adam and Eve had not fallen, they never would have grown old or died. Death is an essential part of Heavenly Father's plan. 2 Ne 2:22 "And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were created." 

- If Adam and Eve had not fallen, "they would have had no children." Adam and Eve had been commanded to "multiply and replenish the earth." But this was not possible in the Garden of Eden. Having children is an essential part of Heavenly Father's plan. 2 Ne 2:23

- If Adam and Eve had not fallen, "they would remain in a state of innocence." They would never learn anything or gain intelligence. 2 Ne 2:23

- If Adam and Eve had not fallen, they would never be able to experience joy or do anything good because in the Garden of Eden there is nothing bad like pain or sin. In order to appreciate and understand things like joy we have to know what pain is. 2 Ne 2:23

- The fall was a wise part of Heavenly Father's plan. 2 Ne 2:24

- Adam fell so all of God's children could come to earth, receive bodies, and be tested to receive the joy of eternal life. 2 Ne 2:25

- Jesus Christ was an essential part of Heavenly Father's plan. His atonement redeems us from the fall of Adam and Eve. 2 Ne 2:26

- Because of the fall, we know good from evil and can choose to keep God's commandments. We are free to choose liberty and eternal life or captivity and spiritual death. 2 Ne 2:27-29

Optional Activity: Video"Lehi Teaches How We Might Have Joy" 

Many of other churches believe that the Fall of Adam and Eve was just a big mistake. That Adam and Eve were selfish and bad for partaking of the fruit and wanting to gain further light and knowledge. We learn in 2 Nephi that isn't the case. Adam and Eve were meant to partake of the fruit. They were meant to move on from the Garden of Eden, grow, progress, and eventually die. This needed the happen for The Plan of Salvation to come to fruition. 

Brad Wilcox said, "Latter-Day Saints are unique among Christians because we understand that God did not create the world with the goal for us all to live forever in the Garden of Eden. Mortality was Plan A, not Plan B. The Atonement of Christ was not a last ditch attempt to salvage the wreckage Adam and Eve had made of the world. It was planned from the beginning. Repentance was not provided as a safety net for those weak souls who should not be perfectly obedient. It was designed as an essential past of the perfection process for each one of us." (Because of the Messiah in a Manger, xii.)*

Bear your testimony of the fall of Adam and Eve and the Plan of Salvation. 

Closing Song: "I Will Follow God's Plan" (Children's Songbook, 164)
Closing Prayer:

Refreshment:
Caramel Apple Pop Recipe here


*Wilcox, Brad. Because of the Messiah in a Manger. Deseret Book, 2018.