Family Home Evening. Come Unto Christ. and be perfected in Him by making and. keeping sacred covenants. 1 P a g e

Transcription

1 Family Home Evening Come Unto Christ and be perfected in Him by making and 1 P a g e keeping sacred covenants

2 Welcome to Family Home Evening Theme: Come Unto Christ and be perfected in Him by making and keeping sacred covenants. Scripture: Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is His grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. -Moroni 10:32 Opening Song: I Feel My Savior s Love (Children s Songbook pg ) Verse 1: Chorus: Verse 2: Chorus: Verse 3: Chorus: Verse 4: Chorus: I feel my Savior s love, In all the world around me, His spirit warms my soul Through everything I see He knows I will follow him, Give all my life to him. I feel my Savior s love, The love he freely gives me. I feel my Savior s love; It s gentleness enfolds me. And when I kneel to pray, My heart is filled with peace. He knows I will follow him, Give all my life to him. I feel my Savior s love, The love he freely gives me. I feel my Savior s love And know that he will bless me. I offer him my heart; My shepherd he will be. He knows I will follow him, Give all my life to him. I feel my Savior s love, The love he freely gives me. I ll share my Savior s love By serving others freely. In serving I am blessed, In giving I receive. He knows I will follow him, Give all my life to him. I feel my Savior s love, The love he freely gives me. Opening Prayer: By a member of your family Come Unto Christ Read and discuss Moroni 10:32 2 P a g e

3 Have family members think of a time when they received a special invitation. What type of invitation did they receive? Who invited them? Did they accept the invitation? The words Come Unto Christ are an invitation. (Show and read invitation from Christ) It is the most important invitation that you could ever be offered. It is the most important invitation you could ever accept. To Do: Make a list of things your family can do to accept and act upon Jesus Christ s invitation to Come Unto Christ and be perfected in Him. See invitation at the end of the lesson at the top of page 7. For Younger Children: Play the game Come Unto Christ. Place a picture of Jesus Christ across the room. Have family members line up on the opposite side of the room. Name things each can do to come unto Christ. Repeat the words I can come unto Christ by. As each thing is named move one step closer to the picture of Christ. Discuss that when we do each of these things it helps us move closer to Him until we have finally reached Him and Come Unto Christ. Some Examples: Say prayers, study the Scriptures, be kind, love others, keep the commandments, choose the right, attend church, serve others, take the sacrament, keep baptismal covenants, and attend the temple. Come Unto Christ and be perfected in Him by making and keeping baptismal covenants What is a covenant? In the Church, a covenant is a mutual promise that we make with Heavenly Father. To covenant means to come together, or to be bound together by promises. Sometimes it is a promise that we make in our hearts. Even when we make a covenant in our hearts with Heavenly Father, there are things we do to show that we made those promises. Baptism is the occasion for one of the first covenants we make with Him. Being baptized shows that we want to keep His commandments. Some of the promises we make when we are baptized are that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, that we will always remember Him, and that we will keep His commandments. The Lord promises us that He will give us His Spirit to always be with us. Think about just the first part of our baptismal covenant. What do you think it means to take His name upon us? Most of us already have two names. We have a given name, like Jennifer, Paul or Madison, and we have a family name like, Anderson, Smith or Young. When we take the name of Jesus Christ upon ourselves, it means we are part of His family. We are ready to be known as Christians. We are willing to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places (Mosiah 18:9). We want to act like Christ and follow Him. Jesus has given us guidelines to help us follow Him. He expects us to love each other, to bear one another s burdens, to mourn with those who are sad, and to comfort those who need comfort. That s what He did when He was on the earth. If we want to be called by His name, we will try to do these 3 P a g e

4 things, too. What are ways that we can bear each others burdens? When you help your mother tend the baby so that she can fix dinner you are bearing another s burdens. When you put your arm around your little brother and tell him that you re sorry that he hurt himself, you are giving comfort. When your heart is sad because your friend s father is very ill, and you reach out to her in love, you are mourning along with her. Each week when we take the sacrament we renew the covenants we made at baptism. We promise to: T Take upon us His name A Always remember Him K Keep His Commandments E Endure to the end Activity for Younger Children: Thumbs Up Thumbs Down Ask the family to listen carefully as you read some statements about things they can think about during the sacrament. Tell the children that if the statement describes something they should do or think about during the sacrament, they should give a Thumbs Up. If the statement describes something they should NOT do or think about during the sacrament, they should give a Thumbs Down. Use the following statements or think of some of your own: Remember that Heavenly Father and Jesus love us. Think about going out to play. Whisper and talk to your neighbor. Wiggle in your seat. Think about the Sacrament song or another song about Jesus. Say a prayer to Heavenly Father. Draw pictures or play with a toy. Read scriptures about Jesus. Remember stories about Jesus. Think about your baptism day and the covenants you made. Object Lesson for Teenagers: Prepare an obstacle course with hurdles that would get in the way of keeping our covenants with the Lord. The way we keep our covenants will influence the course of our lives. Stay clear of obstacles that get in our way of making and keeping sacred covenants. Come Unto Christ by making and keeping sacred Temple Covenants As we keep the baptismal covenants we have made the Lord s Spirit will be with us and one day we will be worthy to go to the temple and make other very important covenants with Heavenly Father. Each person, living or dead, must receive temple ordinances and keep the covenants to return to Heavenly Father. Before you marry in the temple or go on a mission, you will receive your own temple ordinances. The Lord has made it clear in the scriptures that His purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). Temple ordinances and covenants are necessary to achieve that blessing. Sing the Song: I Love to See the Temple (Children s Songbook pg. 95) 4 P a g e

5 Verse 1: Verse 2: I love to see the temple. I m going there someday To feel the Holy Spirit, To listen and to pray. For the temple is a house of God, A place of love and beauty. I ll prepare myself while I am young; This is my sacred duty. I love to see the temple. I ll go inside someday. I ll cov nant with my Father; I ll promise to obey. For the temple is a holy place Where we are sealed together. As a child of God, I ve learned this truth: A fam ly is forever. Family Discussion: Discuss what we can do to prepare ourselves to attend the temple. When do we start preparing to go to the temple? Why do we go to the temple? What ordinances can we receive there? For Young Children: Relate the concept of parents being married in the temple. Show a photo of a couple s (or your own) wedding day in front of the temple. Tell them they must prepare now to be married in the temple someday. For Teenagers: Relate the following experience of a young Samoan sister. After final instructions from my bishop and stake president, I entered the temple. What a glorious blessing to be inside that house! My eyes, ears and heart opened wide to absorb its teachings. I felt the reality of each covenant I made within every fiber and bone of my body. I felt I was standing right in front of the Lord each time I made covenants with him.it became real to me that I was surely in the world but not of it. (Sipuao J. Matuauto, The Glorious Moments, Ensign, August 1974, pg. 64). Emphasize that the priesthood holder who administers the ordinance actually represents the Lord. Read the fifth article of faith. Point out that Heavenly Father knows the covenants we make. There may be times when we will feel that we are standing alone in trying to keep our covenants. But the Lord is aware of us and will be near us in our struggles to remain faithful. Read the following statement by an early Church leader: When we went forth into the waters of baptism and covenanted with our Father in Heaven to serve Him and keep His commandments, He bound Himself also by covenant to us that He would never desert us, never leave us to ourselves, never forget us, that in the midst of trials and hardships, when everything was arrayed against us, He would be near unto us and would sustain us. That was His covenant, and we can tie to the promises that He has made. (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, vol. 1, comp. Jerreld L. Newquist, 1957, pg. 170) 5 P a g e

6 Discuss how knowing that Heavenly Father has promised to help us will strengthen our ability and our resolve to keep the covenants we have made. Quote: As we Come Unto Christ and journey to higher ground, we will desire to spend more time in His temples, because the temples represent higher ground, sacred ground. Joseph B. Worthlin ( Journey to Higher Ground, Ensign, November 2005, pg. 16) Testimony: Have a parent or assigned child bear a brief testimony of their feeling of coming unto Christ and making and keeping sacred covenants. Closing Prayer: By a member of your family Tonight s FHE Treat: Resurrection Rolls Enjoy these delicious Resurrection Rolls while talking about Jesus Christ s atonement, resurrection and goals to help your family Come Unto Christ. Resurrection Rolls Recipe Ingredients & Symbolism * Large Marshmallows - body of Jesus * Melted Butter - oils of embalming * Cinnamon & Sugar Mix- spices used to anoint the body. * Crescent Roll - the wrapping of Jesus body or the tomb. * Oven the tomb * Cavity in bun the empty tomb or the empty cloths Directions: 1. Take a marshmallow. This represents Jesus. 2. Dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming. 3. Now dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body. 4. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside.) This can either represent the wrapping of Jesus body after death or the Tomb. Matt. 27:57 61; John 19: Bake as directed on the package of the crescent rolls. (The oven can represent the tomb if the roll is representing the wrapping---pretend like it was three days!) Take the role of the guards at Jesus tomb. Stand guard at the oven. 6. Let the rolls cool slightly. Open your crescent rolls and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty.) 7. Jesus is Risen! Now read Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:4-8; Luke 24:1-6; John 20:1-18; Isaiah 25:8 6 P a g e

7 You are invited to : Come Unto Christ Additional Thoughts for Teenagers Covenants President James E. Faust has made it clear that covenants are not just words we speak. If we keep our covenants, they will change our lives for the better. We should always honor and keep sacred the saving covenants we make with the Lord. If we do, He has promised, Thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal (D&C 42:61). Many covenants [have to be made and kept in order to have] happiness here and hereafter. Among the most important are the marriage covenants made between husband and wife. From these covenants flow the greatest joys of life. The covenant of baptism, with its ordinance of confirmation, opens the gate for eternal life. 7 P a g e

8 Temple covenants are the basis for attaining the greatest blessings the Lord has for us. We have the great privilege of partaking of the sacrament, the Lord s Supper. Renewing our baptismal covenants as we partake of the sacrament protects us against all manner of evil. As we worthily partake of the bread and water in remembrance of the Savior s sacrifice, we witness unto God the Father that we are willing to take upon us the name of His Son and always remember Him and to keep His commandments which He has given us. If we do these things, we will always have His Spirit to be with us (see D&C 20:77, 79). If we partake of the sacrament regularly and are faithful to these covenants, the law will be in our inward parts and written in our hearts. Let me illustrate this with a story from the Church News: A group of religion instructors [were] taking a summer course on the life of the Savior and focusing particularly on the parables. When the final exam time came, the students arrived at the classroom to find a note that the exam would be given in another building across campus. Moreover, the note said, it must be finished within the two-hour time period that was starting almost at that moment. The students hurried across campus. On the way they passed a little girl crying over a flat tire on her new bike. An old man hobbled painfully toward the library with a cane in one hand, spilling books from a stack he was trying to manage with the other. On a bench by the union building sat a shabbily dressed, bearded man [in obvious distress]. Rushing into the other classroom, the students were met by the professor, who announced they had all flunked the final exam. The only true test of whether they understood the Savior s life and teaching, he said, was how they treated people in need. Their weeks of study at the feet of a capable professor had taught them a great deal of what Christ had said and done. They learned the letter but not the spirit. Their neglect of the little girl and the two men showed that the message of the course had not entered into their inward parts. We must at times search our own souls and discover what we really are. Our real character, much as we would wish, cannot be hidden. It shines from within us. Attempts to deceive others only deceive ourselves. We are often like the emperor in the fairy tale who thought he was arrayed [dressed] in beautiful garments when he was in fact unclothed. Christlike [behavior] flows from [deep within] the human heart and soul. It is guided by the Holy Spirit of the Lord, which is promised in gospel ordinances. Our greatest hope should be to enjoy the sanctification [being made holy] which comes from this divine guidance; our greatest fear should be to [lose] these blessings. (Friend, January 2003, pg. 2-3) 8 P a g e

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10 Additional Thoughts for Children Temple Blessings Make Us Happy Heavenly Father has commanded us to build temples for Him. In the holy temple we can hear His word and receive important blessings. Look at each picture below and tell what temple blessing is shown and how it can make you happy. Then in the blank space draw a picture of the temple nearest to your home and tell how it has blessed you and your family. Make a movie of your life-to-be Mount the below image on heavy paper, fill in the blank, cut out the display frame and two picture strips, then tape Picture A over Picture B (if you re a girl; vice versa, if you re a boy). Cut the two dashedline slots in the display frame. Insert the left side of the picture strip from behind into the right slot and then into the left slot. (Optional: You may now want to tape the left edge of the title picture to the right edge of the last picture to make a continuous reel.) Pull the strip or reel through the display frame to show your personal story. 10 P a g e

11 I Come Unto Christ When I Make and Keep Sacred Covenants Make a movie of your personal story. 11 P a g e