Covenants and the Sacrament
 

Sing – To Think About Jesus, pg. 71

Hold up a soccer ball. Ask the family: “What do you promise when you become part of a team?” (You will come to practice, you will come to games, you will do your best, you will be a good sport.)

Have one of your children come up; role-play inviting him/her to baby-sit. Then ask: “What can I expect from you when you agree to baby-sit for me?” (Promptness; care of children; following your rules regarding phone calls, eating your food, etc.) “What do I promise her?” (To get her home on time, provide a safe place to work, pay him/her.)   

Ask another child to stand and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance. Ask the children to show you other things they do to show that they have made a promise. (Shake hands to confirm a deal, say “I promise,” sign a check, raise the right hand to sustain someone in a calling, take an oath in a court of law, etc.)

Say: “We are going to talk about one of the most important promises, or covenants, you will ever make—the covenant of baptism.”  

Tell the children that the meeting on Sunday where we usually meet together as families is called sacrament meeting.
 

- Why do we call this meeting sacrament meeting?
- What do we promise the Lord when we take the sacrament?

1. Take upon us the name of His Son
2. Always remember Him
3. Keep His commandments which He has given us.

Now ask: “What does the Lord promise us?”  (We may always have His spirit to be with us)

Every week when we take the sacrament, we renew our baptismal covenant. These words are familiar because they are part of the sacrament prayer. There are three other things the Lord promises us when we are baptized:

Membership in His church
Forgiveness of our sins
Salvation in His kingdom

The sacrament is a blessing, and we can show our gratitude for it by being reverent as the sacrament is being prepared and passed. Being reverent during the sacrament includes thinking about Jesus and what He taught us. By taking the sacrament, we show that we are willing to keep the commandments and always remember Him.

Help your family say the following verse, using the actions described:

I’ll fold my arms (fold arms),
I’ll bow my head (bow head),
And quiet, quiet be (whisper this line).
As the sacrament is blessed,
I will remember Thee.
 

Explain that because Jesus gave us the sacrament to help us remember him, it is important to think about Jesus and to help others think about him, too. We can do this by being reverent during the sacrament.

Situations and Discussion:  Explain that if we daily think of Jesus Christ, we are more likely to remember his teachings and the promises or covenants we have made to obey him. Invite the children to role-play the following situations, and have them decide how they could solve each one:
 

1. Abby and Ashleigh are sisters. Abby’s friend comes over to play. Ashleigh wants to play with them, but Abby doesn’t want her to. What should Abby do?

• How could remembering Jesus Christ help Abby obey a commandment?

• What commandment would she be obeying?
 

2. Darryn wore his brother’s shirt without permission and got a stain on it. What should Darryn do?

• How could remembering Jesus Christ help Darryn obey a commandment?

• What commandment would he be obeying?
 

3. Ian found a toy car outside of his house. He wanted to keep it, but he was sure it belonged to his friend Jayson, who lived down the street. What should Ian do?

• How could remembering Jesus Christ help Ian obey a commandment?

• What commandment would Ian be obeying?
 

4. Alex is on his way outside ]to play. His mother is trying to clean the house. As Alex goes out to play, he notices that his mother seems very tired. What should Alex do?

• How could remembering Jesus Christ help Alex obey a commandment?

• What commandment would Jacob be obeying?

 
Review - Have all the children leave the room and file in the room as they would the chapel.  Review with them appropriate behavior during the sacrament.

Activity - Hand out scissors, glue, and copies of the following handout to the family. Read the top part of the page. Instruct everyone to cut along the dotted lines and put the words in proper order. When everyone’s finished, the words should read “always remember Jesus Christ” and “obey the commandments.” Have them glue the word pieces in place to complete the sentence.  (Taken from the Primary 3 Lesson Manual, Lesson 33: The Sacrament Reminds Us of Our Covenants)


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