ATTENTION
GETTER:
What does it mean?
Hand this out to the children. (You can pass out one per class and have
them work together as a class for the younger children or individually for the
older children.) When they are done ask, "What is the answer?"
("The Lord is my shepherd." Psalm 23:1)
What
does "The Lord is my Shepherd" mean?
A good shepherd will give his life to protect his sheep.
He knows each sheep by name. The sheep know his voice and follow him and none
other. If a sheep is lost, a good shepherd will search endlessly for it to
bring it safely back to the fold.
Jesus and Heavenly Father love you very much. They care about you and
the things that happen to you.
A DIFFERENT ATTENTION GETTER:
Set up two areas for reading. One area will be a
very comfortable space with a bean bag chair, blanket, small lamp, etc. The
other space will be a hard chair and not much else. I will have two children
come up and sit in the chairs and see which one is more comfortable. Then I
will go into the idea of comfort and tie it into the scriptures. (Idea by Debbie in California)
STORY:
"In an October general conference, Sister Grassli,
the Primary General President, reported: “Nine-year-old Matt spoke in church
about something he had learned from the scriptures that brought him peace. He
said, ‘When my father told our family that we would be moving from Denver to
Wisconsin, my mother reminded us of Lehi’s family. Like them, I was leaving
the only home I had known, all my friends, my school, my ward. Luckily we were
able to bring all our possessions with us, though they were in storage for
three months, and we missed having a house and our “precious things.”
“ ‘My mother reminded us of how Nephi accepted this
challenge—willingly—knowing that the Lord would “prepare a way for them that
they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (See
1 Ne. 3:7.)
“ ‘I have learned that I can do without things, but
not without my family. My brothers and sisters and I have tried to be more
like Nephi than his complaining brothers. I am grateful for the things that
the Book of Mormon teaches us.’ ” (Ensign, November 1988, page 79.)
Matt was comforted by the story of Lehi’s family from
the Book of Mormon.
How did
Nephi's example from the scriptures help Matt be comforted?
What
other things can we learn from the scriptures?
DISCUSSION:
If possible, print the following poem
"When I Read the Scriptures"
on the board or on butcher paper. Ask volunteers to come up one at a
time and circle one thing that happens when we read the scriptures.
SING: “Search,
Ponder, and Pray” (Children’s Songbook, p. 109)
Testify that when we read the scriptures, we can be comforted and gain a
testimony that they are true. How do we become the Savior’s sheep?
The Lord said, “He that will hear my voice shall be my sheep”. How can
we hear his voice? (By reading them daily, we will understand what He
wants us to do and therefore, hear his "voice" or his "will" for us).
OPTIONAL:
Guest - Invite a member of the bishopric/branch presidency to share a
personal experience of gaining peace from reading the scriptures.
Sheep In A Bag - Put the following items in a snack size Ziploc baggie: a
few cotton balls (it will be the fur), 2 googley eyes,
sheep craft
(there are two different kind of sheep) for them
to color,
background paper.
(See finished craft here....Example
1,
Example 2)
SUMMARY: The Savior has laid down His life for us. He will
protect us from spiritual dangers if we follow His voice. We will come to know
His voice from knowing his words, which are found in the scriptures. He knows
each of us by name. And if we learn to recognize His voice and follow it, He
will lead us back to Heavenly Father’s presence.
TESTIMONY: Share your testimony and/or personal experiences on
how the scriptures have brought you comfort.
MY SOURCES:
-
Scriptures
-
"Search the Scriptures" from August 1994 Friend
-
Teaching, No Greater Call
-
The Good Shepherd from
September 1995 Friend
-
When I Read the Scriptures
