Plan for sharing time tomorrow:
Compiled from ideas from the following sites:
http://littleldsideas.blogspot.com/2010/02/2nd-3rd-week-sharing-time-ideas-for.html
http://sofiasprimaryideas.blogspot.com/2010/01/february-2010-lds-primary-sharing-time.html
JR. Primary Sharing Time:
For this lesson you will need:
*Print out a large picture of a girl or boy laminated – I did a Google image search and found this http://www.greatsayings.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/kid_clipart_boy.gif - then I copied and pasted it into Microsoft Word and enlarged.
*Dry Erase Marker
*GAK Pictures:
101: Adam and Eve
227: Jesus Praying in Gethsemane
230: The Crucifixion
**Have valentine cookies on a table for the children to buy. Give them all 5 tickets. Tell the children that throughout the lesson you will continue to pass out more tickets, as they answer questions or sit reverently.**
Show the children GAK picture 101: Adam & Eve.
Ask them if they know who this is? Then tell them the story of Adam & Eve, reading to the part where it says "but, remember that I forbid it." (Show the children your little girl/boy. Keep reading and you'll find out what we will use this for. ) This is Billy. See how clean he is. Well, Billy is going to help me out today.
Then continue the story about Adam and Eve, telling the children that Heavenly Father had commanded Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but they did. Since they chose to eat of the fruit, Heavenly Father told them they had to leave the Garden of Eden. They no longer got to live with Heavenly Father because they had disobeyed and were no longer pure and clean. This is what we call The Fall.
(Put some marks on Billy using the dry erase marker, use something to show the kids she is no longer clean.)
Tell the children that when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit they were no longer clean, just like 'Billy'. Ask the children if they remembered what happened to Adam and Eve when they were “no longer clean”. (They could not be in the presence of Heavenly Father. So Heavenly Father told them that they must leave the Garden of Eden.)
Sometimes we do things that are wrong, maybe we lie to our parents (add a mark to Billy), or say mean things to our brothers or sisters (add another mark). And when we sin/do bad things, then we are no longer clean and pure. None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes, but we have to be clean and pure in order to be saved/live with our Heavenly Father.
So, poor Billy, because he has all of these spots on him, he isn’t clean. Does that mean he can’t be saved/live with Heavenly Father?
Then explain to the children that that is why Jesus came and suffered for our sins. Show them GAK Picture 227 & 230 and tell the children about the Atonement. Explain to them that because of what Jesus did for us we are able to repent and be made clean again. And since we are clean (wipe off Billy), we are able to be saved/live with our Heavenly Father again.
Explain to the children that there are still certain things we must do to return to live with Heavenly Father. Have them read with you, the 3rd Article of Faith: We believe that through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. Ask the children if they know what this means? Explain to the children that this means that they should Choose the Right!!!
Then ask the children the following questions and have them answer what they should do in each situation:
During Math you have a test. One of your friends didn’t study, and he/she wants you to tell her the answers to the test. What should you do?
There is a boy at school that always is mean to you. One day, you see that he has fallen and hurt his knee. What should you do?
You earned $5.00 for mowing the lawn. On Sunday, your Mom tells you that you need to remember to pay your tithing. You really want this toy that you saw and it costs $5.00. What should you do?
You break your Mother’s favorite vase. You want to hide it so she can’t see it. What should you do?
***** Ask the kids how many tickets they have? Does anyone have 100? NO!!! (Hoping that the children will be frustrated because they tried so hard. Then can explain to the children that this is called falling short. And likewise we, by ourselves, will never do or have enough tickets to get into heaven. And that because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, their plan for Christ’s Atonement can help us do something we cannot do for ourselves. So, Christ's Atonement will make up for the rest of the tickets and they will all get their Valentine cookie.****
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Senior Primary Sharing Time:
For this Sharing Time you will need:
*The 3rd Article of Faith typed up. Have each word on its own separate piece of paper with the word ‘Atonement’ in a different color
*GAK Pictures 227: Jesus Praying in Gethsemane
Picture 230: The Crucifixion
Picture 305: Enos Praying
Picture 321: Conversion of Alma the Younger
**Have valentine cookies on a table for the children to buy. Give them all 5 tickets. Tell the children that throughout the lesson you will continue to pass out more tickets, as they answer questions or sit reverently.**
Give a piece of the 3rd Article of Faith to each child or tape them to a chalkboard/bulletin board. Have the children put the words in the correct order. Then read the 3rd Article of Faith together.
Post GAK Pictures 227 & 230 where the children can see them.
Ask them:
What is the Atonement?
Why did Jesus have to do this?
What must we do so that we can be saved/have Eternal Life? Show them the end of the 3rd Article of Faith.
Because of Jesus’ Atonement we are able to repent and be made clean again. Tell the children that there are many stories in the scriptures of people who were blessed because of the Atonement.
**Show GAK 305 picture: Enos Praying
Have the following passage cut into parts that the kids can take turns reading: (Taken from lds.org – Gospel Art Picture Kit – Enos Praying)
Enos was Jacob’s son. One day Enos went into the forest to hunt animals. He began thinking about the teachings of his father. He had often heard his father talk about eternal life and the joy of those who keep God’s commandments.
Enos wanted to have that joy. He knelt down and prayed to Heavenly Father to forgive him of his sins. Enos prayed all day and into the night.
While Enos was praying, he heard the voice of the Lord say to him, “Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed”.
Enos knew his sins were forgiven. He was very grateful and asked, “Lord, how is it done?”.
The Lord answered, “Because of thy faith in Christ”.
Enos wanted all the Nephites to feel the joy he felt, so he prayed for them. The voice of the Lord again came to his mind. The Lord said He would bless the Nephites if they kept His commandments.
Then Enos prayed for his enemies, the Lamanites. He wanted the records of his people to be preserved so that someday the Lamanites would read them and believe. The Lord said to Enos, “I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith”.
Enos was happy. He spent the rest of his life preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
**Show GAK 321 picture Alma the Younger
Have the following passage cut into parts that the kids can take turns reading: (Taken from lds.org – Gospel Art Kit – Conversion of Alma the Younger)
The first Alma mentioned in the Book of Mormon was a priest of wicked King Noah who later became a prophet and leader of the Church in Zarahemla after hearing the words of Abinadi. Many people believed his words and were baptized. But the four sons of King Mosiah and the son of the prophet Alma, who was also called Alma, were unbelievers; they persecuted those who believed in Christ and tried to destroy the Church through false teachings. Many Church members were deceived by these teachings and led to sin because of the wickedness of Alma the Younger.
As Alma and the sons of Mosiah continued to rebel against God, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, speaking to them with a voice as loud as thunder, which caused the earth to shake. They were so frightened that they fell to the ground. The angel “cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God?”
The angel told Alma why he had come to him: “Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith” Before the angel left, he told Alma to remember the power of God and to quit trying to destroy the Church.
Alma the Younger and the four sons of Mosiah fell to the earth. They knew that the angel was sent from God and that the power of God had caused the ground to shake and tremble. Alma’s astonishment was so great that he could not speak, and he was so weak that he could not move even his hands. The sons of Mosiah carried him to his father.
When Alma the Elder saw his son, he rejoiced because he knew what the Lord had done for him. Alma and the other Church leaders fasted and prayed for Alma the Younger. After two days and nights Alma regained his strength and was able to stand and speak to the people. He told them, “I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit”.
From that time forth, Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah traveled throughout the land trying to undo the damage they had done to the Church, confessing their sins, telling what they had seen, and explaining the scriptures to all who wanted to hear them. Alma spent the rest of his life teaching the principle of repentance and proclaiming the word of God.
***Then ask the children the following questions as a review of the two stories:
Why did Enos go to pray?
How did Enos know his sins were forgiven?
Who did Enos pray for after his sins were forgiven?
How did Alma and his four friends experience Heavenly Father’s power?
What happened to Alma because of this spiritual experience?
What did Alma the Elder do when he heard what happened to his son?
How did Alma try to make up for the wrong he had done?
***** Ask the kids how many tickets they have? Does anyone have 100? NO!!! (Hoping that the children will be frustrated because they tried so hard.Then explain to the children that this is called falling short. And likewise we, by ourselves, will never do or have enough tickets to get into heaven. And that because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, their plan for Christ’s Atonement can help us do something we cannot do for ourselves. So, Christ's Atonement will make up for the rest of the tickets and they will all get their Valentine cookie.*****
Farewell
3 months ago
