Purpose: to get ready for conference by learning about why Heavenly Father gives us prophets
Possible scriptures: Numbers 12:6; Isaiah 62:6; Amos 3:7; Matthew 16:19; Luke 1:70; Revelation 19:10; 1 Nephi 22:2; Doctrine and Covenants 1:14-16; Doctrine and Covenants 1:38; Doctrine and Covenants 20:26; Doctrine and Covenants 21:4-6; Doctrine and Covenants 43:1-7; Doctrine and Covenants 68:3-5; Doctrine and Covenants 107:65-67, 91-92 (scroll down); Doctrine and Covenants 132:7; Bible Dictionary Prophet
Possible Songs: We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet, Hymn 19; Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice, Hymn 21; We Listen to a Prophet’s Voice, Hymn 22; Follow the Prophet, Children’s Songbook page 110; Sixth Article of Faith, Children’s Songbook page 126; Latter-day Prophets (click here if you need to updated lyrics to include Russell M. Nelson and here if you can’t read sheet music or want to hear it.)
Possible Materials: Pictures of Noah, Moses, Paul (best I could find were these scripture figures or one from the Little Reader series), Alma, and Joseph Smith, as well as the current prophet (Russell M. Nelson)
Preparation: Begin with prayer. Read the suggested scriptures, Genesis 6-9 (the arrow will take you to the next chapters), Moses 8, Exodus 11-15 (remember the arrows), Acts 22 and 26, Alma 18, and Doctrine and Covenants chapter 1. Also read through the most recent conference addresses given by the Prophet. Read through the lesson, including any links, and carefully select the most relevant material for your family. Children: watch this video about Why We Have Prophets, and then as many of the following videos as you can: ancient prophets testifying of Jesus; Paul serves a mission; Noah and his family; Moses and the Passover; Alma teaches and baptizes.
Lesson:
Discuss how last week’s challenge went.
Introduction:
Tell your family we are going to play a game called Follow the Leader. Start with the oldest child that is still in Primary (or any member of the family that will have the most enthusiasm while still understanding how to play). Ask them to pick an action and have the family all repeat the action. it could be any thing from hopping and skipping to clapping or blinking. Continue until everyone that would like a turn being the leader has had a chance.
Tell your family that there is a leader in our church. He is called the Prophet. A prophet is a man that speaks with God. God tells the prophet what to say and then the prophet tells us what we need to hear or do. If we follow the things he tells us to do, we can return to Heavenly Father and Jesus and be happy forever. We can follow the prophet when we do what the prophet tells us to do. The prophets speak to us through scriptures.
Now ask the family what we consider scripture. As each is spoken, take the following actions:
- for the Pearl of Great Price, hold up a picture of Moses. Ask your family what they know about Moses. Listen to the responses, then tell your family that Moses helped free his people. Heavenly Father told Moses that his people, called the Israelites, needed to follow specific instructions in order to be safe. He warned his people and gave instructions on how to protect their families from danger. The people that listened to and obeyed Moses were freed from Egypt and taken to a better land.
- For Old Testament, hold up a picture of Noah. Ask the family what they know about Noah. Listen to the responses, then tell your family that Heavenly Father warned Noah about a great flood that would cover everything in water. Heavenly Father told Noah to build a boat. Noah tried to warn the people, but only his family would listen. Because his family listened and got into the boat, they were blessed and kept out of danger.
- For New Testament, Hold up a picture of Paul. Tell your family that Paul taught many many people. Some believed him and some didn’t, but because he wrote down his teachings and he wrote lots of letters, we still have his messages in our scriptures today!
- For the Book of Mormon, hold up a picture of Alma. Ask your family what they know about Alma (the Elder, not Alma the Younger). Alma believed the words of Abinadi and left his wicked life to teach others about Jesus. Heavenly Father gave Alma the authority to baptize and to make a church. The people that believed Alma were kept safe from all of the wicked leaders around them. His followers became strong. They were blessed by listening to Alma the prophet.
- For the Doctrine and Covenants, hold up a picture of Joseph Smith. follow the same pattern of asking what your family knows about Joseph Smith. When you’ve heard your family’s answers, tell your family that the people that listened to Joseph Smith joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and given promises and promises in the temple.
- Tell your family that there is another source of scripture. Hold up a picture of Russell M. Nelson. Tell your family that that we have a prophet today! His name is Russell M. Nelson. Have your family say, “Russell M. Nelson is a living prophet.” Ask the family why we need a living prophet today. If people were blessed because they listened to the prophets in the scriptures, will we be blessed by following the prophet that is alive with us today? When do we get to hear messages from our prophet? As a family, make a list of ways we can hear what Heavenly Father wants us to do because the prophet has told us. When Conference is mentioned, break down ways that we can watch, read, or listen to conference. If you are giving this lesson as a precursor to conference, remind your family that Conference is coming and we will get new messages from Heavenly Father very soon!
Ask the family why Heavenly Father has given us prophets? Prophets can warn us of danger, get us to better lives, and help us know what Heavenly Father wants to tell us. Share with your family that prophets have lived on the earth to Guide Heavenly Father’s people. They speak with God. If we listen to what the Prophets are telling us, we will be protected and blessed.
Further Discussion:
read the 2nd paragraph of Gospel Principles chapter 9, and as a family answer: What is the job of a prophet? List some jobs that are found in the reading.
What other words are used to talk about prophets? Read the following scriptures with your family and create a list: 1 Samuel 9:9; Mosiah 8:16-18; Doctrine and Covenants 21:1; Jeremiah 6:17; Isaiah 62:6; Ezekiel 33:1-7; Doctrine and Covenants 107:92 and Doctrine and covenants 124:125.
Read the following quote and then ask your family how we can know that what the Prophet speaks is truth. What does it mean to be “moved upon by the Holy Ghost?”
President J. Ruben Clark once asked how we would know if the Prophets were speaking as themselves, or as one speaking for God. In answer to his own question, he said, “’I have given some thought to this question, and the answer thereto so far as I can determine, is: We can tell when the speakers are ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost’ only when we, ourselves, are ‘moved upon by the Holy Ghost. In a way, this completely shifts the responsibility from them to us to determine when they so speak.”
“When Are Church Leaders’ Words Entitled to Claim of Scripture?” Church News, July 31, 1954, 9
Recent Conference talks to consider in your discussion: click here for recent conference talks on prophets.
Challenge:
If this lesson is for the October session of conference, invite and challenge your family to watch conference and pay close attention to the message the Prophet has for us this year. At the end of conference, review how we can turn what the Prophet said into something we can do to follow him.
If this lesson is not a conference lesson, ask your family to reread the last conference talks that were given from the prophet and pick something to focus on throughout the week. Ask if anyone would like to share what they decided to do to follow the Prophet and what they learned from it.
Giving due credit: as usual, I read and learned from the Sunbeams Manual Lesson 43 (Nursery Manual lesson 24), Gospel Principles Chapter 9 and Chapter 17, and Gospel Topics from Gospel Library on Prophets.