POST-AND-PRESENT ACTIVITY. PRIESTHOOD POWER BRANCHES & BLESSINGS. Youth will learn about how the Aaronic Priesthood and the higher Melchizedek Priesthood bless us. It tells the offices held in each Priesthood and the blessings and ordinances that are given. For example, baptism, the sacrament, blessing the sick, giving the Holy Ghost, baptizing those who have passed on, and sealing families forever.
Great for COME FOLLOW ME, Primary and Family Home Evening, Bible Study, and Activity Days
POST-AND-PRESENT Activity
Priesthood Power Branches and Blessings
ACTIVITY: Youth can present this to other youth or in Family Home Evening. Poster Presentation: Learn how the priesthood blesses us. Youth will learn about the priesthood, which comes from Jesus Christ. They will teach/learn about two branches of the priesthood, the power, and blessings from each priesthood, and the duties of each priesthood office.
• Tell youth that Joseph Smith prayed to Heavenly Father to know how to be baptized into His Church. Jesus Christ, through John the Baptist, gave Joseph Smith the priesthood to baptize others. Through His servants, Jesus gave Joseph Smith many other saving ordinances that can help us return to Heavenly Father.
• Beginning at age 11 youth/men can receive the priesthood from an ordained priesthood holder (point to Jesus on the tree trunk and to the two priesthood divisions). Print activity in color or black and white. Mount the tree and branches on a poster and laminate the entire poster. Laminate the fruit and leaf pieces. Place fruit and leaves to the left and right around the room.
THOUGHT TREAT: Broccoli (Priesthood) Trees Branches with Dip. Talk about the many branches of the Priesthood.
PHASE 1 (Puzzle Branches): Talk about the two divisions in the priesthood, and their duties as follows:
• The Aaronic Priesthood can be held by boys beginning at age 11. The first office is DEACON. A deacon can pass the sacrament, gather fast offerings, and assist the bishop in caring for others. In the office of TEACHER, a boy does the same duties as a deacon but can also prepare the sacrament bread and water, and assist in home teaching. A young man in the office of PRIEST can do all the duties of a deacon and teacher, and can also bless the sacrament, baptize, and ordain others to the offices of deacon and teacher.
• The Melchizedek Priesthood offices are: ELDER, HIGH PRIEST, PATRIARCH, SEVENTY, and APOSTLE. The Melchizedek Priesthood is the higher priesthood. Melchizedek Priesthood holders can bless the sick, give special blessings to family members, give the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ordain others to the priesthood (shown on the leaves). Talk about how the priesthood brings us many blessings.
PHASE 2 (Build Tree): Have children take turns doing the following.
1. Choose a leaf with a priesthood duty, read it, and place it on the appropriate side of the tree, e.g., Aaronic or Melchizedek. See Answers below.
2. Then choose a piece of fruit to place next to the leaf and tell how we are blessed from receiving this ordinance. Example: “passing the sacrament” (on the leaf) reminds us of the blessings that come from partaking of the sacrament (e.g., getting closer to Jesus, feeling His love, and remembering our baptismal covenants to help us choose the right).
Answers: To help children place the right duties with the right priesthood, follow the initials found on each leaf that follows: (D), (T), (Pr), (B), (E), (HP), (P), (S) and (A).
More Lesson Ideas on THE PRIESTHOOD
(teach the theme using the concepts below and the above activity):
1. I am thankful for the priesthood, and I am blessed by it (“Aaronic Priesthood,” “Melchizedek Priesthood,” and “Priesthood,” True to the Faith, 3-4, 101-2, 124-28; Gospel Principles, chapter 13).
2. You may want to explain that priesthood ordinances will help us return to our Heavenly Father, and read the following quote: “The Church bears his name. All ordinance work done in the Church is done in the name of Jesus Christ by those who bear the priesthood, i.e., who hold this power of Jesus Christ” (Elder Theodore M. Burton, Conference Report, October 1970).
TALK: Jeffrey R. Holland, “Our Most Distinguishing Feature,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2005, 43–45
SOURCE: 2007.11
How big is the poster, as I would like to purchase several of them for our small primary.
The largest poster is two 8 1/2″ x 11″ pages mounted together.