For the STRENGTH OF YOUTH
JULY – DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 84:20
“ORDINANCES AND COVENANTS GIVE YOU ACCESS TO GOD’S BLESSINGS“
CHURCH & HOME – LESSON PLAN
(In 20 minutes you can review the lesson (that YOUTH CAN TEACH). Then send youth home with a handout to place in their journal/notebook to reinforce gospel learning. Use one per week (printing all fro the bundle or individually below.
YOU’LL FIND:
#1 Activities BUNDLE For Lesson-Match Activities (shown right)
#2 “Strength of Youth” lesson (below or here)
#3 Mutual Night ACTIVITIES (shown below)
BUNDLE Includes:
Activities:
1. Take upon the Name of Jesus Christ (Youth Goal Planner)
2. “I Stand All Amazed” sacrament thought card
3. Baptismal Promises match game (Post-and-Present)
4. Take upon the name of Jesus Christ (ColorQuote)
LESSON LIFESAVER Lessons and Activities
Ordinances and covenants give you access to God’s blessings.
Your Heavenly Father is eager to teach and bless you. One way He does this is through ordinances like baptism, confirmation, and the sacrament. Through ordinances like these, we make a covenant, or promise, with God. Keeping covenants increases God’s power in your life and helps you prepare for eternal life. This is why ordinances and covenants are precious to us—because they strengthen our connection to our Heavenly Father and our Savior and help us become more like Them.
Eternal Truths
Ordinances point you to Jesus Christ. An ordinance is a sacred ceremony with symbolic meanings that teach about Jesus Christ. The sacrament, for example, is not just bread and water. It reminds us of the Savior.
Covenants are a sign of God’s love, trust, and expectations. They take your relationship with God to a deeper level. Making a covenant shows that you love God and are committed to Him. You can trust Him, and He can trust you. With that deeper commitment comes greater access to His power and help as you keep your covenants.
You make covenants with God when you are baptized and confirmed and when you partake of the sacrament. When you are baptized, you promise to take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ, serve Him, and keep His commandments throughout your life. During the sacrament, you also promise to always remember Him. These are your promises. As you are willing to keep them, God promises to give you the Holy Ghost as a constant companion.
YOUTH GOAL PLANNER. TAKE UPON THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. Youth can listen carefully to the sacrament prayers and record on the planner what it means to take upon the name of Jesus Christ. The planner reminds them to do something each day to keep their baptismal covenants and record things they did to follow Jesus. SEE MORE . . .
YOUTH ACTIVITY. “I STAND ALL AMAZED at the love Jesus offers me” sacrament thought card. Youth can memorize 3 Nephi 11:14 and write their feelings about the Savior. Verse 14 witnesses the nail prints on His side, hands, and feet to know He is the God of Israel and the whole earth, slain for the sins of the world. SEE MORE . . .
Invitations
Treat the sacrament like a sacred gift. Show your commitment to Jesus Christ by preparing for a sacred experience during the sacrament. Ponder what you can do to make this ordinance a spiritual highlight of your week.
Look for the Savior in the ordinances. When you watch or participate in an ordinance, ask yourself, “What do I learn from this about Jesus Christ?” or “How does it bring me closer to Him?” Pay attention to what the Spirit teaches you.
Let your covenants guide your actions. When you have a choice to make, remember your covenant relationship with God. Be loyal to Him. Ask yourself: Does this align with my covenants? For example, do I love and minister to others, comfort people who need comfort, and stand as a witness of Christ—everywhere and always?
YOUTH ACTIVITY. JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD little lamb block. Youth can read John 1:29 to learn that Jesus Christ is the lamb to take away “the sins of the world.” Several blocks can be made to push around pretending to herd sheep (and more). Comes in two sizes. SEE MORE . . .
POST-AND-PRESENT ACTIVITY. BAPTISM PROMISES TO SERVE match game. Youth can renew covenants when they are baptized. They promise to: Bear one another’s burdens, Mourn with those who mourn; Comfort those that need comfort; Stand as a witness, and Keep the commandments (Mosiah 18:8-10). SEE MORE . . .
Promised Blessings
You can have power to overcome temptation, sin, and the trials of life. Making and keeping covenants gives you access to God’s power. With that power, you can face anything with confidence. Jesus Christ is your strength!
You can be clean and forgiven. Part of God’s promise to you for keeping your baptismal covenant is a remission of your sins. That means that as you repent and keep your promises with God, He will forgive you and help you improve.
You can have the Holy Ghost with you always. Another promise connected to baptism and the sacrament is the constant companionship of His Spirit and the ministering of angels. You never have to face your challenges alone. God never abandons His covenant children—you can count on that.
You can have the support of God’s covenant people. You belong to a community of covenant people in the Savior’s Church. You lift and encourage each other. You mourn together and rejoice together. You bear one another’s burdens. Your family, bishop, leaders, and other Church members are here to help you, and you can help them.
ColorQuote. OPTIONS: POSTER, MIRROR MOTIVATOR, JOURNAL PAGE, NOTECARD. “When Christ becomes our constant companion, it will make our whole day different, … slowly, day by day, our conduct will become more unselfish, our relationships more tender, our desire to serve more constant, and we will find ourselves going about doing good. Always. We will have taken upon us not only his name, but his image in our countenances also (see Alma 5:14).” Ardeth G. Kapp. SEE MORE . . .
POST-AND-PRESENT ACTIVITY. GUESS WHO WAS SAVED BY THE SAVIOR? Youth will learn the Book of Mormon stories of Enos, Alma the Younger, Zeezrom, King Lamoni’s father, and the man brought to Jesus. This will give them hope that they too can be saved because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. SEE MORE . . .
REMEMBER ME – LAST SUPPER:
1. Create a setting like the Last Supper. Have eleven youth sit around a large table representing the apostles and one representing Jesus.
2. Ask them to role-play what went on at the Last Supper before Jesus was crucified.
3. Explain that Jesus wanted His disciples and us to always remember Him and to keep His commandments.
4. Review the sacrament prayers found in the Book of Mormon (3 Nephi 18:7, 11).
5. Have someone who is particularly appreciative of the sacrament express his or her feelings about this sacred ordinance.
6. Select a conference talk on the sacrament and use unleavened bread (or pita bread) to show what bread was like in the Savior’s day.
7. Have everyone bring their scriptures to have a Sacrament Scripture Chase. Divide into two teams and race to find scriptures on the following. Announce the subject matter first, then the scripture.
SACRAMENT SACRED-SCRIPTURE SEARCH:
Pondering these scriptures will help youth prepare for partaking of the sacrament each week. These could be placed on cards with fill-in-the-blank words.
• Priesthood ordinance (3 Nephi 18:15)
• The sacrament is given to the Nephites after Christ’s resurrection (3 Nephi 18:1-12)
• Importance of taking the sacrament each Sunday in sacrament meeting (D&C 20:75)
• A reminder of baptismal promises (D&C 20:37, Mosiah 18:6-10)
• Helps us think of Jesus and find peace (D&C 19:23-24)
• Reminds us that Jesus took our sins upon Him (Hebrews 9:28; 13:12, Mosiah 3:5-8)
• Jesus is the gate through which we enter heaven (John 14:6; 2 Nephi 9:41)
• Jesus suffered and gave His life for us so that we might have remission of our sins (John 19:16-20, Mosiah 4:1-2, Alma 4:14-15, 2 Nephi 2:6-9)
These Mutual Night Activities were written by Fern Law, a Young Women leader of six years – these are her experiences with the YOUTH. Collect them all; there are over 200 in this series.
YOUTH GOAL PLANNER. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SACRAMENT. Youth can ponder scriptures regarding the Last Supper, sacrament hymns and prayers, and why they partake of the sacrament bread and water. Here they can note promises to make as they partake of the sacrament thinking about their baptismal covenants. Promise Ideas are noted on the planner (from them & Heavenly Father). SEE MORE . . .
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YOUTH CAN TEACH
So, please let them teach as it helps them learn the gospel and grow their testimony as they share it.
Use this BRIGHT IDEAS LESSON Planner to plan lesson objectives, activities, and discussions (included with each activity).
