Priesthood Image courtesy creative commons license flickr.com by Photo Dean March 2012
Monthly Theme: Blessings of the Priesthood are available to all.
Monthly Scripture: "And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord" D&C 84:35
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Really great tip from the outline:
Be sensitive to the family situations of the children. Emphasize that the priesthood blesses everyone, regardless of gender, and that children who do not have a priest-hood holder in their home can be blessed through home teachers, extended family, and Church leaders.
Week 1 Worthy young men receive the priesthood when they are 12.
* Have a small panel of some worthy priesthood holders for a question & answer session. Let the children ask them questions having to do with the priesthood. Have a small basket with questions and let children draw out questions to ask, in case they can't think of any on their own.
Questions could include:
What is the Priesthood?
What do you have to do to be worthy of the Priesthood?
How does the Priesthood make you feel?
Why do you need the Priesthood?
Who can hold the Priesthood?
Where can you use the Priesthood?
When has the Priesthood blessed your life?
* Briefly have the children act out the following stories about the Priesthood:
1. "As the Prophet Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he found mention of baptism for the remission of sins. On May 15, 1829, he and his scribe Oliver Cowdery went into the woods to inquire of the Lord concerning baptism. As they prayed, “a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light.” This messenger was John the Baptist, the prophet who had baptized Jesus Christ centuries earlier. John the Baptist, now a resurrected being, laid his hands on Joseph and on Oliver and conferred upon each of them the Aaronic Priesthood, which had been taken from the earth during the Great Apostasy. With this authority, Joseph and Oliver were able to baptize one another. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:68-72.)"
2. Acts8:14-20
3. From General Conference (April 2012) President Monson told this story, " During World War II, in the early part of 1944, an experience involving the priesthood took place as United States marines were taking Kwajalein Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands and located in the Pacific Ocean about midway between Australia and Hawaii. What took place in this regard was related by a correspondent—not a member of the Church—who worked for a newspaper in Hawaii. In the 1944 newspaper article he wrote following the experience, he explained that he and other correspondents were in the second wave behind the marines at Kwajalein Atoll. As they advanced, they noticed a young marine floating face down in the water, obviously badly wounded. The shallow water around him was red with his blood. And then they noticed another marine moving toward his wounded comrade. The second marine was also wounded, with his left arm hanging helplessly by his side. He lifted up the head of the one who was floating in the water in order to keep him from drowning. In a panicky voice he called for help. The correspondents looked again at the boy he was supporting and called back, “Son, there is nothing we can do for this boy.”
“Then,” wrote the correspondent, “I saw something that I had never seen before.” This boy, badly wounded himself, made his way to the shore with the seemingly lifeless body of his fellow marine. He “put the head of his companion on his knee. … What a picture that was—these two mortally wounded boys—both … clean, wonderful-looking young men, even in their distressing situation. And the one boy bowed his head over the other and said, ‘I command you, in the name of
Jesus Christ and by the power of the priesthood, to remain alive until I can get medical help.’” The correspondent concluded his article: “The three of us [the two marines and I] are here in the hospital. The doctors don’t know [how they made it alive], but I know.” (
From Willing and Worthy to Serve)
End with your testimony and this quote, again from President Monson from the above article, "Miracles are everywhere to be found when the priesthood is understood, its power is honored and used properly, and faith is exerted."
* Sister Esplin writes, "Have the children look up “Priesthood, Qualifying for” in the Topical Guide. Ask them to work in pairs to choose a scripture and find qualities that men need to qualify for the priesthood. Have them or their teachers write each quality on a piece of paper. Have the children choose a quality and tell what a Primary boy could do now to work on that quality." (
Friend Feb. 2009)
Week 2 We receive the ordinances of salvation through the priesthood.
* Divide the primary into groups. Give each group 3 minutes to look up a scripture and come up with a way to act it out for the primary. Let them come up front, friends raising their hand can guess what ordinance they are acting out!
Ordinances include:
administration to the sick (
James 5:14–15)
blessing the sacrament (
D&C 20:77, 79)
baptism by immersion (
Matt. 3:16;
D&C 20:72–74)
blessing of children (
D&C 20:70)
conferring the Holy Ghost (
D&C 20:68;
33:15)
conferring the priesthood (
D&C 84:6–16;
107:41–52)
temple ordinances (
D&C 124:39)
marriage in the new and everlasting covenant (
D&C 132:19–20).
* Have 8 numbered index cards on the ground in a circle. Have the wonderful primary pianist play A Young Man Prepared (pg. 166 of Children's Songbook) Invite 8 children to come up front and walk around the circle of cards while the music plays. When it stops, have them stop on the number they are closest to. Invite another primary friend to draw a number from a bag that has an ordinance
(just look at the above idea for the 8 ordinances) on it. Whoever is on that number can talk about what that ordinance is or a special experience they have had with that ordinance. Have the children sit down, take out the number pulled and invite 7 more children to come up front. It will get a little funny by the time you are down to 2 numbers and then 1!
* “… He never will institute an
ordinance or give a commandment to His people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed”
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 255–56).
Have the children draw a picture of a time an ordinance helped them to be happy or perhaps a picture of an ordinance in the future that might give them happiness! Have a few children come up afterwards and share!
Week 3 I can receive strengthening power through priesthood blessings.
* This is a great lesson on Elijah, found
HERE. He was an excellent example of strength and power through the Priesthood.
* This is another GREAT lesson about Priesthood Blessings found
HERE.
(Primary 3: Choose the Right B)
* This is a great idea from the
Primary 6 Manual:
Make the room as dark as possible. Then tell the children the story of a group of tourists who went into a deep, dark cave. Once inside the cave the guide turned off the lights, waited for a few minutes, and then asked each person to point in the direction of the exit. When the lights came back on, people were pointing in all different directions.
Make your classroom light again, and share the following quotation
from Elder Robert D. Hales: “If the power of the priesthood were not upon the earth, the adversary would have freedom to roam and reign without restraint. There would be no gift of the Holy Ghost to direct and enlighten us; no prophets to speak in the name of the Lord; no temples where we could make sacred, eternal covenants; no authority to bless or baptize, to heal or comfort. … There would be no light, no hope—only darkness” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, p. 40; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 32).
* "The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood He created and governs the heavens and the earth. By this power the universe is kept in perfect order."
Gospel Principles Manual Chapter 13
Have pictures of space and the universe. If Heavenly Father uses the Priesthood to keep the universe in perfect order, how important is the Priesthood? Have a small spaceship of 4 chairs up front. Invite 4 primary friends to fly through space with you as we learn about the Priesthood and how we can be strengthened by priesthood blessings. Come up with questions, stories, scriptures or short quotes about priesthood blessings. Rotate each group of space cadets after each thing you teach. Keep on referring back to the fact that through the Priesthood Heavenly Father keeps the universe in perfect order.
Week 4 I can go to the temple to receive ordinances for my ancestors when I am older.
* HERE is a great talk by President Uchtdorf. It talks about foundation stones of temples. There is a very nice handout. You could also have the children fold a piece of paper like a fan and attach a temple at the top. On the steps (folds) you can have them write things they can do to get to the temple when they are older.
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HERE is a great search and find on preparing to go to the temple. Have a list of about 15 (total) songs, scriptures and questions having to do with the temple. When a primary friend answers a question, they can come up front and find
one hidden item in the picture. Let's see if we can find all the hidden items before sharing time is over!!
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HERE is a really nice video on temples. It has beautiful images on the inside of a temple and very straightforward information. It's a little long, so you might have to cut it short. It comes from
THIS site which is really educational.
* Make up a news report for the children to fill out about one of their ancestors and send it home with them to interview their family. Questions on the report could be:
1. What is an ancestor?
2. Who is an ancestor that needs temple work done?
3. What do we know about that ancestor's life?
4. Draw a picture of a temple you would like to do work for ancestors in.
