SECTION 109

Prayer offered at the dedication of the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, March 27, 1836. According to the Prophet’s written statement, this prayer was given to him by revelation.

1–5, The Kirtland Temple was built as a place for the Son of Man to visit; 6–21, It is to be a house of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, and order, and a house of God; 22–33, May the unrepentant who oppose the Lord’s people be confounded; 34–42, May the Saints go forth in power to gather the righteous to Zion; 43–53, May the Saints be delivered from the terrible things to be poured out upon the wicked in the last days; 54–58, May nations and peoples and churches be prepared for the gospel; 59–67, May the Jews, the Lamanites, and all Israel be redeemed; 68–80, May the Saints be crowned with glory and honor and gain eternal salvation.

The Temple is the House of the Lord.

Doctrine and Covenants 109:12–13; 110:1–7

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

Ponder how you will help the children feel reverence for the Lord’s house and look forward to the day when they can enter the “place of [His] holiness” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:13).

Ask the children to tell you something they love about their homes. Show the children a picture of the Kirtland Temple, and use Doctrine and Covenants 109:12–13; 110:1–7 to tell them about the day the temple was dedicated and became the Lord’s house . To show that the temple is the Lord’s house, read the following from the dedicatory prayer that Joseph Smith gave: “It is thy house, a place of thy holiness” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:13). Ask the children to share something they love about the temple.

“Chapter 39: The Kirtland Temple Is Dedicated,” Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 154

Friend September 2021 “The Kirtland Temple”

For the Strength of Youth September 2021 “The House of the Lord”

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

Give each child a picture of a temple, or invite them to draw one. Sing together a song about temples, such as “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95). Invite the children to hold up their pictures each time they sing the word “temple.” Point out to them other words in the song that teach us something important about the temple. Tell the children how you feel about the temple and how you know it is the house of the Lord.

Doctrine and Covenants Coloring Books “Kirtland Temple Dedication”

Liahona September 2021 “Teaching about Keeping Covenants and Building Zion” The Kirtland Temple was dedicated on March 27, 1836. Many spiritual experiences were recorded from this event.

Read through a few of the accounts from the “Voices of the Restoration” section at the end of the September 27–October 3 lesson in the Come, Follow Me manual.

Discussion: Why are temples important to you? Share spiritual experiences you have had because of temples.

Doctrine and Covenants 109; 110:1–10

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

How will you share with the children your love for the Lord’s house? Consider how you will inspire them to accept Elder Quentin L. Cook’s challenge “for each of us, wherever we live, to see ourselves in the temple” (“See Yourself in the Temple,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 98).

In some ways, the Kirtland Temple was different from temples we know today. There were no altars and no baptismal font, and ordinances like baptism for the dead and sealing had not yet been restored. But the blessings described in section 109, the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, are the blessings we receive in the Lord’s house today.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

Choose verses from section 109 or 110 that you feel highlight the blessings of the temple (such as the ones listed below from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). List these blessings on the board, and invite the children to search the verses you chose to find those blessings. How might we explain to someone why the temple is important to us?

Verses 5, 12–13 (see also Doctrine and Covenants 110:6–8): In the temple the Lord can manifest Himself to us and we can feel His power.
Verses 9, 17–19, 26, 78–79: In the temple we take upon ourselves the Lord’s name.
Verses 22–23: As we make and honor temple covenants, the Lord gives us power to do His work.
Verses 24–33: As we attend the temple worthily, we can receive the Lord’s protection.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

Ask the children to silently read Doctrine and Covenants 110:1–10, and invite them to share something they learn about Jesus Christ or the temple from these verses. Invite the children to draw a picture of themselves and the Savior in the temple.
Ask the children to imagine that a friend is trying to find their house. How can we help our friend know which house is ours? How do we know that the temple is the Lord’s house? Read Doctrine and Covenants 109:12–13 with the children, and tell them how you know that the temple is the house of the Lord. Show pictures of temples, and let the children share their feelings about the Lord’s house.

The Priesthood Keys Needed to Accomplish God’s Work are in the Church Today.

Doctrine and Covenants 110

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

The Kirtland Temple is important in Church history. Jesus Christ appeared there, along with ancient prophets. These prophets committed priesthood keys to Joseph Smith that are needed to do God’s latter-day work.

Invite the children to search Doctrine and Covenants 110:11–16 (or watch the below video) to find the names of three ancient prophets who appeared in the Kirtland Temple. Then help them find words in these verses that describe what each prophet “committed,” or gave, to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. You can find a helpful description in “Chapter 40: Visions in the Kirtland Temple” (Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 156–57).

Share phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 110 that help you and the children to understand the sacredness of these events.

Doctrine and Covenants Stories “Chapter 40: Visions in the Kirtland Temple” Images and Video

Latter Day Kids “The Restoration of Priesthood Keys” Lesson ideas and activities

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

Doctrine and Covenants Coloring Book “The Lord Accepted the Kirtland Temple”

Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants and Church History “Lesson 26: The Kirtland Temple Is Dedicated,” (See link for a more complete story of the dedication of the Kirtland Temple and additional lesson ideas.)

Show several keys of different sizes or shapes (or refer to the ones on the chalkboard).

Why do we use keys? How do we use them?
What do you think these keys will open?
What would happen if we lost a key to something that was locked?

Explain that priesthood keys are very important in the Church, but they are not keys like the ones displayed. They are not made of metal and cannot be held in your hand or put in your pocket. When we speak of priesthood keys, we mean the power and authority, given to the prophet and other priesthood leaders through the laying on of hands, to direct God’s work on earth. The President of the Church holds all the keys of the priesthood, and other priesthood leaders hold some of them. Priesthood holders may perform priesthood ordinances only as authorized by those who hold the appropriate priesthood keys. For example, before a father can baptize his child, he must receive permission from the bishop.

Remind the children that during the Apostasy the priesthood was not on the earth. The priesthood and the keys to direct the power of the priesthood needed to be restored so the Church could be restored and Church members could receive all the blessings of the gospel.

Who restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith? (Show the picture of John the Baptist restoring the Aaronic Priesthood.)
Who restored the Melchizedek Priesthood to Joseph Smith? (Peter, James, and John; show the picture of the Melchizedek Priesthood restoration.)

Explain that one of the reasons the Kirtland Temple was built was to provide a place where the Lord and his servants could restore additional keys of priesthood authority.

Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109–110”

Show the children some keys, and talk about what keys do. Let the children take turns holding the keys and pretending to open a locked door. As they do, explain that Joseph Smith received priesthood keys in the Kirtland Temple. These keys unlock power and blessings so we can do God’s work in His Church, such as sharing the gospel and doing temple work.
To help the children understand the keys that Elijah committed to Joseph Smith, sing together a song about Elijah or family history, such as “Truth from Elijah” (Children’s Songbook, 90–91). Tell about an experience that helped turn your heart to your ancestors. Ask the children to share something they know about a grandparent or other ancestor.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson said, “All of Heavenly Father’s children [had] been locked out from the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ—until a divine restoration was effected by [Moses, Elias, and Elijah]” (“Where Are the Keys and Authority of the Priesthood?” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 30).

Share this description of priesthood keys by President Russell M. Nelson: “In your pocket there might be a key to your home or car. Priesthood keys, on the other hand, are intangible and invisible. They ‘switch on’ the authority of the priesthood” (“Personal Priesthood Responsibility,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 45–46). To illustrate the importance of priesthood keys, discuss with the children the problems of losing a house key or car key. How is this similar to the problems of priesthood keys being lost? Help the children understand who holds priesthood keys today and how these keys are used to unlock blessings for all of God’s children (see “Priesthood Keys,” True to the Faith, 126–27).
To further explain the keys restored in the Kirtland Temple, show the video “By the Hand of Elijah the Prophet” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Discuss what we can do to participate in the work that Elijah’s keys made possible. Or show the video “Gatherers in the Kingdom” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) and talk about how we can help gather Heavenly Father’s children back to Him.

Liahona October 2021 “Why did Moses, Elias, and Elijah appear in the Kirtland Temple?”

Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 “Doctrine and Covenants 109-110”

What might help “turn the hearts” of your children to their ancestors? You can find some fun ideas at FamilySearch.org/discovery. You could work together to identify ancestors who need temple ordinances and plan to perform those ordinances at the temple. You could also talk about how the work restored by Elijah in the Kirtland Temple increases your love for your ancestors.

Sing with the children “The Spirit of God” (Hymns, no. 2), and tell them it was sung at the Kirtland Temple dedication—and in temple dedications today. Why was this a good song for the Kirtland Temple dedication?

Friend September 2021 “Scripture Time Fun for Little Ones” Work together as a family to draw a picture of a temple. Then sing “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95). Talk about why the temple is important to you. Help your little ones say, “The temple is a special place.”