Matthew CHAPTER 11 Jesus acclaims John as more than a prophet—The cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum are rebuked for unbelief—The Son reveals the Father—The yoke of Christ is easy, and His burden is light.
Matthew CHAPTER 12 Jesus proclaims Himself Lord of the Sabbath and heals on the Sabbath day—He is accused of casting out devils through the power of Beelzebub—He speaks of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and says that an evil and adulterous generation seeks signs.
Luke CHAPTER 11 Jesus gives the Lord’s Prayer—He discusses the casting out of devils—He acclaims Himself as greater than Jonah and Solomon—He rebukes the Pharisees and says that the blood of all the prophets may be required of their generation.
Jesus will help me as I come unto Him. (Younger Children)
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) Draw a stick figure representing a [child].(Or have each of the children draw a stick figure representing themselves on a paper. Draw, or have the children draw, a backpack on the stick figure’s back to represent the burdens and stresses [children] today face. Write, or have the children write, at least five of those burdens or stresses in, on, or around the backpack.
Jesus Christ said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke helps two ani
Read Matthew 11:28–30, and show the picture of yoked oxen in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families. Ask the children to point to the oxen and the yoke. Explain that yoked oxen can pull more weight together than each could separately. Testify that when we feel sad, worried, or scared, we can seek Jesus and He will help us.
Ask a child to lift a heavy object. When he or she struggles, offer to help. How does Jesus help us do hard things? Share an experience when you felt Jesus help you do something hard, and ask the children to share experiences of their own.
Activity: Ask someone to move a heavy object across the room.
Friend December 2021 “Carrying Spotty” Abbie got a new puppy. She helped him feel safe when he was scared. She carried him when he was tired. In Primary, Abbie learned that Jesus suffered for us and took upon him our sorrows. He can carry us through our trials. She realized that Jesus helps her kind of like she helps her puppy. He helped her feel safe when she was afraid of the dark. He helped her feel stronger when she was worried.
Jesus will help me as I come unto Him. (Older Children)
Invite the children to share a time when they were worried or anxious about something. Invite them to search Matthew 11:28–30 for counsel that can help them in similar circumstances. How does the Savior “give [us] rest”? (verse 28).
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) Draw a stick figure representing a [child].(Or have each of the children draw a stick figure representing themselves on a paper. Draw, or have the children draw, a backpack on the stick figure’s back to represent the burdens and stresses [children] today face. Write, or have the children write, at least five of those burdens or stresses in, on, or around the backpack.
Jesus Christ said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke helps two animals pull something together. When we choose to follow Jesus, He can help us with our trials.
Activity: Ask someone to move a heavy object across the room. Then have them move that object with someone’s help. Talk about how our burdens are lighter when we turn to the Savior for help.
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “You come unto Christ to be yoked with Him and with His power, so that you’re not pulling life’s load alone. You’re pulling life’s load yoked with the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and suddenly your problems, no matter how serious they are, become lighter” (“The Mission and Ministry of the Savior: A Discussion with Elder Russell M. Nelson,” Ensign, June 2005, 18).
Also see Red Crystal for additional teaching ideas.
Invite the children to draw pictures of things they are doing to come unto Jesus and learn of Him.
In order to receive the Savior’s help and the rest He offers, we must come unto Him. Consider watching “Come unto Christ: 2014 Theme Song” (4:48) to see examples of how someone can come unto the Savior. (Have the children look for how the teenagers come unto Christ when they have difficulties such as illness, loneliness, temptation, family contention, etc. Ideas include pray for help, repent of sins, study his words in the scriptures, follow Jesus’s example and serve others, go to church and learn of him, take the sacrament and think about what Jesus has done for us, commit to keeping his commandments and remembering him always, etc.) You may also have them look for the way the Lord helped ease the burdens of the teens as they came unto him.
Help the children memorize the fourth article of faith. Talk with them about how each of the first principles and ordinances of the gospel helps us accept Jesus’s invitation, “Come unto me” (Matthew 11:28).
Read Matthew 12:10–13 out loud. Invite the children to stand up and sit down every time you say “Sabbath,” and repeat with them the phrase “It is [right] to do well on the sabbath days” (Matthew 12:12). What do they think that means?
Show a calendar to the children, and highlight the Sabbath day for them. What do we do on other days of the week? What can we do on the Sabbath to make it different from other days? (see Isaiah 58:13–14).
Print and cut out the images. Have the children take turns putting the things that fulfill the purposes of the Sabbath on the Sunday squares and put the other things on one of the weekday squares. Before deciding where a picture goes, ask the following question: “Does it bring me closer to Heavenly Father, increase my spiritual strength, or rest my body?” As you do the activity, pay attention to all the days on the calendar that the family has to do their work, sports, and recreation, and notice that there is only one day a week that we are to set aside as a holy day of worship.
Ask the children to draw good things they can do on the Sabbath day (see this week’s activity page).
Invite the children to come up with actions to help them remember ways we get ready for the Sabbath as they sing the song “Saturday” (Children’s Songbook, 196).
Draw eyes, ears, a mouth, and hands on the chalkboard. Ask the children to tell you what each of these parts of our bodies can do to keep the Sabbath day holy.
www.clipartengine.com
The Sabbath is a day to do good things that bring me closer to God.
Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 In their zeal to keep the Sabbath day holy, the Pharisees had implemented strict rules and man-made traditions, which eventually clouded their understanding of the true purpose of the Sabbath.
“What did the Savior mean when He said that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”? [ Mark 2:27 ]. I believe He wanted us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite [or relief] from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief.” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129)
Watch the video “Share Your Sabbath” (0:53), which shares several ways to “do good” on the Sabbath day.
Invite a child to pretend to be the man whose hand was healed by the Savior (see Matthew 12:10–13). Another child could ask him or her questions about the experience.
Read together Matthew 12:12. What are some good things we can do on the Sabbath? Let the children draw their ideas on this week’s activity page, cut out the pieces, and take turns putting each other’s puzzles together.
What are some of your favorite ways to come closer to Jesus Christ on Sunday?
Hide several pictures of people doing things that show love for Heavenly Father on the Sabbath day. Ask the children to find the pictures and share how doing the things in the pictures shows our love for God.
New Testament Seminary Student Manual (2023) “Luke 11:1–13” Jesus compared a mortal father’s desire to give gifts to his children to Heavenly Father’s desire to give us gifts. Jesus taught that if an imperfect mortal father “know[s] how to give good gifts unto [his] children” ( Luke 11:13), “how much more shall your heavenly Father give good gifts, through the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 11:14 [in Luke 11:13 , footnote a]).
Use an object lesson to illustrate the Savior’s teachings in Luke 11:11–13. For example, you could place a stone inside a bread bag or put a picture of a scorpion inside an egg carton. Ask the children to guess what is inside, and then show them. Invite them to replace the stone or picture with a piece of bread or an egg. Read Luke 11:11–13, and share your testimony that Heavenly Father loves us, answers our prayers, and gives us many blessings through His Spirit.
Friend March 2018 “Heavenly Father Listens” Elder Clayton felt the love of God as a teen when he prayed about some worries. Heavenly Father loves us and is interested in our lives just like a parent would be. (Activity page included: Find the hearts in the room of the girl who is praying.)
Find the things in the picture that show Heavenly Father and Jesus’s love for us.
Sing together a song about God’s love, such as “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29). What are some of the good gifts that He has given us? Ask the children to draw pictures of blessings from Heavenly Father that they are grateful for.
To illustrate what these verses teach, show the children a cup or other container that is clean on the outside but dirty on the inside. Help them think about what “the outside of the cup” might represent. What does the “inward part” represent? Why is it important to clean both the outside and the inside?
Object Lesson
What we think about and put into our minds affects what actions come out.
Demonstrate this with an empty toilet paper roll or paper towel roll. Shove some dirt covered paper towels into the cardboard roll as the children tell what things might make our spirits dirty, things such as what we see and hear or thoughts that are filled with hate and anger, dishonesty, greed, pride and vanity (thinking we are better than others in appearance, abilities, intelligence, etc.) selfishness, disobedience, etc.
Ask what would happen if you continued to shove dirty paper towels into the roll. (They would come out the other end.) What happens when we fill our minds with things that are unclean? They come out and manifest themselves through unclean actions.
Show another toilet paper roll and fill it with clean paper towels. Ask the children what will come out the other end. Explain that the clean paper towels represents thinking good thoughts by filling our minds with good things like reading our scriptures, listening to talks and lessons at church, praying, watching and listening to good, uplifting media and music, etc. When we fill our lives with things that are good and uplifting, our thoughts and actions become clean. (You can also push the dirty paper towels out with clean ones to demonstrate that we can clean out unclean thoughts by replacing what we see, hear, and think with good things.)
Read together some other scriptures that emphasize righteousness both in our hearts and our actions—for example, Psalm 24:3–5; Matthew 15:7–8; Moroni 7:6–9. Discuss why the Savior wants our hearts and private actions to be spiritually clean.
The things we do and think affect our happiness in this life and the life to come.
Print and cutout all the signs except for the top page. Using tacky wax or removable double sided tape, attach all the small words to a piece of cardstock in random order. Tape the faces to the board or wall. Explain that after Jesus visited the Nephites they kept their spirits clean for many years and they lived in happiness. Show the cardstock to children. Have them take off the words they associate with happiness and put them under the smiley face. Explain that the scriptures tell that these are the things they experienced as a result of keeping their spirits clean. After a long period of time, wickedness started to creep in and the Nephites started experiencing terrible things as a result of the wickedness. Tape the rest of the words on the cardstock under the frowning face.
Explain that when we keep our minds and thoughts clean, we make good choices and we are happy. We can also return to live with Heavenly Father and again and enjoy the blessings of eternal life (the kind of life Heavenly Father has).
Items needed: a pitcher of water, a bowl, and a clear plastic cup or a glass.
Either print a copy of the game and cut out the game pieces, or download and open the game in Microsoft Word. If opened in Microsoft Word, the game pieces can be moved by clicking on the center of the image or label and then dragging it to where it should go on the chart.
Game Divide the family into two groups or more. (More copies of the game board and creation pictures will be needed if if the family is divided into more than two groups.) Give each group a game board and a set of creation pictures. Have each group try to put the correct pictures in each square according to which “day” it took place in the creation account (one square will get two pictures). After they are done, tell them the correct order and have them check their answers.
• On the first day God made light and divided the light from the darkness. • On the second day God made the sky (firmament). • On the third day God made the flowers, grass and trees. • On the fourth day God made the sun, moon, and stars • On the fifth day God made the birds, fish and whales. • On the sixth day God made the land animals… and man.
Discussion or PowerPoint After they fix their boards, ask the family what day of the week is missing on their chart. (The seventh)
• What happened on the seventh day? (Read Genesis 2:2-3) God sanctified the day and rested from his labors.
Since the beginning of the world, one day a week has been set apart for us to rest from our labors, and to focus on worship and spiritual matters. We call this day the Sabbath.
• What day do we observe the Sabbath? (On Sunday)
(Show the picture of Moses) When Moses was on the earth, the Lord gave him some stone tablets. • What was written on those tablets? (The Ten Commandments)
Read Exodus 20:8 Explain that keeping the Sabbath day holy was one of the Ten Commandments. Keeping the Sabbath day holy is a commandment.
In the bible dictionary, it says that something that is holy is set apart for a sacred purpose.
• What purpose was the Sabbath day set apart for? (For worship, and to get spiritually strengthened and physically rested)
Read the scripture Exodus 31:17. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” So on the Sabbath we are to rest and refresh. We know what rest means, so what does refresh mean? (It means to be re-energized, reinvigorated, replenished.)
Heavenly Father knew we would need to be physically re-energized and spiritually replenished after a busy week, so he gave us a day to recharge and refresh our bodies and spirits.
Object Lesson:
Show a full glass of water and explain that the full cup represents being spiritually replenished and physically rested and recharged after a Sabbath day of attending our church meetings, resting our bodies, and focusing on gospel activities.
During the week we are involved in activities that may drain our spiritual and physical reserves. (Pour water from the cup into the bowl as you name several possibilities such as work and chores, sports. school and responsibilities, disagreements with a family member, or making wrong choices.)
We can replenish our cup a little each day as we read the scriptures, pray and keep the commandments (pour a little water from the pitcher into the cup for each item mentioned), but the Lord knew we would need more.
So on Sunday we are commanded to use the entire day for spiritual refreshment and physical rest so that we can have the spiritual strength and physical renewal to help us make good choices and keep the commandments throughout the week. (Fill the cup with water) So the Sabbath tops of our spiritual and physical reserves and we are recharged and replenished for the next week. (Object lesson from Primary 6 manual, Lesson 20, Enrichment Activity #1 )
Girl and boy figures and dirt spots (Friend, February 2002, For Little Friends). Put the girl and boy figures into a page protector, and cut out the individual dirt spots.
A Doctrine and Covenants for each person
Tape to attach the spots
A CD player and a CD of General Conference
Activity
In life Satan tries hard to tempt us to sin.
Show the picture of the girl, the boy, and the dirt spots. Tell the children that the dirt spots represent sin.
What are some sins that Satan tries to tempt us to make in life? (Answers might include: lying, disobeying a parent, fighting with siblings, cheating, stealing) Have a family member put a dirt spot onto the girl or boy figure for each answer they give. You may need to help or direct their answers so that everyone has a turn.
Satan doesn’t want us to excel and succeed in life. He wants us to live lives that are full of degradation and worldly thoughts and actions such as greed, selfishness, and pride.
Heavenly Father wants us to live upright, clean lives so that we can gain exaltation, and he provides ways for us to achieve this.
Have the children look up and read the first phrase of D&C 59:9, and ask if they know what it is saying. (In order to keep ourselves unspotted from the world we need to go to church, take the sacrament and renew our covenants on the Sabbath.) Take a spot off the girl or boy figure for each item mentioned: going to church, taking the sacrament and renewing our covenants.
What other things does D&C 59:9-14 say that we should do on the Sabbath in order to keep ourselves unspotted from the world? (devotions and worship of God, resting from our labors, oblations (which is service to God), confessing and repenting, preparing food with singleness of heart, fasting and prayer) Take a spot off for every item mentioned.
Why would doing these things help keep us clean and unspotted from the world? (Because we are spiritually and physically strengthened and renewed, and we are not as susceptible to worldly thoughts, temptations, and sin.)
Object Lesson
Turn on a general conference CD (or DVD). Also turn on some other items that make noise such as a TV, radio, hand vacuum, blender, etc.
Is it difficult to hear and listen to the conference CD with all the noisy distractions?
We would have to turn off all the competing noises in order to hear and focus on the conference CD. That is why Heavenly Father has given us the Sabbath Day, so we can turn off all competing influences and focus on things that will strengthen us spiritually and keep us unspotted from the world.
Print the Sabbath Story Pictures. Tape the pages together along the back bottom edges in the order they were printed. Roll the pictures into a scroll. Tie the scroll with a piece of yarn or string. (Optional Ideas: tape a dowel rod to the top edge and to the bottom edge of the scroll. You could also print off the numbered words below and glue them to the back of their matching picture. This makes it easier to read the words as you show the pictures. )
Scripture Story
Unroll one side of the scroll until the first picture is showing. Read the words to the family that go with each scroll picture (see below). When finished with one page, roll up the top roll with one hand as you unroll the bottom roll with the other hand until you get to the next picture.
1. When Jesus lived on the earth he honored the Sabbath day. The bible tells us how he kept it holy. On the Sabbath Jesus went to the synagogues (churches) to worship and teach.
2. One day when Jesus was in a synagogue he saw a man whose right hand was crippled. He also saw some Jewish leaders called Pharisees. The Pharisees were a people who opposed Jesus because they thought he would take away their power and authority from them. They tried to trap him into saying things that were wrong or against the law. They asked Jesus if it was against the law to heal someone on the Sabbath day. They thought it was.
3. The Jews in Jesus’ time were not living the Sabbath as they had been commanded. They had made up strict rules that did not help them worship Heavenly Father. For example, it was forbidden to set a broken bone or reset a dislocated joint on the Sabbath. Another of their strict rules was that a knot which could be untied with one hand was lawful to tie on the Sabbath, but if it required two hands to untie, it was not lawful.
4. Jesus taught the Jews that these rules were wrong. Jesus answered their question concerning the unlawfulness of healing on the Sabbath by asking them what they would do if one of them had a sheep and it fell into a hole on the Sabbath. He asked if they would lift it out. When none of the Pharisees answered him, Jesus continued by saying how much better a person is than a sheep.
5. He then called to the man with the crippled hand. Jesus asked the man to stand and hold out his hand. As the man did so, Jesus healed his hand.
Review Questions
Where did Jesus go on the Sabbath? (To church)
Why did Jesus go to church? (To worship and teach)
What else did he do? (He healed a man with the crippled hand)
Tell the family that if it is something that Jesus would do on the Sabbath, such as giving blessings to the sick, attending church, worshiping, and teaching the gospel, it is a good thing to do on the Sabbath Day.
Print one set of the song activity items. (Print the synonym words and the correct words onto two different colors of paper to help avoid mixup.) Cut out the words and write the word’s number on the back of each piece. Check the list below to find the numbers. (Example: The words “Remember” and “Keep in mind” would be #1).
Put the song page and the Synonym Match-up page into page protectors. Put a piece of double-sided tape on the back of the synonym words and put them onto their correct numbered spot on the song page. Using double-sided tape, put the correct words on the Synonym Match-up page in random order.
A recording of the song can be found here, or a CD of the Children’s Songbook can be checked out from the meetinghouse library.
Song Directions:
Show the song page to the family and read it to them. Tell them that some of the words are not correct. The incorrect words are synonyms of the correct words, which mean that they are similar in meaning to the correct words.
Show the page that says Synonym Match-Up. Tell the family that the correct words are listed on this page, and they need to replace the synonyms on the song with the correct words.
Have them take turns choosing a word and finding its match. (You may have to read the choices to younger children.) They can check the numbers on the back of the words to see if they have found the right match.
After all the correct words are in place, sing the song. (You may have to say each sentence out loud before singing to help small children who can’t read.)
You can take off words and try singing again to see if the family remembers the words to the song.
Read Moses 3:2–3, and ask the children to listen for what God did on the seventh day. Bring pictures (or make simple drawings) of things we do on Sunday to make it a holy day and things we do on other days. Let the children sort the pictures into two piles, one for Sunday and one for other days. Testify of why it is important to keep the Sabbath day holy.
A few days before class, invite one of the children and his or her parents to come prepared to share things they do in their family to keep the Sabbath day holy. Invite the other children to share what their families do.
How does keeping the Sabbath day holy show our love and respect for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? Help the children role-play scenarios in which they explain to a friend why they choose to do things on Sunday that honor Heavenly Father and Jesus. Suggest that they use Genesis 2:2–3 in their explanations.
Give the children a few minutes to write a list of as many things as they can think of that they can do to make the Sabbath a holy day. Invite the children to share their lists, and encourage them to add to their lists as others share suggestions they didn’t think of. Suggest that the children take the lists home with them and refer to them when they need ideas of good things to do on the Sabbath.
Bring pictures or objects that depict good things we can do on Sunday to worship the Lord and find joy. Some ideas are found in Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–12 and “Sabbath Day Observance” (For the Strength of Youth, 30–31). For example, to represent the sacrament, you could show picture 108 in the Gospel Art Book or a sacrament cup and a piece of bread. How does each of these things help us be closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ on the Sabbath?
Complete this week’s activity page with the children to give them ideas to make the Sabbath a holy day.
The Lord said that observing the Sabbath helps us “keep [ourselves] unspotted from the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:9). How can you help the children you teach honor the Sabbath and make it a sign of their love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–16 in pairs, and ask each pair to write down something they learn about the Sabbath day from each verse. After several minutes, ask each pair to share with the class what they wrote. What will we do differently on the Sabbath because of what we learned?
Prepare a simple matching game in which the children match phrases from Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–16 to the correct verse. Choose phrases that teach what the Lord wants us to do on the Sabbath. Discuss what these phrases teach us about the Lord’s day and how we can come closer to Him.
The Sabbath day is “the Lord’s day” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:12)—a day to show that we remember the many works of the Lord as we worship Him (see Bible Dictionary, “Sabbath”). Help the children ponder these works by inviting them to read the following scripture passages and showing them related pictures: Genesis 2:1–3(see Gospel Art Book, no. 3); John 20:1–19 (see Gospel Art Book, no. 59). What other mighty works of the Lord can we remember on the Sabbath? What else do we learn about the Sabbath from Doctrine and Covenants 59:9–16?
Honoring the Sabbath is a Sign of My Love for the Lord.
Draw a heart on the board, and ask the children what this symbol can mean. Help them think of other things that can be a sign for love, like a hug or an act of service. Read to them Exodus 31:13. Help them understand that when we keep the Sabbath day holy, it is a sign to the Lord that we love Him.
Tell the children about some of the ways you try to show your love for the Lord on the Sabbath. Let them share how they and their families do this. Invite them to use this week’s activity page to share more ideas.
Ask the children a few questions to help them understand what a sign is—for example, “What signs let you know that spring is coming or that you’re getting a cold?” Invite them to read Exodus 31:13, 16–17 and find the word “sign.” What did the Lord say is a sign between us and Him? Why is this sign so important?
Sign definition: Something indicating the presence or existence of something else (Mirriam Webster Thesaurus)
Invite the children to take turns explaining why they choose to honor the Sabbath. Videos like “The Sabbath Is for You” or “Upon My Holy Day—Honoring the Sabbath” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) can help.
Invite the children to write down all the things they can think of that they can do on Sunday to show the Lord that they love Him. Encourage them to share a few things from their lists. Invite them to take their lists home, share them with their families, and refer to them whenever they need ideas about what to do on the Sabbath day.
After reading these verses, perhaps your family could discuss President Russell M. Nelson’s question about our behavior on the Sabbath: “What sign will you give to the Lord to show your love for Him?” (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 130). Your family could make some signs to place around your home to remind you how you will show love for the Lord on the Sabbath. (See also the video collection “Sabbath Day—At Home” [ChurchofJesusChrist.org].)
Ask the children to repeat the phrase “Call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord” (Isaiah 58:13) several times. Explain that “delight” means something that brings us joy. Ask the children to share some things that bring them joy. Testify that the Lord gave us the Sabbath day because He wants us to have joy. Tell the children why the Sabbath is a delight to you.
Read to the children from Isaiah 58:14: “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.” Explain to the children that the Sabbath is a special day—a time when we can think about the things Heavenly Father and Jesus did to help us be happy. Help the children think of things they can do on the Sabbath to remember Heavenly Father and Jesus. Invite them to draw their ideas and share their pictures with one another and their families.
What is the difference between “finding [our] own pleasure” and finding “delight … in the Lord” on the Sabbath? How can we make the Sabbath “a delight”?
Sabbath Day: Lesson Item 10 Stringboard activity: Have the children name some things they could do on Saturday to help prepare for Sunday. Have the children write each idea on one of the pathway stones (for little ones, draw some simple pictures on the stones). Tell the children that on each Saturday they can move their figures across their stringboard as they accomplish each item.
Friend October 2018 “Food and Fun” Make this all-in-one breakfast egg muffin during FHE. Each person could prepare one or two of their favorite toppings. Little ones can chop olives or mushrooms with a butter knife, or they could put cheese in a bowl or whisk the eggs.
Freeze some and explain that they are preparing ahead to keep the Sabbath day holy.
For a family home evening treat, fill some of the bread liners with a pie filling (could also top with whipped cream or ice cream after baking.)
Read Matthew 12:10–13 out loud. Invite the children to stand up and sit down every time you say “Sabbath,” and repeat with them the phrase “It is [right] to do well on the sabbath days” (Matthew 12:12). What do they think that means?
Calendar Activity: Show a calendar to the children, and highlight the Sabbath day for them. What do we do on other days of the week? What can we do on the Sabbath to make it different from other days? (see Isaiah 58:13–14).
Print and cut out the images. Have the children take turns putting the things that fulfill the purposes of the Sabbath on the Sunday squares and put the other things on one of the weekday squares. Before deciding where a picture goes, ask the following question: “Does it bring me closer to Heavenly Father, increase my spiritual strength, or rest my body?” As you do the activity, pay attention to all the days on the calendar that the family has to do their work, sports, and recreation, and notice that there is only one day a week that we are to set aside as a holy day of worship.
Ask the children to draw good things they can do on the Sabbath day (see this week’s activity page).
Invite the children to come up with actions to help them remember ways we get ready for the Sabbath as they sing the song “Saturday” (Children’s Songbook, 196).
Draw eyes, ears, a mouth, and hands on the chalkboard. Ask the children to tell you what each of these parts of our bodies can do to keep the Sabbath day holy.
www.clipartengine.com
Friend July 2024 “The Scripture Theater” Jenna and Johnny were bored so they decided to get the Sunday Box out. They played the scripture hero matching game first and then they got some costumes out of the box and acted out one of our favorite scripture stories. They invited the other family members to see their play. They discovered Sunday is fun and is a special day.
Friend July 2024 “Sunday Activities” Toss a small item, like a bean or a coin, onto the page. Then do the activity it lands on. When you’re done, try it again! Keep going until you get four in a row.
The Sabbath is a day to do good things that bring me closer to God.
Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School: New Testament 2023 In their zeal to keep the Sabbath day holy, the Pharisees had implemented strict rules and man-made traditions, which eventually clouded their understanding of the true purpose of the Sabbath.
“What did the Savior mean when He said that “the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”? [ Mark 2:27 ]. I believe He wanted us to understand that the Sabbath was His gift to us, granting real respite [or relief] from the rigors of daily life and an opportunity for spiritual and physical renewal. God gave us this special day, not for amusement or daily labor but for a rest from duty, with physical and spiritual relief.” (Russell M. Nelson, “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129)
Watch the video “Share Your Sabbath” (0:53), which shares several ways to “do good” on the Sabbath day.
Invite a child to pretend to be the man whose hand was healed by the Savior (see Matthew 12:10–13). Another child could ask him or her questions about the experience.
Read together Matthew 12:12. What are some good things we can do on the Sabbath? Let the children draw their ideas on this week’s activity page, cut out the pieces, and take turns putting each other’s puzzles together.
What are some of your favorite ways to come closer to Jesus Christ on Sunday?
Hide several pictures of people doing things that show love for Heavenly Father on the Sabbath day. Ask the children to find the pictures and share how doing the things in the pictures shows our love for God.
Additional Resources:
Sabbath Music
Friend August 2017 “Family Night Fun” Music can affect our mood and our ability to feel the Spirit.
Ensign March 2017 “Helping Children Delight in the Sabbath” Lots of wonderful ideas of fun things to do with children on the Sabbath.
Friend August 2017 Have the children make a notebook of their favorite stories and activities from the Friend magazine.
Friend August 2017 “To make the Sabbath day special, we make scripture scenes from our toys. We made Moses standing on Mount Sinai while the Israelites worshipped a golden calf.” Nathan, Ryan, and Paul
Play a conference talk while other things are making noise such as appliances, tv, radio, etc. In order to hear the conference talk the first thing they will have to do is to turn off all the competing noises. That is why Heavenly Father has given us the Sabbath day—so we can turn off competing influences and listen to the Spirit.
Strengthen Family Relationships: Play “Spin the Family Bottle.” This requires a large, empty soda pop bottle. The family sits in a circle. Someone spins the bottle on the floor, then tells what he or she likes about the person to whom it points. Next, that person spins the bottle and the process is repeated.
Object Lesson: Use a pitcher of water, a bowl, and a cup to illustrate how we might become spiritually filled. Pour water from the pitcher into the cup, explaining that as we attend our Church meetings, worship, and keep the Sabbath day holy, we are filled with the spirit of the Lord. During the week we are involved in activities that may drain our spiritual reserves. Name several possibilities, such as school, chores, sports, friends, a disagreement with a family member, or making a wrong choice, as you pour water from the cup into the bowl. On the Sabbath day we can become spiritually filled and refreshed again. (Primary 6 Manual: Lesson 20)
Friend April 2017 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for helping your little ones have a holy Sabbath Day.
Friend January 2018 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for helping your little ones have a holy Sabbath Day.
Friend January 2016 “For Parents of Little Ones” Ideas for attending church with little ones.
Items needed: Two different colors of good quality construction paper – three pages of each color, a display board, and a glue stick.
Print the story activity pages. Cut each page in half at the dotted lines. Cut the construction papers in half. Glue each of the story pages to one color of construction paper and each of the picture pages to another color.
Before the lesson, post the pictures and stories face down on a display board using sticky tack or some other removable adhesive method.
Presentation
Explain that on the display board are stories of children choosing to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. Have a family member choose a story card and a picture card from the board. Explain that the object of the game is to find a story card and its matching picture. Have the family member read the story card out loud, or if the story has already been read, have them tell the story again in their own words. If the family member makes a match, then the cards are removed. If a match is not made, the cards are place back into their original position. Continue in this manner, with family members taking turns choosing cards and trying to find matches, until all the matches have been made,
(The stories are from the “Trying to Be Like Jesus” pages of the Friend Magazine.)
Download this PowerPoint presentation of the story. Read the story out loud, or listen to it being read by clicking on the audio icon on each slide.
Or print the story pages. Cut the pictures and the words apart at the dotted lines. Glue each page of words onto the back of its coinciding picture.
Items needed: Paper and a pen or marker
Presentation
Have you ever felt like Sunday mornings are chaotic and stressful instead of peaceful and holy?
As you listen to this story see if you can think of some ways to help make Sunday the holy day it should be. (Going in numerical order, show the pictures and read the back story captions to the family.)
After Story Discussion:
Why was Kelly’s mom unhappy at the beginning of the story?
Has anyone in the family ever felt the same way Kelly’s mom felt on Sunday mornings?
What do you think Heavenly Father and Jesus want our Sunday mornings to be like?
What did Kelly do to help Sundays be a happy, peaceful day?
How can you help make Sunday a happy, peaceful, holy day? (Make a list of things the family members mention. Post the list in a place where the family members will see it and be reminded to do the things on it.)
Items needed: Bible for each family member, one piece of heavy paper, exacto knife, glue,
Print and cut out the PDF or Word illustrations. Fold back the tabs on the basket. With an exacto knife, cut slits on the family picture along the side edges of A and C. Line up the bottom edge of the basket to the bottom edge of B on the family picture, and then tape tab B down (the tab should be inside the basket, not facing outward). Insert the A and C basket tabs into the A and C side slits. Tape those tabs to the back of the picture. The top of the basket should bow out like a basket. Fold the tabs back on the bottom of the Israelite family picture. Tape the tabs to the top of a heavy piece of paper. The family figure should be standing up on the heavy paper, but you should be able to fold it down to store the picture.
Cut out the scripture references (and the two numbers), and glue one to the back of each manna piece. (Israelite family and manna images are from the Friend Nov. 2004 pg. 390
Presentation
Display the picture of the Israelite family on the table or floor so that the family figure is standing up. Put the manna pieces in front of the family figure.
Tell the family that after Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, the Israelites had to travel through the wilderness to reach the Promised Land. They did not have enough food to make such a long journey, so the Lord provided manna from heaven for them to eat.
Activity Instructions:
Tell the family they are going do an activity that will teach them more about the story of the manna from heaven.
Have each family member take turns choosing pieces of manna until they are all gone. Have them look up the scripture references that are on the back of their manna pieces. (A couple of pieces will have numbers instead of scriptures on them. Those will be used later in the activity.)
Going in numerical order read the following questions to the family. After a question is read, ask the family if anyone has the answer to it. Have the person tell what the answer is. (Optional: Also have them read the scripture) After they tell the family the answer, have them put that piece of manna into the basket.
Questions:
Why did the children of Israel murmur against Moses and Aaron? (murmur means to complain or rebel) Exodus 16:2-3
Why would the murmuring against Moses and Aaron really be murmuring against the Lord? Exodus 16:6,8
What food did the Lord provide for the Israelites in the mornings, and what food did the Lord provide in the evenings? Also describe how the food arrived. Exodus 16:11-15
Describe the manna’s characteristics such as what it looked like, and what it tasted like. Exodus 16: 14, 21, 31
How much manna did the Lord command the Israelites to gather each day? Exodus 16:16-18
What happened the next day to the manna when more was gathered than was needed? Exodus 16:19-20
What did the Lord instruct the Israelites to do differently in regards to the manna on the day before the Sabbath? Exodus 16: 22-23
How were the Israelites blessed by preparing ahead for the Sabbath? Exodus 16: 24, 29
What happened when some of the people did not prepare ahead and expected to gather manna on the Sabbath? Exodus 16:27
What did the Israelite people do on the Sabbath? Exodus 16:30
How long did the Lord provide food for the Israelites? Exodus 16:35
* Have the family members with the numbered manna pieces answer the following questions.
What did the Israelites learn about the Sabbath? (That they should not work on the Sabbath. They should prepare ahead for the Sabbath so they can rest on the Sabbath day because it is a holy day.)
The Israelites prepared for the Sabbath by gathering twice as much food the day before. Name three things we could do to prepare ahead so that our Sabbaths can be peaceful, restful, and holy?
