Elder Gerrit W. Gong (Apr. 19): "Good Shepherd, Lamb of God"

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This talk powerfully and tenderly testifies and teaches of Christ's roles as The One who reaches out to us and as the One who laid down all for us.  There are many aspects of this talk to focus on.  I chose one point that really struck me.  I think this emphasis (on Christ as our exemplar) was even more powerful for me given the course of study in Sunday School this year.

The Activity:

  1. Read par. 17 "Third, as the  . . . minister in love"
  2. Divide the class members into small groups of 3-5 people each.
  3. Ask the group to think/discuss scriptural accounts of the Savior acting as a shepherd in Israel ministering in love.  Class members can use their own memories and/or the scriptures as they feel most comfortable.  Wjhat principles can they glean from these accounts?
  4. Allow the groups a few minutes to discuss various points.
  5. Come back together and ask the groups to share with the rest of the class some of their ideas.
  6. Give each class member a piece of paper and something to write with.
  7. Ask them to reflect on how the Savior has ministered to them and/or those close to them.
  8. After a couple of moments, ask the class members to take a few minutes and record those experiences.
Using the Activity:

In my mind there are two powerful parts of this activity.  First, discussing how the Savior ministers to people and the associated principles is an important way to bring the Spirit into the heart of each class member.  Doing this in small groups further encourages the Spirit by making it more likely that each person exercises their faith by contributing to the discussion.  Second, by writing down the experience we are helping the class members to do one of the central directives of the scriptures-- to remember.  Also, by writing it down they can keep and share it with loved ones more easily.  

This activity might take a longer time.  So, be aware of that when you start.  You might want to set some specific time limits with the class for the various parts, e.g. 5 minutes to talk in small groups, etc.  Of course, other classes may have the opposite problem-- being too quiet.  So, it might be useful to have a scripture story to share as an example before turning the class loose to discuss on their own.  

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