Elder Ronald A. Rasband (Apr. '23): "Hosanna to the Most High God"

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 Like Elder Stevenson's talk, a quick reading of this talk might appear as if the talk were really about a holiday (Palm Sunday in this case).  However, it is really about so much more.  This is a powerful talk on coming to Christ and being prepared for His coming.

The Activity:

  1. Make sure that everyone has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically.
  2. Read par. 24-25 "We, like the . . . Father in Heaven."
  3. Discuss this passage briefly as a class.
  4. Point out that Elder Rasband mentions four ways to fill our lamps with oil.
  5. Divide the class into four groups and assign each group one of the doctrines that Elder Rasband discusses:
    1. Prophecy (par. 13-15:  "First, prophecy.  For . . . shall rise again.'")
    2. The Gift of the Holy Ghost (par. 16:  "Second, the companionship . . . of all things'")
    3. Discipleship (par. 17: "Third, discipleship.  True . . . cried, 'Crucify Him'")
    4. The Atonement (par. 18-19:  "Fourth, the Atonement . . . of redeeming love.'")
  6. Invite each group to read the sections of the talk associated with their topic and to discuss the following questions (you may want to write these on the board):
    1. How did Christ apply/teach this doctrine in the last week of His life?
    2. What can we learn from Christ's example and teachings during this period about this doctrine?
    3. How can we more fully apply and understanding of this doctrine in our own lives?
  7. Allow the groups a few minutes to talk about these things.
  8. Come back together and ask each group to share the things they talked about.

Using the Activity:

This activity is designed to get all the class members involved in sharing their thoughts and ideas.  By putting class members in small groups it essentially creates more opportunities for sharing and reduces the stress of speaking up.  Also, in this activity I am trying to establish the doctrines of the gospel and then building up to the idea of how to apply those doctrines.  Most of the time, how a doctrine is applied is an individual matter and so there will be a great variety of ideas as there should be.  However, all of those applications need to be grounded in doctrine.  Hence, the steps revolving around talking about doctrine.  

Thank you for visiting my blog.  I am hopeful that you found something useful.  

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