Elder Ulisses Soares (Apr. '23): "Followers of the Prince of Peace)

-

 This talk would be an excellent companion talk when teaching about Pres. Nelson's talk from this same conference.  The two overlap in important ways.  And if it comes from the mouths of two or more witnesses, we know it must be true.

The Activity:

  1. Read par. 15 "I invite you . . . after these things.'"
  2. Draw a line down the middle of the board.  Label one side "Christ's actions" and the other side "Reasons not to"
  3. Remind the class members that Christ is our perfect example of what to be and how to act toward others.  Explain that you want to think more about the example of Christ in this regard.
  4. Read par. 6 "Jesus perfectly exemplified . . . Roman governor marveling."  
  5. Point out that in this quote Elder Soares mentions three actions of the Savior's (washing the feet of the disciples; healing the ear of the soldier who came with Judas to arrest him; and not speaking against His accusers in Pilate's presence).  Write each of these on the board under the first heading.
  6. Point out that there was at least one "natural man" reason for Christ not to do as He did (e.g. the feet of the disciples were most likely very dirty).
  7. Ask the class members to brainstorm some of the reasons for Christ to not behave the way He did.  Write these in the second column.
  8. Ask the class members to identify a couple more examples of Christ acting with charity and do the same with them as the above examples.
  9. Invite the class members to reflect on the list on the board and discuss the lessons we can learn from Christ through these stories.

Using the Activity:

I am as guilty of this as the next person, but often I feel we-- each of us-- uses some eternally short-sighted reasons to not act with charity and to not follow the example of Christ.  This activity is created to highlight that Christ had many of the same reasons (or at least similar reasons) to not act in the way He did; nevertheless, He acted with charity at all times.  It is not designed to make anyone feel shame.  The purpose is really to help us realize that some of our excuses won't hold much water when we have to account for why we treated some people the way we did.  

I hope that you found something useful here.  Thank you for visiting.  God bless.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell (Oct. '23): "More Than a Hero"

-
 This talk is custom made for today.  All around us we can see people who choose worldly heroes to focus on and follow with little, if any, thought given to Christ and Father.  The results are perilous to us and to society.  This talk in some aspects reminds me of some of Pres. Kimball's teachings ( here , for example).   The Activity: Draw a line down the middle of the board. Read par. 23 "For us on . . . Savior and Redeemer." Ask the class members to consider what would characterize too much trust placed in "the politician, the musician, the athlete, or the vlogger" or anyone. Invite them to share their ideas.  As they do, list them on one side of the board. Invite the class members to look over the list they have created and consider how they can either safeguard against these things or walk back from perilous positions. Allow a moment to think and then discuss. Point out that if this is too much attention placed on people, in what ways could we do the same t
Read more

Elder Dale G. Renlund (Oct. '23): "Jesus Christ is the Treasure"

-
 What a great talk reminding us of the simplicity of the gospel-- Jesus  Christ.  The treasure is always Jesus Christ.  Remembering that is not easy in our modern world, though.  To help us remember, the Lord has given us many things.  Elder Renlund in this talk reviews four of these and this is what the activity below focuses on. The Activity: Make sure that every class member has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically. Explain that in this talk, Elder Renlund reviews four actions we can do to avoid looking beyond the mark. Divide the class into four groups. Assign each group one action along with the corresponding part of the talk.  These are: Repentance-- par. 10-11 "The Savior has . . . of our sins." The sacrament-- par. 12-13 "Just like the . . . prospered, and preserved." Temple Worship-- par. 14-15 "When we have . . . it is distant." Listening to the Prophet-- par. 16-17  "After Carter and . . . look no further." Have
Read more

Pres. Russell M. Nelson (Apr. '24): "Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys"

-
 This is a relatively short talk, but it is full of both invitations and promises from our prophet.  The blessings enumerated and promised are especially inspiring (par. 25-31).  However, for this activity I chose to focus on the invitations that Pres. Nelson extends to us as members. The Activity: Insure that every class member has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically. Insure that every class member has something to write with and on (a device would work fine). Write on the board (or post printed statements) of the 3 (or 5 depending on how you choose to break up the last one) invitations that Pres. Nelson gives us. Par. 8-9 "Jesus Christ then . . . for you personally." Par. 16 "Consider how your . . . to the earth." Par. 19-22 "I invite you . . . home to Him."  (the three statements here could be listed separately). Ask the class members to read these statements and spend a moment silently considering one of the invitations. (Option
Read more