Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Oct. '23): "The Prodigal and the Road That Leads Home"

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 Re-reading this talk I have been struck anew with the love Father has for me-- and my own weakness in doing what I want as opposed to what He wants.  And I am left-- as the hymn says-- "all amazed."

The Activity:

  1. Make sure every class member has access to a copy of the talk either digitally or physically.
  2. Read and discuss par. 40-43 "My beloved brothers . . . try to return?"
  3. Stress that this is a story for and about us.  As a result, there is much to learn from it.
  4. Divide the class into 3 groups.  Assign each group one perspective represented in the story-- the father, the prodigal son, and the faithful son.
  5. Invite each group to discuss the lessons we can learn from/about their assigned person.  For this they can refer to the entirety of Elder Uchtdorf's talk and/or the parable in the scriptures (Luke 15:11-32).
  6. Give the groups time to discuss.
  7. Come back together as a class and share what was talked about in the groups.

Using the Activity:

I find that often times I consider only one perspective of a gospel story.  However, when I push myself to consider the other perspectives I learn as much or more as I did from my default perspective.  The parable of the prodigal son is a good example of this.  As I listened to and re-read Elder Uchtdorf's talk I was struck by how much is taught in this parable that is so easy to overlook.  This activity is designed to help the class consider the various perspectives.  

I think this is an important part of being a teacher in the Church-- we should be modelling for our class members more complete ways to engage with the scriptures and teachings of our prophets and leaders.  This activity is an effort to do this.

As always I pray that this activity is useful and that you find it helpful.  Please leave a comment about your experiences with this activity (or any other on my blog).

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