Stories of Jesus, Tell Them to Me

By Linda Christensen

“And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies” (2 Nephi 25:26).

Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,
Things I would ask him to tell me if he were here.
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

(“Tell Me the Stories of Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, 57)

What are your favorite stories of Jesus? Do you like the story of His birth? Have you read about how He calmed the stormy sea? Did you know He healed a blind man and raised His friend Lazarus from the dead? Have you read about how He loved the children?

Stories of Jesus are found in the scriptures. Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, wrote, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies” (2 Nephi 25:26). Heavenly Father commanded His prophets to testify of His Son, Jesus Christ, and keep sacred records so we can learn about Jesus.

The prophets have asked you to read the scriptures every day. During the month of December, read about Jesus’s birth and the miracles He performed. Talk with your family about the precious gift of the Atonement. As you learn the stories of Jesus, you will be blessed to feel His love for you, and your testimony of His gospel will grow.

Activity

Each day during December look up the scripture reference on that day’s set of small scriptures on page F4 and read the stories of Jesus. Then color the set of scriptures for that day. Each day also lists a picture from the Gospel Art Picture Kit (GAK) that can accompany the story. Share your favorite stories of Jesus with your family.

Sharing Time Ideas

Before sharing time, enlarge the picture from Primary 6, lesson 46, p. 211. Begin sharing time by holding up a Bible and a Book of Mormon. Ask the children to identify the two books. Play a simple guessing game by stating the name of a prophet and asking the children to identify which set of scriptures includes the teachings of that prophet. Place the enlarged copy of page 211 on the chalkboard. State the weekly gospel principle: “The prophets foretold Jesus Christ would come to the earth.” Read the names of the five prophets on the enlarged copy, and tell when they lived on the earth. Ask the children to identify which book of scripture each prophet is from. Invite individual children or assign classes to find the scriptures listed: Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Micah 5:2; 1 Nephi 11:18–21; Alma 7:9–10; and Helaman 14:1–6. Give each child a copy of the handout to color. Bear testimony that the scriptures are the word of God and that they testify of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Write the weekly gospel principle on the chalkboard, and read it together: “The prophecies were fulfilled. Jesus Christ was born and the righteous rejoiced.” Define the word prophecy.Use dramatizations to involve the children in learning about the events that occurred in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon at Jesus’s birth (see “Dramatizations,” Teaching, No Greater Call [1999], 165–66). Share scriptures from Luke 2 and 3 Nephi 1:8–21. Read the weekly gospel principle again. Ask the children to think about the stories of Jesus’s birth from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Name some of the righteous who rejoiced at His birth. Help the children recognize that the righteous rejoice today as we celebrate Jesus’s birth. Talk about ways we can rejoice as we celebrate His birth. Teach the chorus of “Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful” (Hymns, no. 202). Bear testimony of the scriptural accounts of Jesus’s birth.