Minerva K. Teichert (1888–1976), Moroni: The Last Nephite, 1949–1951, oil on masonite, 34¾ x 47 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1969

December 7–13

Moroni 7–9

“May Christ Lift Thee Up”

Prayerfully studying Moroni 7–9 will invite the influence of the Holy Ghost. He will help you understand the needs of the children in your class.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Remind the children about something you invited them to do during last week’s lesson or something they may have learned with their families this week. Ask them to share what they learned.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Moroni 7:33

If I have faith, I can do whatever God needs me to do.

Children who have faith in Jesus Christ and confidence in His power can accomplish great things when they are serving Him.

Possible Activities

• Read Moroni 7:33, and invite the children to stand up when they hear the word “faith.” Explain that we show our faith in Jesus Christ when we keep His commandments. Help the children make a list on the board of some things Jesus wants them to do, like obeying their parents or telling the truth. Testify that our faith in Jesus Christ can help us keep the commandments.

• Display a few pictures that show someone from the Book of Mormon (or other books of scripture) accomplishing something important because he or she had faith in Jesus Christ (see, for example, Gospel Art Book, nos. 19, 70, 78, 81). Help the children tell the story portrayed in the picture. Tell them that because these people had faith in Jesus Christ, they were given power to do what He needed them to do.

Moroni 7:41

Believing in Jesus Christ can give me hope.

There are many people in the world who feel that they have no hope. How can you help the children you teach find hope in Jesus Christ?

Possible Activities

• Read and explain Moroni 7:41 to the children, and ask them to raise their hands when they hear something Mormon said we should have hope for. Tell the children about the hope you feel because of Jesus Christ.

• Ask the children to think of someone they know who is having a hard time with something. Invite the children to draw a picture for the person that can remind him or her to have hope in Jesus Christ.

Moroni 7:47

“Charity is the pure love of Christ.”

What experiences from your life might help the children learn to be kind to others and treat them with love?

Possible Activities

• Ask the children to repeat this phrase with you: “Charity is the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47). Help the children think of ways Jesus Christ showed love to others (pictures might help, such as Gospel Art Book, nos. 55, 83, 84). How has He shown love to us? Who can we show love to as Jesus did? For an example, show the video “My Brother Hyrum” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves showing love to someone. Suggest that they put their picture where it will remind them to love others as Jesus does.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Moroni 7:21–22, 25, 33

I am blessed when I have faith in Jesus Christ.

Mormon wanted the people to know that miracles did not stop when the Savior’s earthly ministry ended. As long as we have faith in Jesus Christ, we can, with His help, do anything He needs us to do—including miraculous things.

Possible Activities

• Help the children list on the board some of the “good thing[s]” that we receive through the gospel of Jesus Christ, such as having eternal families, returning to Heavenly Father, and being forgiven of our sins. Then invite the children to read Moroni 7:21–22 and 25, looking for how we can receive all of these good things. How can we show our faith in Jesus Christ and His promises?

• Read Moroni 7:33 to the children, and ask them to listen for what we can do when we have faith in Jesus Christ. As appropriate, share experiences you have had when faith helped you do what God wanted you to do. Help the children think of and share examples from their lives. How did faith in Christ make a difference in these examples?

Moroni 7:40–41; 9:25–26

I can have hope in Jesus Christ, even during difficult trials.

Mormon and Moroni faced discouraging circumstances, but they found hope in the Savior Jesus Christ. How can you help the children find hope in Christ when they are discouraged?

Possible Activities

• Help the children list a few problems that might make people feel discouraged or hopeless. Invite the children to read Moroni 7:40–41 and 9:25–26, looking for something that might help someone who feels discouraged. Tell them how Jesus Christ and His gospel have helped you during difficult times.

• Invite the children to write a message to someone who feels discouraged to help him or her find hope in Christ, as Mormon did for his son in Moroni 9:25–26. Encourage the children to use words and phrases from these verses in their messages.

• Fill a clear container with water, and drop two objects into it—one that floats and one that sinks. Compare the floating object to a person who has hope in Christ. Read together Moroni 9:25. How does Christ “lift [us] up” when we face difficult trials? Help the children think of ways they can keep the Savior and His encouraging teachings “in [their] mind forever.”

Moroni 7:45–48

“Charity is the pure love of Christ.”

Developing the gift of charity is a lifelong goal. How can you inspire the children to seek the pure love of Christ?

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to share what they think the word “charity” means. Then invite one of the children to read Moroni 7:45. (If some of the words in this verse are hard to understand, help the children look them up in a dictionary.) Ask the children to talk about people they know who are good examples of charity. Why is charity called “the pure love of Christ”? (Moroni 7:47). What does verse 48 teach us about how we can be filled with charity? Encourage each of the children to pray for charity this week and to look for ways to show charity to others.

• Help the children think of ways Jesus showed charity (see, for example, Luke 23:34; John 8:1–11; Ether 12:33–34). How can we follow His example?

• Ask the children to write names of people they know on pieces of paper and place them in a small bag or container. Invite them to take their container home, select a name from it every day, and do something that shows love for that person. In a future lesson, invite them to share their experiences serving these people.

Encourage Learning at Home

Encourage the children to think of someone who might be seeking greater faith or hope in Jesus Christ. Invite the children to share with that person something they learned in class today.

Improving Our Teaching

Encourage reverence. An important part of reverence is thinking about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. You might remind the children to be reverent by quietly singing or humming a song or displaying a picture of Jesus.