“February 8–14. Doctrine and Covenants 12–13; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75: ‘Upon You My Fellow Servants,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Doctrine and Covenants 2021 (2020)
“February 8–14. Doctrine and Covenants 12–13; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2021
February 8–14
Doctrine and Covenants 12–13; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75
“Upon You My Fellow Servants”
The children you teach come from varying situations and have different needs. As you prepare, think about how you can best help them learn the truths taught in Doctrine and Covenants 12–13 and Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Invite the children to share times when they have seen someone get baptized or receive a priesthood blessing. How did Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery receive the priesthood?
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood.
On May 15, 1829, John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave them the Aaronic Priesthood. How will learning about this event bless the children you teach?
Possible Activities
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Tell the children about how the Aaronic Priesthood was restored (see Joseph Smith—History 1:68–70; see also “Chapter 6: Joseph and Oliver Are Given the Priesthood,” Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 26–27). Or invite a man in the ward to come to class and tell the story as if he were John the Baptist, reading to the children what John said to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
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Display pictures of John the Baptist baptizing the Savior and restoring the Aaronic Priesthood (Gospel Art Book, nos. 35, 93; see also the image in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Invite the children to share what they know about what is happening in the pictures (see Matthew 3:13–17; Doctrine and Covenants 13; Joseph Smith—History 1:68–70).
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Help the children learn a song about the priesthood, such as “The Priesthood Is Restored” (Children’s Songbook, 89). Invite the children to march around the room as they sing, taking turns holding the picture from this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families.
The priesthood is God’s power.
Lessons about the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood are great times to help the children better understand what the priesthood is and how it can bless them.
Possible Activities
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Bring a few objects to class, including a key. Display the objects, and ask the children to listen as you read Doctrine and Covenants 13 and to find the object that is mentioned in the scripture. What can we do with a key? Show pictures of things we can do because the Aaronic Priesthood was restored (see this week’s activity page; see also Gospel Art Book, nos. 103–4, 107–8). Tell the children how the priesthood has blessed your life.
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To help the children learn the phrase The priesthood is God’s power, ask them to clap as they say each syllable. Show an item that needs a battery to work, and teach that, like the battery brings power to the item, the priesthood brings God’s power into our lives. Share your testimony of the blessings that have come to you because of the priesthood.
I can be baptized.
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery read about baptism in the Book of Mormon and wanted to know more. You can help the children you teach look forward to their baptism and learn more about this sacred ordinance.
Possible Activities
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Show the video “Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Pause the video occasionally to ask the children questions such as “Why did Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery go into the woods?” and “How do you think Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery felt after they were baptized?” Ask them to share how they think they will feel when they are baptized.
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Tell the children about Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery being baptized (see Joseph Smith—History 1:68–74; see also “Chapter 6: Joseph and Oliver Are Given the Priesthood,” Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 26–28). Emphasize the joy Joseph and Oliver felt, and tell the children about your baptism. Invite them to draw a picture of themselves being baptized one day.
Imageboy being baptizedI can be baptized because the priesthood was restored.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
Doctrine and Covenants 13; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–72
John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood.
The accounts of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood can help the children you teach understand important truths about the priesthood and priesthood ordinations.
Possible Activities
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Read together Joseph Smith—History 1:66–72, and invite the children to draw pictures of what these verses describe. Then let the children tell the story using their pictures. Invite someone to share an experience when he or she saw someone be ordained to a priesthood office. How was that similar to the way Joseph and Oliver were ordained as described in Joseph Smith—History 1:66–72?
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Give the children a few minutes to make a list of everything they know about John the Baptist, and then allow them to share what they wrote. Invite the children to work in pairs to read one of the following passages and add it to their list: Matthew 3:13–17; Doctrine and Covenants 13; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–72.
I receive blessings through the Aaronic Priesthood.
We receive many blessings through the Aaronic Priesthood. What can you do to help the children you teach understand that these blessings are made possible because the priesthood was restored?
Possible Activities
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Put pictures of a baptism and the sacrament in a container that requires a key to open. Discuss why keys are important, and let the children use the key to open the container. Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 13 and find words and phrases that teach them what blessings come from the Aaronic Priesthood.
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Show the video “Blessings of the Priesthood” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), and ask the children to identify ways people in the video are blessed because of the priesthood.
The Holy Ghost can help me understand the scriptures.
After Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were baptized, the Holy Ghost helped them understand the scriptures better. This might be encouraging to children, who might find the scriptures difficult to understand.
Possible Activities
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Bring a simple puzzle to class, and invite the children to put it together. As they do, ask them how reading the scriptures is similar to putting together a puzzle. Read together Joseph Smith—History 1:73–74, and invite the children to share what helped Joseph and Oliver understand the scriptures. What can we do to seek the help of the Holy Ghost as we study the scriptures?
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Invite the children to make a bookmark that they can put in their scriptures to remind them to seek the Holy Ghost’s help when they read. Perhaps they could find an inspiring phrase in Joseph Smith—History 1:74 that they could write on their bookmark.
Encourage Learning at Home
If you don’t have time for the children to complete the activity page in class, consider sending copies home so the children can work on it with their families.
Improving Our Teaching
Be flexible and listen to the Spirit. Don’t feel like you have to use the ideas in this outline. You know the children you teach; ask Heavenly Father to guide you to the best ways to help them learn gospel doctrine and build their faith.