First Furrow, by James Taylor Harwood

May 17–23

Doctrine and Covenants 51–57

“A Faithful, a Just, and a Wise Steward”

In addition to the ideas suggested here, the Spirit may prompt you to focus on something else from Doctrine and Covenants 51–57 that may be important for the children you teach.

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Let the children who want to share something they are learning draw numbers from a container to determine the order in which they will share.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Doctrine and Covenants 51:9

I can be honest.

Many young children are still learning what it means to tell the truth. Consider how you might reinforce the importance of speaking and acting honestly.

Possible Activities

• Read to the children from Doctrine and Covenants 51:9: “Let every man deal honestly” (see also Articles of Faith 1:13). Ask the children if they know what it means to be honest. To help them better understand, give them examples of actions that are honest.

• Share some simple stories of children who face decisions about being honest, such as the decision to admit when they did something wrong. Use pictures, sock puppets, or paper dolls to make the stories more interesting. Ask the children if these people are being honest or dishonest.

• Sing a song about honesty, such as “Stand for the Right” (Children’s Songbook, 159). Bear your testimony about why it is important to be honest.

Doctrine and Covenants 52:10; 53:3; 55:1

The gift of the Holy Ghost is received by the laying on of hands.

Receiving the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands is mentioned several times in Doctrine and Covenants 51–57. This might be a good opportunity to teach the children about this ordinance.

Possible Activities

• Show a picture of a child being confirmed (see Gospel Art Book, no. 105). Invite the children to describe what is happening in the picture. Ask them to clap their hands when they hear “laying on of the hands” or “laying on of hands” while you read one or more of the following verses: Doctrine and Covenants 52:10; 53:3; 55:1.

• Tell the children about when you received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands after you were baptized. Help the children look forward to receiving this gift themselves. Discuss with them ways we can invite the Spirit in our lives.

• Sing “The Holy Ghost” (Children’s Songbook, 105) or a similar song. Point out words and phrases that teach about the gift of the Holy Ghost.

  

  Illustration of a boy being confirmed, by Dan Burr

Doctrine and Covenants 54:4–6

I should always keep my promises.

Leman Copley had covenanted to let Saints from Colesville, New York, live on his land in Ohio. But after they arrived, he broke his covenant and made them leave.

Possible Activities

• Share with the children what happened to the Saints who came to live on Leman Copley’s land (see the section heading for Doctrine and Covenants 54; see also “Chapter 21: A Revelation to Settle in Missouri,” Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 81–83). Help them consider how the Saints might have felt when Leman broke his promise.

• Cut a paper heart in half, and give each half to two different children. Ask them to hold up their halves together to make a whole heart. Let other children take turns holding up part of the heart. Help the children compare this to the promises or covenants we make with God. God will always hold up His side of the covenant if we hold up ours.

• Remind the children that when they are baptized, they will covenant, or promise, to obey God’s commandments. Read to them from Doctrine and Covenants 54:6 how the Lord blesses people who keep their covenants.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Doctrine and Covenants 51:19; 55

I can use the blessings God has given me to bless others.

The Lord has entrusted each of us with gifts and blessings we can use to build His kingdom.

Possible Activities

• Hide the words “faithful,” “just,” and “wise” around the room. Invite the children to find the words in the room and then find them in Doctrine and Covenants 51:19. Read the verse together, and talk about what it means to be a steward. If necessary, read together the first paragraph of “Steward, Stewardship” in the Guide to the Scriptures (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

• Tell the children about William W. Phelps, who was a newspaper publisher before hearing the gospel and moving to Kirtland. Ask the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 55:1–4 and list what God wanted William to do. Which of these things can apply to all of us, and which are specific to William because of his talents? Ask the children to identify talents they see in each other, and discuss how they can use those talents to serve God and His children.

Doctrine and Covenants 52:14–19

God has a pattern to help me not be deceived.

In these verses, the Lord gave a pattern so “that [we] may not be deceived” (Doctrine and Covenants 52:14) by false teachers and messages.

Possible Activities

• Show the children an example of a pattern (such as a pattern for sewing clothes or making something), and talk about why patterns are helpful. To help the children learn about a pattern from the Lord, write on the board phrases like He that , the same is , He that  shall be , and He that  is not . Invite the children to read Doctrine and Covenants 52:15–18 and fill in the blanks. Why is this pattern helpful to us? (see verses 14, 19).

• Draw something simple, and invite the children to follow your pattern to make the same drawing. Then explore with them the Lord’s pattern recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 52:14–19.

Doctrine and Covenants 54

I should always keep my covenants.

Even though our covenants are personal, our faithfulness in keeping them can affect the lives of others. The story of Leman Copley and the Saints from Colesville, New York, illustrates this truth.

Possible Activities

• Share with the children what happened when Saints from Colesville, New York, settled on Leman Copley’s land (see the section heading for Doctrine and Covenants 54; see also “Chapter 21: A Revelation to Settle in Missouri,” Doctrine and Covenants Stories, 81–82). How would it feel to be one of those Saints and find out that Leman broke his covenant to share his land? What does this story teach us about keeping our covenants? Read together Doctrine and Covenants 54:6 to learn about a blessing the Lord gives to those who keep their covenants.

• Remind the children of the covenants they made when they were baptized (see Mosiah 18:8–10). Help them think of ways they are keeping these covenants, and help them see how this will prepare them to make additional covenants in the future.

Encourage Learning at Home

If the children seemed to enjoy one of the activities today, suggest that they repeat that activity at home with their families.

Improving Our Teaching

Live what you teach. Your teaching will be more powerful if you can testify from personal experience about the blessings of living the gospel. As you select principles to teach the children, ponder how you can live those principles more fully. (See also Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 13–14.)