Jeremiah, by Walter Rane

October 10–16

Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20

“Before I Formed Thee in the Belly I Knew Thee”

“The goal of every gospel teacher … is to teach the pure doctrine of the gospel, by the Spirit, in order to help God’s children build their faith in the Savior and become more like Him” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, front cover).

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Write on slips of paper a few key words from this week’s study of Jeremiah, such as prophet, living waters, gathering, and clay. Put the papers in a container, and invite the children to pick one and share any thoughts they have about it. Help them see how the word relates to something Jeremiah taught.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Jeremiah 1:5

Heavenly Father knew me before I was born.

Because we lived with God before we came to earth, He knows us, even if we can’t remember Him. How will you help the children you teach understand this important truth?

Possible Activities

• Read to the children Jeremiah 1:5, and explain that God knew the prophet Jeremiah before he was born. Tell each child, individually, that Heavenly Father also knew him or her before he or she was born and that He sent each of us here for a purpose.

• Show the children a picture of a baby, and ask the children if they know where this baby lived before he or she was born. Sing together a song that teaches about our premortal life with God, such as “I Am a Child of God” or “I Lived in Heaven” (Children’s Songbook, 2–3, 4). Talk about the spiritual feelings the song brings. Bear your testimony that we all once lived with Heavenly Father and that He sent us here to earth.

Jeremiah 1:7

Prophets are called to speak the words of the Lord.

The calling of Jeremiah shows what the Lord asks prophets to do. How can you help the children you teach strengthen their desire to follow the living prophet?

Possible Activities

• Show the children a picture of the living prophet, and invite them to share what they know about him. What do prophets do? Read to the children what the Lord said to another prophet, Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 1:7. Invite the children to walk in place when you read “go to all that I shall send thee” and to pretend to speak when you read “whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Share your testimony that prophets do and say what the Lord commands.

• Show pictures of prophets from the scriptures (see the Gospel Art Book, Church magazines, and Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Let the children tell you what they know about these prophets. Briefly tell the children about something each one did to help with God’s work. Bear your testimony that prophets are called of God to speak His words and serve His people.

Jeremiah 16:16

I can help Heavenly Father’s children come back to Him.

Citing Jeremiah 16:16, President Russell M. Nelson said, “Our missionaries have searched for those of scattered Israel; they have hunted for them ‘out of the holes of the rocks’; and they have fished for them as in ancient days” (“The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 81).

Possible Activities

• While you read Jeremiah 16:16, invite the children to pretend to fish or hunt. Explain that the fishers and hunters in this verse can represent missionaries. Invite the children to pretend to be missionaries. What do missionaries do? How can we help them?

• Create a matching game using this week’s activity page. When a child finds matching pictures, talk about what that picture shows we can do to help Heavenly Father’s children return to Him.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Jeremiah 1:4–19

Prophets are called to speak the Lord’s word.

How can you help the children strengthen their faith in and understanding of the role of prophets in God’s kingdom?

Possible Activities

• Select a few key verses from Jeremiah 1 that teach important truths about prophets, such as verses 5, 7, 10, and 19. Invite each child to pick one of the verses, read it, and share something he or she learns about prophets from the verse. Invite a few children to share their testimonies of following the prophet.

• Show a picture of the living prophet, and sing together a song about prophets, such as “We Listen to a Prophet’s Voice” (Hymns, no. 22). Help the children make a list of things the living prophet has asked us to do. Select a recent conference message from the prophet, and help the children find counsel in his message. How are we following the prophet? Discuss how counsel from the prophets helps us follow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ better.

• Show the video “Why Do We Have Prophets?” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org), and ask the children how they would explain to a friend why it’s a blessing to have a living prophet (see Articles of Faith 1:6, 9). Invite the children to share their feelings about the living prophet.

Jeremiah 16:14–15

I can be part of the gathering of Israel.

The message about the gathering of Israel found in Jeremiah 16:14–15 can provide a great opportunity to talk to the children about missionary and family history work. This is one way that we “stand as witnesses of God” (Mosiah 18:9).

Possible Activities

• Read together Jeremiah 16:14, and ask the children to share details they remember about how “the Lord … brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” (see Exodus 14). Invite them to read Jeremiah 16:15 to find out what event Jeremiah said would be even more memorable than that. Explain that Israel was scattered throughout the earth, but God promised to gather them back to Him and His Church. This is called the gathering of Israel. How is this similar to delivering people out of captivity?

• Share this statement from President Russell M. Nelson: “Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel” (Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel” [worldwide youth devotional, June 3, 2018], supplement to the New Era and Ensign, Aug. 2018, 15, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How can we help gather Israel?

• Sing together a song about missionary work, such as “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” or “Called to Serve” (Children’s Songbook, 169, 174), or show the video “Your Day for a Mission” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Ask the children what they learn from the song or the video about why someone would choose to serve a mission.

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to take home a copy of this week’s activity page and play the matching game with their families. Encourage them to talk with their families about how missionary work has blessed them.

Improving Our Teaching

Help the children recognize the Spirit. Sacred music often invites the influence of the Holy Ghost. When you sing with the children, take time to help them recognize spiritual feelings that confirm the truth of what they are learning.