The Cry of Jeremiah the Prophet, from an engraving by the Nazarene School

October 17–23

Jeremiah 30–33; 36; Lamentations 1; 3

“I Will Turn Their Mourning into Joy”

The books of Jeremiah and Lamentations might be difficult for children to understand, but your class can still learn lessons from the principles taught in these books. What are you impressed to share?

Record Your Impressions

Invite Sharing

Pass around a copy of the Bible. As the children hold the book, ask them to share something they love about the Old Testament—perhaps a principle or a favorite story they have learned from it at home or at church.

Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children

Jeremiah 31:3

Heavenly Father and Jesus love me.

Feeling the “everlasting love” of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will help the children you teach draw nearer to Them.

Possible Activities

• Show the children some objects (or pictures of objects) that last a long time and some that do not, such as a metal coin and a piece of fruit. Ask the children which one will last longer, and discuss why some things last longer than others. Read Jeremiah 31:3, and help the children understand that the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for them is “everlasting.”

• Ask the children to share how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ show Their “lovingkindness” for them (Jeremiah 31:3). To give the children ideas, sing a song about Their love for us, such as “I Feel My Savior’s Love” or “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 74–75, 228–29). If possible, show pictures of things mentioned in the song. How do we feel when we think about the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

The scriptures can inspire us to repent and turn to the Lord.

Jeremiah 36:1–4

The scriptures are the word of God.

The Lord told Jeremiah to write down His words, and Jeremiah’s writings have been preserved for us in the book of Jeremiah. Help the children deepen their love for the scriptures, where we find the word of God.

Possible Activities

• Invite one child to pretend to be Jeremiah, and invite the other children to be Baruch. Help the child acting as Jeremiah say some words from Jeremiah 36:3 while the other children pretend to write them down, like Baruch did. Testify that the scriptures today are “the words of the Lord” (Jeremiah 36:4) that He asked prophets to write down.

• Display a children’s book and a copy of the scriptures, and ask the children to talk about the differences they notice between the books. What makes the scriptures special? Help the children understand that the scriptures are God’s word written by prophets, just like the book of Jeremiah is what God told Jeremiah to write.

Jeremiah 36:4–10

I can share what I’m learning from the scriptures.

Children can have a great influence on those around them. Like Baruch, they can share what they are learning in the scriptures with others.

Possible Activities

• Invite the children to do actions that go along with the words as you read (or summarize) Jeremiah 36:4–10, such as pretending to write in a book (see verse 4), holding the bars of a jail (see verse 5), and reading the scriptures to the people (see verses 8, 10). Emphasize that Baruch had the courage to read the words of Jeremiah to the people even though the leaders in Jerusalem didn’t want him to. Help the children to remember something they have learned from the Old Testament and to think of ways they can share it with others.

• Sing a song about the scriptures, such as “Search, Ponder, and Pray” (Children’s Songbook, 109). Share your testimony of the scriptures, and invite the children to share their testimonies too.

Teach the Doctrine: Older Children

Jeremiah 31:31–34; 32:38–41

I can keep my covenants with God.

Jeremiah’s teachings about the new and everlasting covenant of the Lord can help the children you teach strengthen their desire to keep their covenants.

Possible Activities

• Draw a heart on the board, and invite half of the children to read Jeremiah 31:31–34 and the other half to read Jeremiah 32:38–41. Invite the groups to write in the heart things they learn from their verses about our covenants with God. How is having God’s law written in our hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33) different from just reading it in the scriptures? Why do we want to make covenants with the Lord? Why does He want to make covenants with us?

• To review the covenants we make when we are baptized, invite the children to make a two-column chart on a piece of paper with the headings My Promises and God’s Promises. Ask them to fill in the chart by using the section titled “The Baptismal Covenant” in the Gospel Topics article “Baptism” (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) or Mosiah 18:10, 13; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37. Invite the children to display the paper at home to help them remember to keep their covenants.

Jeremiah 36

The scriptures are the word of God.

The account in Jeremiah 36 can help the children learn from examples of people who accepted the word of the Lord in the scriptures.

Possible Activities

• Write these questions on the board: Why? Who valued the scriptures? Who did not? Read together Jeremiah 36:1–3, and ask the children why the Lord wanted Jeremiah to write down His words. Then ask the children to work together in pairs to read Jeremiah 36:5–8, 20–25 and identify who showed that they valued the scriptures and who did not. Talk about why you value the scriptures. Share a scripture passage or story that is especially meaningful to you. Invite the children to share as well.

• Invite the children to use this week’s activity page to practice sharing with each other the account in Jeremiah 36. Invite them to share their testimonies of the scriptures.

Lamentations 1:1–2, 16; 3:22–26

The Savior made it possible for me to be forgiven of my sins.

As the book of Lamentations poetically describes, we often feel sorrowful when we sin. These feelings can inspire us to change and ask Heavenly Father for forgiveness.

Possible Activities

• Explain to the children that because the Israelites had not repented, Jerusalem and the temple there had been destroyed. Ask the children to talk about how they might have felt if they had been living in Jerusalem at that time. Read together Lamentations 1:1–2, 16. What words and phrases in these verses help us understand how the Israelites might have felt? How might the message in Lamentations 3:22–26 have given them hope?

• Ask the children to think about a time when they have felt sad for a bad choice they made. What do they find in Lamentations 3:22–26 that helps them know the Lord is willing to forgive them?

Encourage Learning at Home

Invite the children to ask members of their families to share experiences related to the principles you studied in class. For instance, if you discussed the scriptures, the children could ask a family member to share how he or she knows the scriptures are true.

Improving Our Teaching

Keep children’s attention. You may need to think of creative ways to engage younger children. For example, use pictures, songs, games, and other activities.