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The Sacrament Helps Me Think about Jesus Christ

Introduction for the Teacher

To prepare yourself spiritually to teach this lesson, please read and ponder the following:

On the night before His death on the cross, Jesus Christ gave the sacrament to His Apostles and said, “This do in remembrance of me” (see Luke 22:19–20). After His Resurrection, He did the same among the Nephites (see 3 Nephi 18:1–11). Today we also partake of the sacrament in remembrance of the Savior’s sacrifice for us. We witness to God that we will always remember Jesus Christ and keep His commandments. (See D&C 20:77, 79.)

Preparation

• With the permission of the bishop or branch president, bring empty sacrament trays to nursery.

• Bring a copy of the Bible. Mark Luke 22:19 so that you can turn to it easily. Also mark page 106 in this manual.

Learning Activities

Begin with a gathering activity. For ideas, see page 3.

Prayer

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Song

Show the picture of Jesus on page 106 while you sing the first line of “Reverently, Quietly” (Children’s Songbook, 26):

Reverently, quietly, lovingly we think of thee. (point to the picture of Jesus)

Repeat a few times to help set a reverent atmosphere. Invite the children to sing with you.

Jesus Christ

Scripture

Tell the children that every Sunday we do something very special to remember Jesus—during sacrament meeting we eat a small piece of bread and drink a small cup of water. Tell them that this is called the sacrament. Invite the children to say “sacrament.” Tell the children that we learn in the scriptures that Jesus wants us to take the sacrament to remember Him. Open the Bible to Luke 22:19 and say, “Jesus said, ‘This do in remembrance of me.’ ”

Picture

Show the picture of a deacon passing the sacrament (page 114). Point out details in the picture, such as the deacon and the people sitting quietly. Let the children hold the sacrament trays you brought while you explain in simple terms what happens during the administration of the sacrament—we listen quietly while the sacrament is blessed; we take one piece of bread; we drink the water and put the cup back in the tray; and we think about Jesus.

passing the sacrament

Activity Verse

Recite the following activity verse, and invite the children to join you:

Quietly I eat the bread (pretend to eat bread)

And drink the water too. (pretend to drink water)

I fold my arms and think of Jesus— (fold arms)

That’s what I should do. (nod head up and down)

[M. W. Verbica, “The Sacrament,” Friend, Feb. 1995, 17]

Conclusion

Show the picture of Jesus on page 106. Ask the children, “Who should we think about when we take the sacrament?” Invite the children to say, “Jesus.”

Prayer

Invite a child to give the closing prayer.

Teaching Tips

Reverence: Use a quiet voice and respectful manner to help the children understand that the sacrament is sacred.

Holding objects: Young children think simply and literally. They do not understand abstract ideas. Giving them objects to handle that are related to the lesson helps them learn. Make sure that they handle the sacrament trays with reverence and respect. There should not be any bread or water in the trays for this activity.

Optional Activities

Preparation

• For the guest activity: Arrange for an Aaronic Priesthood holder to come to the nursery class and talk about how he helps administer the sacrament.

• For the role play and the game: Copy the cards on page 115. Color the cards, if desired, and cut them out.

  coloring page, sacrament book

  I can listen while the sacrament prayers are said.

  I can think of Jesus when I eat the bread.

  I can think of Jesus when I drink the water.

  The sacrament helps me think about Jesus.

• For the book: Copy and cut out the cards on page 115 for each child. Bring some yarn or string.

Guest

Introduce your guest to the children. Explain that he has the priesthood. Ask him to talk briefly about how he prepares, blesses, or passes the sacrament. Invite him to share his feelings about the sacrament.

Role Play

Hold up the cards you prepared, one at a time. Read the caption and have the children pretend to do what is shown in the drawing (for the first three cards only). For example, have them fold their arms and bow their heads and reverently pretend to take the bread and the water. Praise them for their efforts each time. When you hold up the drawing of Jesus, ask the children, “Who should we think about when we take the sacrament?”

Game

Place the cards you prepared face down on the floor or on a table. Invite one of the children to turn over one of the cards. Read the caption on the card. Repeat until each child who wants a turn has had one.

Book

Give each child the four cards you prepared for them. Punch a hole in the corner of each card. Thread some yarn or string through the holes, and tie the string to make a small book for each child. Then read the book to the children.

book diagram

Teaching Tips

Prayer: You may want to give the opening or closing prayer yourself occasionally to show the children how to pray. They learn as much from your example as they do from what you say to them.

Reverence: When you ask the children who we should think about during the sacrament, some of them might shout the answer. If they do, gently teach them to use Jesus Christ’s name with reverence.

Adapt activities to meet your needs and resources. For example, if you don’t have yarn or string to use for this activity, you can bind the cards together in some other way. Or you could let the children color the illustrations without making them into a book.