Lesson 32

Remembering Jesus Christ When We Take the Sacrament

Purpose

To help the children always remember Jesus Christ and their baptismal covenants as they take the sacrament.

Preparation

1. Study 3 Nephi 18:1–11; 20:1–9; and Matthew 26:17–30.

2. Prepare a bag containing several small items.

3. Review the account of Jesus and the Nephite children from lesson 30 under the heading “Jesus Christ Loves All Children.”

4. Prepare to help the children sing or say the words to “I Feel My Savior’s Love” (Children’s Songbook, p. 74); the words are included at the back of this manual.

5. Materials needed:

   1. A Book of Mormon and a Doctrine and Covenants.

   2. Picture 3-57, Jesus Blessing the Nephite Children; picture 3-22, The Last Supper (62174, Gospel Art Picture Kit 225); picture 3-1, John the Baptist Baptizing Jesus (62133, Gospel Art Picture Kit 208); picture 3-51, Sermon on the Mount (62166, Gospel Art Picture Kit 212); picture 3-56, Christ and the Children (62467, Gospel Art Picture Kit 216); picture 3-10, The First Vision (62470, Gospel Art Picture Kit 403); and picture 3-59, Passing the Sacrament (62021).

   3. If possible, a sacrament tray for the bread and for the water.

6. Make the necessary preparations for any enrichment activities that you will be using.

Suggested Lesson Development

The Sacrament Can Help Us Remember Jesus Christ

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Follow up with the children if you encouraged them to do something during the week.

Attention activity

Take the small items, one at a time, out of the bag you prepared. Briefly describe each item. When you have finished, have the children tell you which item you took out first, second, third, and so on.

Explain to the children that this activity helped them see how well they could remember.

Show picture 3-57, Jesus Blessing the Nephite Children. Have the children tell what they remember about this event. Commend them for what they can say.

Picture and discussion

Explain that when Jesus Christ was with his Apostles in Jerusalem, he sent Peter and John to prepare a special supper for him and the Twelve Apostles (see Matthew 26:17–30).

Display picture 3-22, The Last Supper.

Explain that Jesus Christ told his Apostles that this would be the last time he would eat with them. He knew that he was going to die soon. After the dinner had been eaten, Jesus did something that had never been done before on this earth. He blessed and passed the sacrament. He broke bread into pieces and told his Apostles that when they ate it they should think of his broken body. He gave them wine and told them to remember his blood that would be spilled on the ground for them. He told them that they should remember that he had given his life so that we might live forever.

Scripture story

Explain that when Jesus visited the Nephites, he also gave them the sacrament (see 3 Nephi 18:1–11). As he had done in Jerusalem, Jesus sent the twelve disciples to get bread and wine. (Explain that we use water instead of wine for the sacrament today.) While the disciples were gone, Jesus told the people to gather around him on the ground.

When the disciples returned with bread and wine, Jesus Christ broke the bread in small pieces and blessed it. He gave each disciple a piece of the bread to eat. Then Jesus instructed the disciples to pass the bread to the rest of the people. When this was done, Jesus blessed and passed the wine to the disciples and then had them pass it to the people. He explained that he would give them the authority to bless and pass the sacrament to all members of his Church.

Again, after everyone had taken the sacrament, Jesus Christ explained its purpose as he had done for his Apostles in Jerusalem.

Scripture reading and discussion

Read aloud to the children 3 Nephi 18:7 in the Book of Mormon. Tell them that this is what Jesus Christ said when he gave the Nephites the sacrament. Emphasize that taking the sacrament shows Heavenly Father that we will remember Jesus Christ.

• How do you think the Nephites felt about Jesus Christ when they took the sacrament?

Discussion with objects

Display picture 3-59, Passing the Sacrament.

Discuss with the children what occurs during the sacrament service. Use questions to bring out the following ideas:

1. We usually sing a sacrament hymn.

2. Priesthood holders (usually priests) break the bread. Show the children a sacrament tray for the bread.

3. A priesthood holder (usually a priest) kneels and says the sacrament prayer on the bread. (You might want to read the words of the sacrament prayers found in Moroni 4 and 5 and in Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79.)

4. Priesthood holders (usually the deacons) pass the bread.

5. A priesthood holder (usually a priest) kneels and says the sacrament prayer on the water. (Show a sacrament tray for the water.)

6. Priesthood holders (usually the deacons) pass the water.

• What should we be thinking about when the sacrament is being passed? (Jesus Christ and how much he loves us.)

We Should Remember Jesus Christ during the Sacrament

Discussion

• What can we do to remember Jesus Christ during the sacrament?

• What are some stories about the Savior we might think of during the sacrament?

• What are some songs that we might think of during the sacrament?

During the sacrament, we can think of the things we know about Jesus Christ to help us remember and love him.

Song

Help the children sing or say the words to “I Feel My Savior’s Love.”

• How did you feel when you were singing or saying the words to this song?

• How would you feel if you thought about the words to this song during the sacrament?

Picture discussion

Tell the children that you have several pictures and you want them to tell you about each one. Show the pictures and briefly discuss each one with the children. Try to involve each child as much as possible. Use picture 3-1, John the Baptist Baptizing Jesus; picture 3-51, Sermon on the Mount; picture 3-56, Christ and the Children; and picture 3-10, The First Vision.

Remind the children that they can think about Jesus Christ by remembering stories about him and thinking of how much he loves them.

Role-play activity and discussion

Tell the children that they are going to do an activity to help them remember how they should act during the sacrament. Choose two children at a time to role-play the following ways of acting. Have them come to the front of the room. Whisper to each one what he should do. Have the other children watch and then choose which way they should act during the sacrament. Have the two participants tell what they were thinking about. Discuss with the children why the positive behavior allows them to think of Jesus Christ more reverently.

Pretend to draw a picture or color.	Sit reverently and think about stories from the scriptures about Jesus Christ.
Pretend to whisper to your neighbors.	Sit reverently and think about how much Jesus Christ loves you.
Pretend to be playing with a toy and making noises with it.	Reverently partake of the sacrament and then reverently pass it on.

Summary

Scripture reading

Explain to the children that they should remember Jesus Christ when they take the sacrament and also during the rest of the week. Reread the following sentence from 3 Nephi 18:7: “And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.”

Teacher testimony

Bear testimony that Heavenly Father is pleased with us when we try to remember Jesus Christ and obey his teachings. Encourage the children to think of Jesus Christ the next time they take the sacrament.

Invite a child to give the closing prayer.

Enrichment Activities

Choose from the following activities those that will work best for your children. You can use them in the lesson itself or as a review or summary. For additional guidance, see “Class Time” in “Helps for the Teacher.”

1. If possible, obtain a small picture of Jesus Christ for each child and write a short, individualized note on the back. Tell the children that they can put the pictures where they will be reminded of Jesus and his love for them.

2. Read or sing “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, p. 57).

   Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,

   Things I would ask him to tell me if he were here.

   Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,

   Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

   Oh, let me hear how the children stood round his knee.

   I shall imagine his blessings resting on me;

   Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace,

   All in the love light of Jesus’ face.

   Tell me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea,

   Tossing the boat in a tempest on Galilee!

   And how the Master, ready and kind,

   Chided the billows and hushed the wind.

3. Invite each child to whisper in your ear as he leaves the class one thing that he will think about Jesus Christ the next time the sacrament is passed. Whispering will keep the children from simply repeating what others said and will help with reverence as they leave the classroom.

4. Have the children listen to the following story about a boy who was helped by remembering Jesus:

   “Scott and his family had just moved to a new city. The first day in his new home was his eighth birthday, but he had no friends to play with and no visits from grandparents or cousins as he always had before.

   “His mother said, ‘Don’t worry, Scott, school will start next week and then you will make lots of new friends.’

   “School started, but if anything Scott felt more lonely. All of the boys seemed to have their own friends. They laughed and had fun together, but Scott was not invited to join them. He watched from the sidelines. When school was over each day, he walked home by himself. …

   “Scott later looked back at this lonesome time and said, ‘Before I moved, my [Primary] teacher gave me a small, framed picture of Jesus. I placed this by my bed. Every time I looked at this picture, I felt better. I remembered that Jesus loved children. I felt that he loved me and knew how I felt” (Family Home Evenings manual no. 1 [1972], p. 140).

   • How did remembering Jesus help Scott?

   • How can remembering Christ help us?

5. Challenge the children to remain quiet for one minute and think about Jesus Christ.

6. Read or sing “To Think about Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, p. 71).

   It shouldn’t be hard to sit very still

   And think about Jesus, his cross on the hill;

   And all that he suffered and did for me;

   It shouldn’t be hard to sit quietly.

   Chorus:

   It shouldn’t be hard, even though I am small,

   To think about Jesus, not hard at all.