POST-AND-PRESENT ACTIVITY. ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM Sacrament Thinking Faces & Sing-a-Song Circles. Youth can prepare to think the right thoughts during the sacrament by drawing and placing circles: #1 SMILE CIRCLE tells right action during sacrament; place it by the Always Remember Him sign. #2 FROWN CIRCLE tells the wrong action; place it below the sign. #3 SINGING CIRCLE tells a song to sing (the first verse); place by the sign.
Great for COME FOLLOW ME, Primary and Family Home Evening, Bible Study, and Activity Days
POST-AND-PRESENT Activity:
ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM Sacrament – Thinking Faces & Sing-a-Song Circles
Youth can present this activity to children.
Objective: Help children/youth learn what they should think about when they partake of the sacrament.
ACTIVITY:
- Talk about the Sacrament Ideas detailed below.
- Have children/youth come up and draw a circle from the pile, reading the right action (smile) or wrong action (frown) that could be chosen during the sacrament. Place the smiles or right actions next to the Always Remember Jesus poster and place the frowns or wrong actions below the picture (as shown).
- Jesus broke the bread into pieces and blessed it. He asked the Apostles to eat it to remember His body, which He gave when He suffered and died on the cross.
- When children/youth draw a Sing a Song circle, turn it over and sing the first verse of the song, posting the circle at the top of the poster of Jesus. This will help children think of words from songs about Jesus during the sacrament. You can download song visuals for some of the songs which are provided in the pdf to cut out and tape on the backs of the Sing-a-Song circles.
SACRAMENT IDEAS (A-C):
A. Think of Jesus. Point to the picture of Jesus in the center of the board and tell children/youth, “We will always remember Jesus Christ when we partake of the sacrament. We will remember how He gave the first sacrament to His Apostles right before He died. He wanted them to always remember Him and to be strong and faithful after He left the earth.” Then explain the following:
- Jesus broke the bread into pieces and blessed it. He asked the Apostles to eat it to remember His body, which He gave when He suffered and died on the cross.
- Jesus took a cup of wine and blessed it. He asked the Apostles to drink it to remember His blood, which He shed for those who believe in Him. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for our sins and bled from every pore so we would not have to suffer for our sins if we repent. He also bled when He was crucified on the cross for us.
It is important that we go to sacrament meeting every week to partake of the sacrament of bread and water. This helps us remember Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us, and it allows us to renew the promises we made to Heavenly Father when we were baptized. Partaking of the sacrament each week helps us keep the commandments.
B. Renew Baptismal Covenants. Tell children/youth that when we partake of the sacrament, we renew our baptismal covenants. These covenants are mentioned in the sacrament prayer.
C. Review Promises in Sacrament Prayers. Read the sacrament prayers (BREAD—Moroni 4:3 or D&C 20:77 and WATER—Moroni 5:2 or D&C 20:79) to learn about important promises.
- The promises we make: (1) to witness or report back, to Heavenly Father and Jesus on what we have done, (2) to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ, (3) to always remember Jesus Christ, and (4) to keep His commandments.
- The promise Heavenly Father makes to us if we keep our promises: We will always have His Spirit to be with us. (This promise is in both sacrament prayers.)
Tell children/youth that if we do something wrong during the week, we need to repent before taking the sacrament on Sunday (see D&C 46:4). We can also pray silently for forgiveness during the sacrament.
TO MAKE:
Print, color, and cut out the images on white cardstock paper and frown and smile actions (word-strips) and songs:
1. Wordstrips: Glue the frown actions on the backs of the frowning faces and the smile actions on the backs of the smiling faces.
2. Songs: Choose five songs, and glue one on the back of each of the 5 song circles.
3. Poster: Mount the Jesus poster on a poster paper and laminate the entire poster. Laminate other images. Have double-stick tape ready to mount images. Mix up face and song circles, and place them in a pile.
TESTIMONY SHARING: Ask children/youth to share their testimony on the following. Ideas: What does it mean to take upon myself the name of Jesus Christ? When we are baptized, we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. We renew this covenant when we partake of the sacrament (see D&C 20:77). We fulfill this covenant by putting the Lord first in our lives, by striving to think and act as He would, and by standing “as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9).
THOUGHT TREAT: PROMISING Cookies or Crackers. Make a frown and a smiling face on two round cookies or crackers using frosting in a tube or processed cheese. Tell children/youth that we are sad when we don’t keep God’s commandments and happy when we keep our baptismal covenants and we are ready to take the sacrament each week. Think of our choices this week so we are smiling and ready to partake of the sacrament and promise to follow Jesus.
Source ST.2014.12
LESSON IDEAS (for activity above):
• LESSON 6 “What does it mean to take upon myself the name of Jesus Christ?”
MORE LESSON ACTIVITIES (on the subject):
• COME FOLLOW ME New Testament Lesson 15 “EASTER: “O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?” (Matthew 21-28 Jesus Christ has the power to help me overcome sin, death, trials, and weaknesses. Jesus suffered for me in Gethsemane and on the cross.) ⇒
