Family Home Evening for Ezekiel 1-3; 33-34;36-37; 47

 Read or Summarize Ezekiel 37

Make sure to emphasize the 2 different symbols, represented in this chapter. Here is an example of our summary:

Dry Bones

Ezekiel was shown a land that was covered in dry bones. These bones were so dead and dry that there wasn’t any sign of life in any of them. Ezekiel asked if the bones could ever live again.

The Lord asked him to tell the bones about Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Ezekiel did what the Lord asked, and the bones began to shake and rattle. Then, they started to come back together. Then, their insides and skin came back on their bones. They looked like they did before they died and turned into bones, but they were still not alive. So the Lord told him to speak to the wind. This symbolized calling the Spirit back to the body. When Ezekiel did this, the spirit and the body came back together, and they were resurrected. Ezekiel asked who all of these people were. The Lord said that this was the House of Israel, and because of Jesus Christ they will all be resurrected, and when they come out of their grave, they will know Jesus Christ is the reason they can be resurrected, and His Spirit will be with them.

Stick of Judah and Stick of Joseph

Ezekiel was told to take 2 sticks. On one stick, the Lord told Ezekiel to write “For Judah, and for the children of Israel” and on the other one write “ For Joseph and for Ephraim and all of the House of Israel.” The Lord told Ezekiel to join these two sticks together. The Lord told Ezekiel that this represented what Jesus will do in the last days. He said that He will gather all of the children of Israel and the house of Israel together into one place, and He will be their king and they will all be one people.

Discuss

Latter-day revelation has revealed that the Stick of Judah represents the Bible.

 About 975 years before the birth of Christ the tribes of Israel were divided. When King Rehoboam and King Solomon made the people pay taxes or money. During Rehoboam's reign, the tribe of Judah and most of the tribe of Benjamin wanted Rehoboam as their king. They became the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem, where Jesus was born, was the main city. The people of Judah wrote the Bible. This is why we call it the Stick of Judah.

The other 10 tribes and the rest of the tribe of Benjamin chose Jeroboam as their king. They called themselves Israel, and became also known as Ephraim, because Ehpraim was the strongest tribe. Ephraim’s dad was Joseph. So they were of the tribe of Joseph. 

In about 721 B.C., Israel was captured by the Assyrians, under Shalmanezer, and carried away, and subsequently, became lost to the knowledge of men. They are now referred to as "the lost ten tribes."

About 600 years before Christ was born, a prophet, named Lehi, left the rest of the other people from Joseph’s tribe and came to the Americas. Lehi and his posterity kept a Spiritual record of their lives and visions, visits from Jesus Christ before His birth and after His resurrection, and even how some of them were destroyed because of wickedness. This record is known as the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is the Stick of Joseph, talked about in Ezekiel.

Now, the Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah have been reunited to teach us about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. Together, they teach us about how we can become like Heavenly Father and Jesus and return to them.

President Nelson explains the importance of the Book of Mormon in gathering all of the tribes together in the following video:

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Family Home Evening for Jeremiah 30-33; 36; Lamentations 1; 3

 Read Jeremiah 31:3

1 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

3 ​The ​​Lord​​ hath appeared ​​​of old​ unto me, ​saying,​ Yea, I have ​​​loved​ thee with an everlasting ​​​love​: therefore with loving kindness have I ​​​drawn thee​.

Discuss

This scripture says that Heavenly Father and Jesus love us with an “everlasting love.” In the past few weeks, we have learned and discussed the Plan of Happiness, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and other ways that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have shown us their everlasting love. As a family, discuss how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have helped you feel of their everlasting love.

Click the picture below to see how we did this video

Family Home Evening for Jeremiah 1-3; 7; 16-18; 20

 Read Jeremiah 1:5

5 ​Before I ​​​formed​ thee in the belly I ​​​knew​ thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I ​​​sanctified​ thee, ​and​ I ​​​ordained​ thee a prophet unto the ​​​nations​.

Discuss (Show pictures, summarize, and/or bear testimony of the following)

This scripture is very important, because it helps us to know that we lived before we came to earth. Heavenly Father knew our spirits before we came to earth to receive bodies. In Heaven, before you came to earth, there was a war. 

Heavenly Father presented His beautiful Plan of Salvation, also known as the Plan of Happiness. This Plan made it so that we could come to earth, receive our bodies, and return to Him again. In order for us to be able to make it back to Heavenly Father, we needed to be able to repent of our mistakes. The only way that this could happen was to have a Savior. Two people wanted to be the Savior. 

Lucifer, also known as the devil or Satan, wanted to be the Savior. He didn’t love Heavenly Father or us. He wanted to change Heavenly Father’s Plan and take all of Heavenly Father’s power and glory. 

Jesus also volunteered to be the Savior. He loved Heavenly Father, and He loved us. He offered to come to earth, receive a body, atone for our sins, and be resurrected, so that Heavenly Father’s Plan could be fulfilled.

Jesus was chosen as the Savior and Messiah. This made Satan very angry. Heavenly Father cast Satan out of Heaven. One-third of all the people in Heaven left with Satan. You were part of the people who stayed and decided to follow Heavenly Father’s Plan. You not only decided to follow His Plan, but you were one of the most valiant of that group. This means that you were one of the people that loved Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and powerfully supported God’s Plan of Happiness. You stood strongly for them there, and you promised to stand strongly for them here. President Russell M. Nelson has said this about you, “You are a chosen generation, fordetermined by God to do a remarkable work–to help prepare the people of this world for the Second Coming of the Lord.” 

This valiant spirit is in your body. Heavenly Father knew you, before you even went into your mommy’s tummy. He knows who you are, and He knows what you can and will become. You were saved and prepared to come in the latter days, to be born to your parents, and to be an example of Heavenly Father’s light and hope in the world.

Click the picture below to see our video for this lesson

Family Home Evening for Isaiah 58-66

 Read or Summarize Isaiah 58:3-11 

Have your children act our the different kinds of fasting, as you read or summarize these verses 

3 ​​ ​​​​Wherefore​ have we fasted, ​say they,​ and thou seest not? ​wherefore​ have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your ​​​fast​ ye find ​​​pleasure​, and ​​​exact all your labours​. 

​​​4 ​Behold, ye fast for ​​​strife​ and ​​​debate​, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not ​​​fast​ as ​ye do this​ day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

​​​5 ​Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? ​is it​ to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes ​under him?​ Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the ​​Lord​​?

​​​6 ​​Is​ not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the ​​​bands​ of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go ​​​free​, and that ye break every yoke?

​​​7 ​​Is it​ not to deal thy bread to the ​​​hungry​, and that thou bring the ​​​poor​ that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from ​​​thine own flesh​?

​​​8 ​​Then shall thy ​​​light​ break forth as the morning, and thine ​​​health​ shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the ​​Lord​​ shall be thy ​​​rearward​. 

​​​9 ​Then shalt thou ​​​call​, and the ​​Lord​​ shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I ​am.​ If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the ​​​putting​ forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 

​​​10 ​And ​if​ thou draw out thy soul to the ​​​hungry​, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light ​​​rise in obscurity​, and thy darkness ​be​ as the noonday: 

​​​11 ​And the ​​Lord​​ shall ​​​guide​ thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in ​​​drought​, and ​​​make fat​ thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a ​​​spring​ of water, whose waters fail not.

Which of these ways is a more acceptable fast for the Lord?

Discuss 

What is fasting?

According to Gospel Topics:

Fasting is a commandment from the Lord where we humble ourselves before Him by voluntarily refraining from eating and drinking.

In the Church today, one Sabbath day each month is set aside for the purpose of fasting. Members of the Church go without food and water for two consecutive meals in a 24-hour period and then contribute the money that would have been spent for that food to those in need

There are 2 parts to fasting

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught: “Without prayer, fasting is not complete fasting; it’s simply going hungry. If we want our fasting to be more than just going without eating, we must lift our hearts, our minds, and our voices in communion with our Heavenly Father. Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. It can fill our minds with the revelations of the Spirit. It can strengthen us against times of temptation.

To see how we did this lesson, click on the picture below