Family Home Evening for Matthew 3; Mark 1; and Luke 3

 Read 

Matthew 3:16-17

16 ​And Jesus, when he was ​​​baptized​, went up ​​​straightway​ out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the ​​​Spirit​ of God descending like a ​​​dove​, and lighting upon him:

​​​17 ​And lo a ​​​voice​ from heaven, saying, This is my ​​​beloved​ ​​​Son​, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 1:9-11

9 ​And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was ​​​baptized​ of John in Jordan.

​​​10 ​And straightway coming ​​​up​ out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a ​​​dove​ descending upon him:

​​​11 ​And there came a voice from heaven, ​saying,​ Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luke 3:21-22

21 ​Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being ​​​baptized​, and praying, the heaven was opened,

​​​22 ​And the ​​​Holy Ghost​ descended in a bodily shape like a ​​​dove​ upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Discuss

Have members of your family seen someone be baptized or confirmed a member of the Church? 

What did family members feel when they were baptized or when they witnessed a baptism?

How is being baptized and confirmed like a new birth? 

When we are baptized, all of our sins and wrong doings are washed away, so we are as clean as we were the day that we were born. 

When we are born into this world, we have parents to guide us and help us along the way. After being confirmed we receive a spiritual guide to help us. This spiritual guide is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will be your constant companion and help you to know and understand what Heavenly Father and Jesus would like you to know. He will also be there to give you warnings and help you choose the right.

Why are we fully immersed in water when we are baptized? 

We are baptized by immersion. This means that we go fully under the water, before being brought back up. “Baptism symbolizes death, burial, and resurrection and can only be done by immersion (“Baptism,” Bible dictionary).

Think about when we physically die, we are buried completely in the ground, and when Jesus returns to the earth, we will be resurrected and come out of the grave. The same with baptism. To be spiritually reborn, we must bury the natural man (our sins) completely under water, and then we are spiritually reborn, as we rise from the water.

Why do we wear white when we are baptized?

When we are baptized, we wear white to symbolize that we are clean and pure from all of our sins.

 Why is the gift of the Holy Ghost described as a “baptism of fire”?

The Holy Ghost acts as a cleansing agent to purify them and sanctify them from all sin. Thus it is often spoken of as “fire”. (Bible Dictionary, “Holy Ghost”)

Click on the picture below to see how we did this lesson.

Family Home Evening for John 1

 Read John 1:35-36

35 ​​​Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

​​​36 ​And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the ​​​Lamb​ of God!

Discuss

Why might John the Baptist have called Jesus “the Lamb of God”? Consider the following quotes from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s message “Behold the Lamb of God” and Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s message “Good Shepherd, Lamb of God” in your discussion: 

Behold the Lamb of God

Reverently, but audible enough for those nearby to hear, John uttered the admiration that still moves us two millennia later: “Behold the Lamb of God.”

It is instructive that this long-prophesied forerunner to Jesus did not call Him “Jehovah” or “Savior” or “Redeemer” or even “the Son of God”—all of which were applicable titles. No, John chose the earliest and perhaps most commonly recognized image in the religious tradition of his people. He used the figure of a sacrificial lamb offered in atonement for the sins and sorrows of a fallen world and all the fallen people in it.

Good Shepherd, Lamb of God

• As Lamb of God, our Savior knows when we feel alone, diminished, uncertain, or afraid. In vision, Nephi saw the power of the Lamb of God “[descend] upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord.” Though “scattered upon all the face of the earth … they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”

Also, consider these thoughts:

Adam and Eve were commanded to make a sacrifice of a firstborn, unblemished lamb, when they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. They were taught that this represented the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, for the salvation of men. We don’t sacrifice animals any more, because Jesus, the Lamb of God Atoned for our sins and gained victory over death, fulfilling the ultimate sacrifice for us. Now, we partake of the sacrament every week, sacrifice a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and promise Jesus to always remember Him and keep His commandments.

Activity 

Discuss as a family how you can better prepare your family to partake of the sacrament each week. To help you get ideas, read these excerpts from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s message “Behold the Lamb of God”

“Behold the Lamb of God”

• My beloved brothers and sisters, with the exciting new emphasis on increased gospel learning in the home, it is crucial for us to remember that we are still commanded to “go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day.” In addition to making time for more home-centered gospel instruction, our modified Sunday service is also to reduce the complexity of the meeting schedule in a way that properly emphasizes the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as the sacred, acknowledged focal point of our weekly worship experience. We are to remember in as personal a way as possible that Christ died from a heart broken by shouldering entirely alone the sins and sorrows of the whole human family.

• Inasmuch as we contributed to that fatal burden, such a moment demands our respect.Thus, we are encouraged to come to our services early and reverently, dressed appropriately for participation in a sacred ordinance. “Sunday best” has lost a little of its meaning in our time, and out of esteem for Him into whose presence we come, we ought to restore that tradition of Sabbath dress and grooming when and where we can.

• As for punctuality, a late pass will always be lovingly granted to those blessed mothers who, with children and Cheerios and diaper bags trailing in marvelous disarray, are lucky to have made it to church at all. Furthermore, there will be others who unavoidably find their ox in the mire on a Sabbath morning. However, to this latter group we say an occasional tardiness is understandable, but if the ox is in the mire every Sunday, then we strongly recommend that you sell the ox or fill the mire.

• In that same spirit, we make an apostolic plea for the reduction of clamor in the sanctuary of our buildings. We love to visit with each other, and we should—it is one of the joys of church attendance—but it ought not be pursued so vocally in space specifically dedicated for worship.

• Brothers and sisters, this hour ordained of the Lord is the most sacred hour of our week. By commandment, we gather for the most universally received ordinance in the Church. It is in memory of Him who asked if the cup He was about to drink could pass, only to press on because He knew that for our sake it could not pass. It will help us if we remember that a symbol of that cup is slowly making its way down the row toward us at the hand of an 11- or 12-year-old deacon.

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

Family Home Evening for Matthew 2; Luke 2

 Read or Summarize Luke 2

Each of these people were influenced by the younger life of the Savior. As you read these accounts, think about how the experiences of these people make you feel and testify to you of the Savior’s divine mission and purpose.

Joseph

• Joseph was from the lineage of King David. He was the same David that we learned about last year. The one that killed Goliath. 

• Joseph was there when Simeon and Anna the Prophetess testified of Him and he “marveled at those things which were spoken of him.” (vs 33)

• Took care of Jesus and had to travel 3 days to find Jesus, when He stayed in Jerusalem to teach at the temple, when He was 12-years-old

• Taught Jesus how to make things out of wood, as a carpenter.

Mary

• Jesus was her firstborn son. She took care of Him, just like your parents take care of you.

• Most of the things that Mary learned from raising Jesus, she kept close and pondered them in her heart.

• Mary knew that Jesus would go through a lot, and it was really hard for her to watch her son go through it.

• When Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, to teach in the temple, she was scared and worried that Jesus was lost.

Shepherds

• Were visited by angels that told them that Jesus was born.

• They went with haste to see Jesus

• And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

• As they bore testimony of what they saw, many people also came to see Jesus. 

• They returned from seeing Jesus glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.

Angels

• Told people where to find Jesus

• Praised God and sang songs to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Simeon

• It was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord Christ.

• The Spirit told him to go the temple and he got to see Jesus, when Mary and Joseph brought Him to be circumcised. 

• He took Jesus, blessed God, and said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

Anna the Prophetess

• Was also at the temple with Simeon. 

• Thanked God and bore testimony to everyone who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

You can click the following pictures to see video accounts of the events in Luke 2 (Anna is not in these videos. Her account will need to be read from Luke 2:36-38).

Discuss

Think about how these people were changed by their interactions with the young Savior. How has learning about the Savior’s childhood helped your testimony increase?

Click the picture below to see how we did this lesson

Family Home Evening for Matthew 1; Luke 1

 Read Luke 1:37

37 ​For with God nothing shall be ​​​impossible​.

Discuss

In Luke 1, we read about 2 things that seem impossible. They are the stories of Zacharias and Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Read or summarize these stories. Our summaries are below:

Zacharias and Elizabeth were too old to bare children. They continued in faith and Zacharias was visited by an angel in the temple. He was told that Elizabeth would bare a son, and that his name would be John. Zacharias doubted that with God all things are possible. His voice was taken from him, until Elizabeth took their baby boy to be circumcised. Many people thought Zacharias would name his only son after him, but at the temple, he wrote in the sand that the baby’s name would be John. He was able to speak again after this. This baby is John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus. Click the picture to see this story.

Mary was not married yet. An angel came to her and told her that she would become the mother of Jesus. Mary couldn’t believe it was possible at first. The Angel told Mary that with God, all things are possible. Mary told the angel that she would do whatever God needed her to do.

Click the picture to see this story.

Discuss

Has there ever been anything that seemed almost impossible for you to do? With the New Year barely beginning, think about a way that you could ask God to help you learn or do something that is hard or seems impossible. Maybe you could work on developing a talent, break a bad habit, set a goal to do a major act of service every month (or 12 times this year, see www.justserve.org for ideas), or something else of your choosing. Write it down where you can reflect on it often. In your daily prayers, ask Heavenly Father to help you achieve your goal. This will help your family gain a personal testimony of how “with God, all things are possible.”

Click here to see how we did this lesson