This blogpost features a half-sheet activity page to complement the Come Follow Me (CFM) reading for March 10-16, which includes Doctrine and Covenants sections 20-22. Click here for an index and links to my CFM blogposts for other weeks.
LESSON IDEAS FOR TAKING CHRIST'S NAME UPON YOU (D&C 20:77)
Below you will find some discussion points and activities that you could incorporate into your lesson on this topic. Which ones you use and how the discussion goes will very much depend on the age and level of understanding of your class. Use the Spirit as you prepare and teach this lesson.
Attention Activity:
Share the meaning behind your name or the name of a family member. Share how it was chosen and what it meant (even if it's just because your parents just really liked the name). Ask your class members if they know if they are named after anyone or if their name was chosen for a special reason. Allow for a few minutes for class members to share if they choose.
Share: Share a story of how someone heard what your last name was and assumed they knew things about you...maybe because they knew one of your siblings or your grandparents. You can share how the assumptions they made were or were not true. In my own case, a lot of people knew my husband's grandparents with the same last name as ours when we moved to DC. They were a very musical family and often assumed that we must musical too.
Ask:
Have you ever been somewhere and someone found out your name and assumed things about you? How did it make you feel? How would you feel if someone assumed negative things about you just because of someone you know?
Discuss:
Talk about how it can be a good thing or a bad thing when people make assumptions about you based on who you are affiliated with.
Ask and discuss:
What does it mean to be a Christian? Being a Christian means taking Christ's name upon us. Depending on the age of your students, this could be a great opportunity to talk about the fact that there are people who don't believe that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are Christian because of our views of the Godhead. But not only does the name of our church bear the name of Christ, but that we make a covenant each week to take His name upon us.
Read D&C 20:77 and discuss:
Discuss what it means to take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ. How does taking His name influence who we are and the way we try to live? How can we show to others that we are Christians by the way we live our lives?
Scripture Activity:
Depending on the age of your students, either have them independently or in groups, read Mosiah 5:7 together, then skim the rest of Mosiah 5 and search for a few reasons why it’s important to take the name of Christ upon us. You may want to give a little background about what this chapter is about first: about how King Benjamin taught his people about Christ and how many of them wanted to join with him and take Christ's name upon them.
Here are a few examples of things to look for (any of these would make for more discussions if the Spirit leads you in that direction):
verse 7--hearts are changed
7-become his sons and daughters
8--only way to salvation
9-be on the right hand of God
10- if you don't, then you'll be on the left hand of God
12-you will know God's voice
15-brought to heaven
have everlasting salvation and eternal life
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_92mKlQOlk
This is a great video that shows an example from President Monson's life about a time when he had to stand alone in his beliefs and that people were very much looking to him to learn what a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands for.
Relate:
After watching the video, discuss examples from the scriptures of people who had taken upon them the name of Christ and ended up standing alone in their beliefs. (Abinadi, Samuel the Lamanite, Jonah, Paul, etc )
Read quote #1 :
#1 “We promise to take His name upon us. That means we must see ourselves as His. We will put Him first in our lives. We will want what He wants rather than what we want or what the world teaches us to want” Henry B. Eyring
Group Activity:
Divide the class into three groups, and ask each group to discuss one of the following questions: What does it mean to see ourselves as Christ’s? How do we put the Savior first in our lives? What does it mean to want what the Savior wants? Ask one person from each group to share with the rest of the class what her group discussed.
QUOTES ABOUT TAKING THE NAME OF CHRIST UPON US
#1 “We promise to take His name upon us. That means we must see ourselves as His. We will put Him first in our lives. We will want what He wants rather than what we want or what the world teaches us to want” Henry B. Eyring
#2 “Our willingness to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ affirms our commitment to do all that we can to be counted among those whom he will choose to stand at his right hand and be called by his name at the last day. In this sacred sense, our witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ constitutes our declaration of candidacy for exaltation in the celestial kingdom. Exaltation is eternal life, “the greatest of all the gifts of God.” Dallin H. Oaks
#3 " For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 2 Nephi 25:23
#4 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life"— Mosiah 18:9
#5 "Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine." Mosiah 26:18
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These activity sheets are designed to print double-sided and cut in half. They're perfect for reviewing or introducing the content found in the Come, Follow Me reading each week and would be great used in a classroom or home setting. I have no children at home, nor do I have a calling working with youth, so I copy these to be handed out with the sacrament programs each week. Kids, teens, and adults enjoy them. 😊HERE IS THE LINK TO THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITY SHEET (in case it's not showing below)
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Enjoy learning the Gospel together! 💗
