Why is the First Vision important?
She used on of the attention activities from the lesson first.
Show
a picture
of the First Vision.
Ask someone in the class to briefly describe what is happening in the
picture. Invite the young women to ponder for a few moments the
significance of this event. Ask them to look for insights during the
lesson that will help them understand the importance of the First
Vision.
Then she handed out her hand out and had a girl read it and the class discussed it briefly.
Then we started playing her game. She divided them into 2 teams and asked one of the leaders to be score keeper. Then she just let the girls choose from a category.
Complete the Scripture
In this category we left out the word highlighted in gray, we should have left off the scripture reference because she didn't let the use their scriptures. The question in ( ) was asked after each ? was answered for an additional 100 bonus points which was the most amazing thing about the game because it cot the girls discussing. This is from the second bullet under learning together in the lesson.
100- I was one day reading in
the Epistle of
James, first chapter and fifth verse which reads: If
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. -JSH 1:11
200- In
accordance with this, my determination to ask God, I retired to the
woods
to make an attempt. -JSH 1:14
300- It was
the first time in my life
that I had made such an attempt...to pray vocally. -JSH 1:14
400- Immeditaley,
I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had
such astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue.
-JSH 1:15
500- When
the light rested upon me, I saw two Personages...One
of them spake unto me calling me by name and said, pointing to the
other- This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
(Why
is it important to us?)
Truths
learned by the
First
Vision
We used the 2nd section again to come up with these ideas, and left out the gray words and just put in a line ______ or blank instead. And used the question and 100 bonus points to motivate a good (thoughtful) answer.
100- God
hears and answers our prayers.
200- God's
powers are greater than Satan's
300- Satan
and his powers are real.
400- The
Father and The Son are separate beings.
500- Revelation
has not ceased.
(How
are these truths different from what other religions believe?)
Flood
of Revelation
No one had taught this lesson What was Joseph Smith's role in the restoration? and we were running out of material so we used this talk by Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge to add more info to our game. Again we took out the gray words and used the 100 bonus point question at the bottom of this category.
100- You
are more than human. You are a child of God
and
may become like Him.
200- There
is more after this life than only heaven and hell. There are degrees
of glory,
and it matters a great deal what we do in this life.
300- The
billions who live and die without the gospel ordinances are not
lost. The laws and ordinances of the Gospel can be administered for
both the living and the dead.
400- Everything
did not begin at birth.
You lived before in the presence of God as His
son
or daughter and prepared for this mortal life.
500- Marriage
and family
are
not conventions of men until only death do us part. They are intended
to be made eternal
through
covenants we make with God. The family is the pattern of heaven.
(How
would our lives be different if we did not know these things?
)
God
and Jesus manifest themselves
This category came from the 4th bullet in the original lesson. We used 2x3 inch printed pictures as our question and the team had to summarize the story for the points (Moses was really hard but the other worked great). And of course we used a bonus question again to encourage thoughts and discussion.
100- John
the Baptist baptizes Jesus-One
day when John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan River,
Jesus came to him. Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize Him. John
the Baptist knew that Jesus already obeyed all of the commandments.
He thought Jesus didn’t need to be baptized. But Heavenly Father
had commanded everyone to be baptized, so Jesus told John the Baptist
to baptize Him. When Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy
Ghost came
upon Him like a dove. Heavenly Father spoke from heaven. He said,
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” John the
Baptist also testified that Jesus was the Son of God.
200- Jesus
appears to the Nephites-
When Jesus died, there were earthquakes, fires, and storms. The
Nephite people were very afraid. Some of the righteous people
gathered at the temple.
After
the earthquakes were over, a voice came down from heaven. It was the
voice of Heavenly Father. He said, “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased.”
Jesus
let people come close to Him. He asked them to touch the nail prints
in His hands and feet from when He had been crucified. How the people
loved Him!
300- The
Brother of Jared-
When the barges were finished, the brother of Jared talked with the
Lord about how they would have to cross the ocean in darkness. The
Lord wanted the brother of Jared to tell Him how to light the barges.
So he went up into the hills and smelted sixteen stones until they
were as clear as glass. Carrying them to the top of a mountain, he
asked the Lord to touch the stones with His finger so that they might
shine in the darkness.
When
the brother of Jared had finished praying, the Lord did as he had
asked and touched the stones with His finger. The veil was removed
from the brother of Jared’s eyes, and he saw the finger of the
Lord. Then, because of the brother of Jared’s great faith, the Lord
showed him the rest of Himself, teaching him that all men are created
in the Lord’s image.
400- Moses
-
Before
Moses
led
the children of Israel through the wilderness, he was called by the
Lord to a high mountain. There he saw the glory of God and spoke to
Him face to face.
“And,
behold, thou art my son.” He told Moses that He had an important
work for him to do.
Moses 1:1-4
500- Stoning
of Stephen-
Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart,
and they gnashed on him with their
teeth.
55
But
he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven,
and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God,
56
And
said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing
on the right hand of God.
57
Then
they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran
upon him with one accord,
58
And
cast him
out
of the city, and stoned him:
and
the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose
name was Saul.
59And
they stoned Stephen, calling upon God,
and
saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60
And
he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,Lord, lay not this sin
to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Summarize
each story. (How was Joseph Smith’s First Vision similar to this?)
We actually had enough discussion that she didn't get done with the game. She still had 2 unanswered questions at the end. The quotes below were her backup time fillers that she didn't use. This one is the opening statement on the lesson page.
In
the spring of 1820, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith. This vision, which marked the
beginning of the Restoration of the gospel, is the most important
event since the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith’s humble
prayer led to the restoration of gospel truths, priesthood authority,
and saving ordinances. “That one revelation answers all the
[questions] regarding God and his divine personality. ... His
interest in humanity through authority delegated to man is apparent.
The future of the work is assured. These and other glorious truths
are clarified by that glorious first vision” (Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay [2003],
93).
This is part of the story Pres. Uchtdorf used in his talk (the 1st bullet in the lesson) that we really couldn't figure out a way to make into a category but did hand out a quote from it and intended to use this shortened version of his story.
While
the congregation sang our beloved hymns of the Restoration, I pumped
with all my strength so the organ would not run out of wind. I
always felt honored by the importance of this duty and the trust that
the organist had placed in me. It was a wonderful feeling of
accomplishment to have a responsibility and to be part of this great
work.
There
was an additional benefit that came from this assignment: the bellows
operator sat in a seat that offered a great view of a stained-glass
window that beautified the front part of the chapel. The stained
glass portrayed the First Vision, with Joseph
Smith kneeling
in the Sacred Grove, looking up toward heaven and into a pillar of
light.
During
the hymns of the congregation and even during talks and testimonies
given by our members, I often looked at this depiction of a most
sacred moment in world history. In my mind’s eye I saw Joseph
receiving knowledge, witness, and divine instructions as he became a
blessed instrument in the hand of our Heavenly Father.
I
felt a special spirit while looking at the beautiful scene in this
window picture of a believing young boy in a sacred grove who made a
courageous decision to earnestly pray to our Heavenly Father, who
listened and responded lovingly to him.
Here
I was, a young boy in post–World War II Germany, living in a city
in ruins, thousands of miles away from Palmyra in North America and
more than a hundred years after the event actually took place. By the
universal power of the Holy
Ghost,
I felt in my heart and in my mind that it was true, that Joseph Smith
saw God and Jesus Christ and heard Their voices. The Spirit of God
comforted my soul at this young age with an assurance of the reality
of this sacred moment that resulted in the beginning of a worldwide
movement destined to “roll forth, until it has filled the whole
earth” (D&C
65:2).
I believed Joseph Smith’s testimony of that glorious experience in
the Sacred Grove then, and I know it now. God has spoken to mankind
again!
-The Fruits of the First Vision
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Here are the photos we used in the last category:
