All through the scriptures, we encounter repeated and clear invitations from the Savior to come unto Him. He invites all to come unto Him, and His arms are stretched out all the day long. One of the most beautiful messages of the gospel of Jesus Christ is this:
All are invited. All are wanted. All are welcome.
This week's lesson will help your children to recognize that THEY belong, and will also encourage them to learn to love to others as Jesus did.
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➤ L E S S O N
Open the lesson with a song and a prayer.
🎶 O P E N I N G S O N G : "I'll Walk With You"
➤ P R E P A R A T I O N
Cut out the animal circles on the activity page (cut on the dotted lines). Hide these throughout the room, but keep one of them so that it can’t be found. Cut out the “Invitation List.”
➤ I N T R O D U C T I O N
Tell children that the king of the forest is having a birthday party, and six animals are invited to go to the party! Instruct children to search the room to see if they can find all the animals who are invited to the party. Let children glue the animals into position as they find them.
When children realize one of the animals is missing, gather them for a discussion and ask the following questions:
1) Who is missing from the party? (Name the missing animal)
2) How do we know this animal is missing? (Because it’s on the invitation, we know it is
supposed to be there)
Explain that Jesus Christ invites ALL to come and follow Him. Each of our names is on His invitation list and He knows when we are missing. Just like we know ________ is missing from the animals list.
Name each child individually and say the following phrase for each person in the room:
“_______ is on the invitation list and Jesus Christ knows if ______ is missing.”
Now reveal the missing animal and allow children to glue it into position.
🎥 V I D E O : "The Lonely Hedgehog | Christ Invites All to Come Unto Him"
Say: “We are going to watch a video about a lonely hedgehog. He is looking for someone to play with him. He is going to ask all of these animals to play with him (show them the invitation list).”
Ask: “Which animal do you think will invite the hedgehog to play?” (Allow children to make guesses.)
Say: “Let’s watch and see!”
Discuss the following questions after watching the video:
1) Which animal invited the hedgehog to play? (Rowdy Raccoon!)
2) Who else was invited to play with Rowdy Raccoon? (All of the animals in the forest.)
3) Why did the other animals not want to play with the hedgehog? (Discuss.)
4) Who does Jesus invite to come unto Him? (All of us!)
➤ S C R I P T U R E
Discuss the following questions before reading the verse:
1) What does the word “invite” mean? (Discuss.)
2) Can you think of a time when you were invited? (Discuss.)
3) What is something we could do with our hands when we are inviting someone? (Reaching out, open palms, gesturing to come closer, etc.)
4) What does the word “deny” mean? (Discuss.)
5) Can you think of a time when you were denied? (Discuss.)
6) What is something we could do with our hands when we are denying someone? (Arms forward with palms blocking them, arms up in an “X” shape, folded arms, turning away.)
Read the following scripture together and discuss the questions that follow. Tell children to listen for the words “invite” and “deny.” Instruct children to act out the words with gestures when they hear them.
1) Who does Jesus Christ invite? (All.)
2) What are we invited to do? (Come unto Him, partake of His goodness.)
3) Who does Jesus Christ deny? (None that come unto Him.)
➤ A C T I V I T Y
Invite children to color the scene with Jesus Christ. Next, invite children to color the forest animals, cut them out, and glue them into the scene with Jesus Christ. Use this opportunity to discuss the Savior’s invitation for all to “come unto me.”
➤ T E S T I M O N Y
Bear testimony of the truths found in the scriptures.
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'Come, Follow Me' is a resource offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is designed to be used in the home to support personal and family scripture study to build faith in Heavenly Father and His plan of salvation and in the Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Come, Follow Me is self-contained and adequate, when used properly. Products and materials designed to supplement this resource, though they may be helpful in some instances, are not necessary for a successful home study program.