August

Sharing Time Ideas

Jesus Christ Is The Son of God, and He Is a God of Miracles

Week 1- Jesus Christ is a God of Miracles.
Prepare letters that spell MIRACLES on half sheets of paper. (print, cut apart, color or post on colored paper if desired) Attach an activity to the back of some letters. (i.e.-story of Jesus calming the storm Mark 4:36-39, Jesus filling the nets with fish Luke 5:1-11, personal story from yourself or someone in the ward, a primary song- you may choose to add more stories or songs if you feel you will have more time) Place letters all around the primary room.  Call on children to pick a letter  (for Jr. primary you may want to do them in order to spell "miracles").  If the letter has an activity on the back- tell the story or sing the song. Otherwise just put on the board in front.  Sr. primary can unscramble the word "miracles" at the end. Testify after each activity how it shows that Christ has power over the earth- you can discuss how miracles help people.


Week2- Jesus Christ can heal the sick.
Prepare to tell the story when Jesus healed the Nephites (3 Nephi 17). Ask the children to raise their hand if the have ever been healed or knew someone who had.  Ask them if Jesus came down and healed them.  Tell them that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ gave us 2 gifts- Prayer and Priesthood Blessings so that we can be healed.  I used gift bags and cut a square out- put a gift bow on the top and labeled on Prayer- one Priesthood Blessings.  In the center of the board I hung a picture of Jesus healing the Nephites. The labeled gifts one on each side.  Then I made a couple more gifts with bows with a story on the back.  I held up all the gifts and had a child pick one, I read the story and asked them if they were healed through prayer or Priesthood Blessing and they hung it on that side.  I used one personal story of a child in the primary, one of George Albert Smith (As a young boy, George Albert Smith was very ill with typhoid fever, a disease that killed many people at that time. The doctor advised his mother to give him coffee to drink, but George refused it. Instead, he asked for a priesthood blessing from their ward (home) teacher. The next morning, when the doctor arrived, he found George Albert in the yard, playing. “I was grateful to the Lord for my recovery,” he said. “I was sure that He had healed me.”)  A story from the friend called Nora's Blessing, and one called Mimi's Testimony- I only told the 2nd half of that one.  That filled all the time exactly.

Week 3- Jesus Christ has power over death.
Start by having the children list the things that they know that Jesus Christ can do. ( heal, teach, love, make the earth, etc) Talk about how He raised the dead.  That Christ has power of death.  Bring some simple costumes (scarf, robe, etc) for teachers to wear as they read the following stories or others you pick: raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–45); the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:21–24, 35–43); the raising of the widow’s son (Luke 7:11–16); and the Resurrection (John 20:1–18). The other thing you could do is have children dress up instead of teachers.  Testify that Jesus Christ has power over death and that each of us will be resurrected.

Week 4- Miracles come to those who have faith.

Write on the board Doctrine and Covenants63:9: “But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.” Explain that the word signs in this scripture can also mean miracles. Have the children stand and read the scripture aloud together. Point out the word faith. Explain that miracles are not always dramatic events and that we must first have faith, and then we will recognize miracles in our lives. Also
explain that even though we have faith, we will still experience sorrow, pain, and suffering, but God is aware of our needs and will care for us. Make a simple matching/memory game to introduce each scripture story, by preparing 2 cards that say- MOSES, WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH, DANIEL & LION'S DEN, BROTHER OF JARED, NEPHI & LEHI (in prison)  As a match is found, tell in your own words the story. You can again include families in your own ward with personal experiences. Testify that as we have faith, we will see miracles in our lives.