Joseph Smith Lesson 6-Martyrdom

Joseph Smith: Martyrdom

By: Deborah Pace Rowley

Game: Emotions

This lesson is about the day that Joseph Smith died. It was a very sad day for his family and for the early Saints. They must have felt many different emotions, from anger to loneliness to fear and discouragement. This game will illustrate all the different emotions we feel. Copy and cut out the emotions cards below. To play, one member of the family will draw an emotion card. Then they will stand in front of the family and try to display that emotion on his or her face while everyone else guesses. When the correct emotion is chosen, another member of the family draws a card. Continue to play until all the cards are gone.

Liken the Scriptures: The Death of the Prophet

John Taylor was with Joseph Smith when he died in Carthage Jail and he recorded the events and some of the emotions that Joseph felt. Joseph and Hyrum had been falsely accused and ordered by wicked men to turn themselves in at Carthage Jail. The two brothers went willingly even though they knew that they were innocent and had been told by Holy Ghost that they wouldn’t come home alive. Read Doctrine Section 135 verses 4-5. How did Joseph feel? How would you have felt if you had been in Joseph’s place? Now read what happened at Carthage Jail in Section 135 verses 1 and 2. How do you think Joseph felt before his death? Why did Joseph feel so calm and peaceful? Imagine you lived in Nauvoo on the day that the messenger raced into town on a horse with the message that Joseph Smith had been killed. How would you feel if you thought that this meant the evil men had won and the church was now going to be destroyed? How would you feel if you knew that this was part of God’s plan and that the church would be strengthened because Joseph sealed his testimony with his blood?

Role Play: Reaction

Losing someone to death and other difficult experiences we will face in this life will not be so hard for us if we have an eternal perspective. Have the family show the emotions they would be feelings on their faces if they experienced these situations below. How would you feel if a family member died and you thought you would never see them again? How would you feel if a family member died and you knew you had been sealed and would be with them forever in the next life?
How would you feel if you were very sick and you felt like there was no reason for your suffering? How would you feel if you were very sick and you knew that there was a purpose because God was using this experience to help you become more like Him? How would you feel if you were a spirit in heaven greeting the Prophet Joseph after his death? How would you feel if you were Joseph and Hyrum entering heaven?

Joseph’s death was part of Heavenly Father’s plan. It was not the end of Joseph Smith or the end of God’s church. Read Doctrine and Covenants Section 135:6.

Activity: Quote Hunt

Joseph Smith was one of the greatest men to have ever lived. In just forty-four years he accomplished more than any other man accomplished in a lifetime. For this last activity, have the family find several quotes about Joseph and his life. Copy and cut apart the quotes at the end of this lesson. Prepare ahead by hiding the quotes in the following places.

Obscure Boy- in the refrigerator

Has done more- Under the kitchen table

I have learned for myself- Under the couch cushions

During family home evening help the family find the quotes about Joseph Smith that are hidden around the room by giving them the following clues.

Clue #1

In a place that stores things you’ll find this first clue.

 It isn’t your closet, inside of your shoes.

It isn’t the cupboards, where plates like to hide.

It isn’t the pantry, where snacks can be tried.

It isn’t the shed, where tools can be found.

It’s in the cold place, where food does abound.

When the family has found this clue, lay it out for everyone to see. Read it aloud and have the family discuss it. Why does Joseph say he was an obscure boy? What does obscure mean? Was he obscure because he was so poor and lived in such a small backwoods town? Maybe he felt that he was obscure because he didn’t have a fancy education and he didn’t know any important people. Do you feel obscure some time? After discussing this quote, have the family look for the second quote using this clue.

Clue #2

This place gathers people who like what is there.

It isn’t the office with Dad’s comfy chair.

It isn’t the bedroom with beds to sleep in.

It isn’t the play room with games to begin.

It isn’t the room with the Wii or T.V.

So where could this place possibly be?
It’s a place that we sit three times a day

So we don’t get hungry or faint dead away.

When the family has found the second quote, read and discuss it together. John Taylor wrote this statement about Joseph Smith just after he was killed in the Carthage Jail. How did Joseph go from being an obscure boy to making such an enormous difference in the world? The answer to that question is found in the final quote.  Have the family look for quote #3 with the following clue:

Clue #3

This last place is tricky so listen with care.

Goldilocks didn’t see this hanging out at the Bears.

She never did break it or try it for good.

Baby Bear would’ve loved it if only she would.

It’s a safe place to be unless you’re a cat

And shed your long hair where Mother just sat.

It’s covered with fabric and soft as can be.

You’ll find its just right for our big family.

When you have found the last clue, lay it between Quote #1 and Quote #2. Joseph said this phrase to his mother just after his experience in the Sacred Grove. Joseph had learned for himself about God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ.  He had gained his own knowledge and testimony of truth. This is the reason he was able to go from being an obscure boy to one who accomplished a great mission on this earth. Finding out the truth for himself and gaining his own testimony was necessary for his success. The same is true for each of us. We will be successful, accomplish our mission on this earth, and make a difference in the world if we can follow Joseph’s example and learn the truth for ourselves and learn to receive our own revelation.

Testimony:

Share your testimony and feelings about the Prophet Joseph Smith with your family. Express your knowledge that death isn’t the end and that we will continue to live after we die. 

Treat: Smiley Face Cookies

Make sugar cookies for family home evening then provide frosting and  other things so that family members can decorate the cookies with big smiley faces. Small tubes of decorator’s frosting, pieces of string licorice, mini M&M’s or other small candies make a great choice. As the family is decorating remind them that we can be happy if we keep an eternal perspective about life and death. 

Emotions Cards

Quote Hunt

Joseph Smith Lesson 5 - Temples

Joseph Smith: Temples

By: Deborah Pace Rowley

Activity: Penny Hunt

Prepare ahead by getting one dollar’s worth of pennies. Hide these pennies around the family room before family home evening. When FHE begins tell the family that you are going to imagine that you lived back in Joseph Smith’s time and God had commanded the Saints to build a temple. All the members of the church were very poor and each family sacrificed scraping together every cent they could to help build the temple. It took the Saints three years to build the Kirtland Temple. Do you think it would have been hard to go without things you wanted to help build the temple? How would you feel when the temple was finished? Tell the family that there are 100 pennies hidden around the room. At the signal, the family can rush around trying to find all 100 pennies. When you have found and counted them all, put them in a jar that you have labeled temple fund. Ask the family what other kinds of things pioneer children could have done to earn money for the temple. Could they earn extra money by raising chickens and selling the eggs? Could they plant a garden and sell their vegetables? Could they raise a sheep and sell the wool or a cow and sell the milk? Fathers worked hard on the temple. They would spend 1 day in every 10 days working on the temple .This was like paying tithing with work instead of money. Mothers worked hard too. They would sew clothes for the men working on the temple because their clothes wore out. They donated their beautiful china plates which were crushed and put in the mortar on the outside of the temple this made the temple shine in the sun. Young and old sacrificed to earn money for the temple.

Activity: Chore Challenge

How do children earn money today? They could have a lemonade stand, babysit younger brothers or sisters or do extra chores around the house. Explain that the family is going to play a game called “Chore Challenge” to earn money for the temple fund. Divide the family into two teams. Give each team a list of three or four chores to do around the house. Divide the chores evenly so that they will take approximately the same amount of time to complete. Create the lists based on things that need to be done. Here are some ideas: fold and put away clothes, wash the car, weed the garden, vacuum the stairs, clean out he junk drawer, clean out the car, organize the hall closet, wash the windows in the kitchen, dust the ceiling fans etc. At the signal, both teams runs around to complete all the things on their list as quickly as they can. The first team that is finished earns $5 for the temple fun (or some lesser or greater amount based on your family budget.) The other team earns $3 for the temple fund. Put the money in th e jar and remember to take it to the Bishop on Sunday. Fill out the donation slip by writing the words Temple Fund in the Other Category at the bottom.

 Liken the Scriptures:

When the Kirtland Temple was finished, Joseph Smith dedicated it. The prayer that he said at the dedication is in Doctrine and Covenants Section 11. Read verses 12-23. See if the family members can find all the blessings promised to members of the church who enter the temple. The early Saints had many spiritual experiences during this dedication. Many saw angels. Others said that the temple looked like it was burning on the outside because of the glory of the Lord that shone upon it. The Spirit filled the temple like a mighty, rushing wind, and many people spoke in tongues and began to prophesy. Three days after the Dedication , the Savior appeared to Joseph Smith and  Oliver Cowdry in the Kirtland Temple. This visit is described in Doctrine and Covenants Section 110. Read verses 1 to 10. Did these experiences make the Saints’ sacrifice for three years worth it?

Testimony:

Have family members share their feelings about the temple. Today we don’t generally sacrifice money to build temples other than our tithing money which is spent on temples. But we do need to sacrifice our time to go to the temple often. Express your testimony that the blessings of the temple are worth any sacrifice.

Game: Penny Toss

Place a plate on the floor in front of each family member. This is the temple fund. Give each player 15 or 20 pennies. The goal of the game is to get as many pennies on the plate as possible. Have the youngest members of the family stand closet to their plate while older members have to stand further back to equalize the challenge. The one with the most pennies on the plate after all the pennies have been tossed is the winner.

Treat: Lucky Penny

Bake a cake for family home evening, mixing a clean penny in the batter before putting the cake in the oven. You may wish to wrap the penny in tinfoil first. Bake the cake and then frost it. The tradition is that the person who finds the penny as they are eating the cake will be lucky for a year. Usually this was done on Christmas or for a child’s birthday. This may have even been a tradition that the early members of the church participated in during Joseph Smith’s day. 

Joseph Smith Lesson 4 - Restoration of the True Church

Joseph Smith: Restoration of the True Church

By: Deborah Pace Rowley

Object Lesson: Magic Banana

Prepare ahead for this object lesson by getting a banana and a small needle at least as long as the diameter of the banana. Poke the needle into the banana along a seam and push it far enough to reach to the other side but don’t push it through. Without rupturing the entry point, move the needle back and forth creating a clean slice inside the banana. When you are satisfied that the banana has been cut all the way through, remove the needle and move down a ½ inch along the seam and do this again. Make enough slices so that your whole family can have a piece using this method. During family home evening show the family the banana and tell them that this banana has already been sliced so each person can have a piece. They won’t believe you. Let them examine the banana. Then peel the banana to reveal the slices and pass them out to the family. How did this magic happen? It should have been impossible. Show the family the trick that you have used to cut the banana. The needle made this impossible thing possible. Tell the family that Joseph Smith restored something to the earth like the needle. It made many impossible things possible. Challenge the family to guess what this one thing is in the next activity.

Activity: Take Away Truth

Copy the words strips below and cut them apart. Lay out the word strips for the family so they can see them. Tell the family that without this one thing there wouldn’t be temples. There wouldn’t be Bishops and Prophets etc. Continue to take away each word strip, one at a time. Save Eternal Families and the Earth as the last two things you remove. See if the family can guess what this one essential thing is. The one thing that is necessary for all the other things is the priesthood. Without the priesthood, the church wouldn’t exist. It would be impossible to be baptized or confirmed. Missionaries couldn’t teach. It would be impossible for families to be sealed together forever. We are resurrected after we die by the power of the priesthood. Even the earth was created by the power of the priesthood. Without the priesthood none of these things would be possible. The Priesthood is the power of God on earth. Men who hold the priesthood have the power to act in God’s name. Because God restored the priesthood to the earth through Joseph Smith we have all these blessings.

Liken the Scriptures:

Read Joseph’s account of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood found in Joseph Smith History 1: 68-73. Point out to the family that the restoration of the priesthood came after Joseph asked about baptism. This is often how Heavenly Father reveals things, line upon line, as we come seeking more light and knowledge. He didn’t hand Joseph everything all at once without work and preparation on Joseph’s part. This is true in our lives also.

Game: Restoration Categories

Prepare ahead by writing these letters of the alphabet on small pieces of paper and placing them in a bowl: B, C, D, E, F, G, H, L, M N, P, S, T. To play the game, you will need a piece of paper, a pencil and a timer. Have one family member draw a letter out of the bowl without looking. Place the letter on the table so everyone can see it. When you say Go, begin to time the family for 60 seconds. The family then calls out all the things that they can think of that Joseph Smith taught or restored to the earth that starts with that letter. One member of the family writes them all down. For example for the letter B you could write down Baptism, Bishops, bread for the sacrament, Book of Mormon, and Blessing. For D you could write down Doctrine and Covenants, Degrees of Glory, baptisms for the Dead, divine nature of man, discernment, dedication  of buildings, and the devil. If you are really stumped on one letter, you could have someone flip to the topic guide or index in the scriptures for ideas. Play with as many letters as you would like. Try to beat your record for the most words in one minute. When you have finished, count the total of all the words that you came up with. Isn’t it amazing to think of all the things that we know and understand because of Joseph Smith?

Testimony:

Express your testimony that Joseph Smith restored the true church of Jesus Christ to the earth with the priesthood power and all the principles and ordinances necessary for salvation. Have family members share what the gospel and the priesthood means to them.

Treat: Banana Cream Pie

Use some of the magic bananas to make a simple banana cream pie. Layer sliced bananas on the bottom and sides of the prepared pie crust. Family members could help cut the bananas with the needle if they want to try this magic trick. Remind them that the priesthood is a true miracle because it makes impossible things possible. Mix up instant banana pudding and spoon over bananas. Top with whipped cream.

Print the Take Away Truth Strips HERE

Joseph Smith Lesson 3 - Faith in Trials

Joseph Smith: Faith in Trials

By Deborah Rowley

Object Lesson: Coal to Diamonds

Begin the lesson by having the family list on a white board or large piece of paper all the trials that Joseph Smith had to face in his life. The list may include some of the following: Constant persecution for his beliefs, the death of several of his children, no home of his own, beaten by mobs and tarred and feathered, arrested on false charges and thrown into prison, suffered in Liberty Jail for 4 months, forced to move by mobs, betrayed by his friends. Show your family a piece of coal, or a dark colored rock or piece of charred wood that looks black like coal. Then show the family a diamond. How does a piece of coal turn into something as beautiful and as priceless as a diamond? Explain that intense heat is necessary to bring about this change. Joseph Smith started out as a rough piece of coal at 14 years old and became a treasured diamond to the Lord. What caused the change? Joseph himself described it this way:

“As for the perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life. It all has become a second nature to me, and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation, for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth, for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies. For the Lord God hath spoken it. I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain, and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus, I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.”

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 304)

Activity: Obstacle Course

Work as family to build an obstacle course in the backyard or in an open area inside the house. Some ideas for obstacles inside include: jumping over a stack of pillows, crawling under the table, stepping over a string tied to two chairs, weaving around some bar stools, and climbing over the piano bench. Some ideas for obstacles outside include: Climbing up a slide, running around a tree, crawling under a trampoline, leaping over some pool noodles, weaving around some bicycles, and jumping over a wagon.

After the obstacle course is built, gather the family and tell them that they are going to be timed as they run through the obstacle course. The first time the family runs through the obstacle course, they need to do so while balancing a small object on their nose like a block or little toy. To balance the toy, they will need to hold their nose high in the air, making it hard to see the ground. Give each family member a turn to try to navigate the obstacles this way then discuss it. How did they like running the obstacle course with their nose up in the air? Now give the family a chance to run the obstacle course without something balanced on their noses. Discuss the two experiences as a family. How was the 2^nd time different? How can this be compared to the challenges that we face in this life? When we say someone has their nose in the air, what quality are we referring to? How does pride make our obstacles harder? How does being humble help us in facing challenges?

Liken the Scriptures:

Share with the family the scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants that the Lord gave to Joseph Smith when he was in Liberty Jail. Section 121: 1-6 describes Joseph pleading for help. Section 121:78 and Section 122: 5-9 are part of the Lords’ answer and his comforting explanation about the purpose of trials.

Testimony:

Bear your testimony of the blessing that trials and challenges can be to us if we are humble and turn to the Lord.  Have family members share any personal experiences about how they have made it through difficult times. Encourage the family to be slow to murmur and quick to remember the Lord when they are experiencing challenges.

Treat: Rocks

Have some rocks for refreshments by making a batch of chocolate no-bake cookies. Remind the family of the good things than can come from heat or trials. Use your favorite recipe or try the one below:

No-Bake Cookies

Mix 2 cups sugar, ½ cup butter, and ½ cup milk in a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 ½ minutes. Remove from the heat, add 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour the mixture over 3 ½ cups oats and 4 Tablespoons of cocoa. Quickly stir and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper.