Additional Sharing Time Ideas, September 2006

The following are additional ideas Primary leaders may use with the Sharing Time printed in the September 2006 Liahona. For the lesson, instructions, and activity that correspond with these ideas, see “Comfort and Courage from the Scriptures” on pages F4 and F5 of the children’s section in this issue.

1. Show Gospel Art Picture Kit 517 (Spencer W. Kimball), and explain that when President Kimball was called to be an Apostle he turned to the scriptures for comfort and support. President Kimball said that 1 Nephi 3:7 gave him comfort. Have the children look up the scripture and read the words of Nephi.

Tell the children that you want them to find some of the other promises taught in the scriptures that give us comfort when we face hard things. Before Primary ask three older children to read the following scriptures during sharing time: John 14:26 (the Holy Ghost), D&C 108:8 (the Lord will bless us and deliver us), and 1 John 2:25 (eternal life). Ask the children to listen for what the promises are as the three children each read a scripture. Testify to the children that they can find comfort and courage in the scriptures just as President Kimball did.

Help the children understand Romans 15:4, another scripture about finding comfort in the scriptures. Write on either wordstrips or the chalkboard: “… things … were written … that we … might have hope.”

Have the children recite this several times. Explain that three periods ( … ) mean that one or more words have been left out of a quotation. Adding just a few words at a time, teach the scripture, defining such words as whatsoever (any or all) and aforetime (at an earlier time). Add “comfort of the scriptures” last.

2. Display the map “The Persian Empire.” (This is map 912 in the meetinghouse library or map 12 in the map section of the scriptures; it can also be printed from www.lds.org under “The Scriptures,” “Study Helps: Bible Maps,” “7. The Persian Empire.”) Explain that the Persian Empire was very large. To give the children an idea of how large, compare the land area to something with which they are familiar. For example, you could say, “The Persian Empire was almost as large as the continental United States.” Place a star on the city of Susa (also called Shushan), and explain that the star represents two things: (1) Susa was the capital of the Persian Empire, and (2) it was the home of Esther. Esther’s name means “star.” Explain that Esther’s name was appropriate because she was a guide to her people. Invite the children to listen as you tell Esther’s story (see Esther 4–5). Focus on how she risked her life by going before the king, asked the people to fast for her, and submitted to the Lord’s will when she said, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). Ask the children what Esther did to be an example to her people.

Tell the children that they can be examples when they have courage like Esther. Ask them what they could do and what they could say to show the kind of courage Esther had. Alternate between what the children can do (“I can invite a friend to Primary” or “I can turn off a television show that isn’t appropriate”) and what they can say (“I don’t think the words to this song are very good. Let’s listen to something else” or “Let’s include Joey in our baseball game. He looks lonely”).