Lesson 43

We Have a Living Prophet

“Lesson 43: We Have a Living Prophet,” Primary 1 (2000), 142–44


Purpose

To help each child understand that we are blessed when we follow the prophet.

Preparation

  1. Prayerfully study 1 Samuel 3:1–10, 19–20. See also Gospel Principles (31110), chapter 9.

  2. List on individual pieces of paper several teachings of the living prophet from conference addresses or writings in Church magazines. Prepare at least as many pieces of paper as there are children in the class. Fold the pieces of paper and put them in a bowl or basket. The teachings might include—

    • Learn from the scriptures every day.

    • Keep the Sabbath day holy.

    • Pray every day.

    • Go to sacrament meeting and Primary.

    • Be honest.

  3. Materials needed:

    1. A Bible.

    2. Picture 1-4, The First Vision (Gospel Art Picture Kit 403; 62470); picture 1-29, Building the Ark (Gospel Art Picture Kit 102; 62053); picture 1-42, Boy Samuel Called by the Lord (Gospel Art Picture Kit 111; 62498); picture 1-66, Moses and the Burning Bush (Gospel Art Picture Kit 107; 62239); a picture of the living prophet.

  4. Make the necessary preparations for any Enrichment Activities you want to use.

Learning Activities

Invite a child to give the opening prayer.

Attention Activity

One at a time, show the pictures of Noah (picture 1-29), Moses (picture 1-66), and Joseph Smith (picture 1-4). Invite the children to tell what they know about what is happening in each picture.

After discussing what the children know about the pictures, briefly explain that Jesus told Noah to build an ark so his family would be saved from a flood. Jesus told Moses to free the Israelites from slavery. Jesus told Joseph Smith that he should not join any of the churches then on the earth.

Prophets talk with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

Explain that Noah, Moses, and Joseph Smith were all prophets. A prophet is a man who talks with Heavenly Father and Jesus. Since Heavenly Father and Jesus are not on the earth to teach us, they have prophets to help them. Heavenly Father and Jesus teach the prophet, and the prophet teaches us what we should do so that we can be blessed and happy.

Story

Show picture 1-42, Boy Samuel Called by the Lord, and tell the story of Samuel being called to be a prophet, as found in 1 Samuel 3:1–10, 19–20. Read 1 Samuel 3:10 to the children.

Explain that Samuel was a young boy when Jesus spoke to him the first time. When he grew older, he taught his people what Heavenly Father and Jesus wanted them to do.

Activity

Ask three children to pretend to be Samuel, Eli, and Jesus and act out the story. Repeat with other children in the roles, if desired.

We have a prophet on the earth today

Display the picture of the living prophet. Tell the children something you know about the prophet.

Have the children stand and say, “(Name of the living prophet) is a prophet of God.”

  • Why do we need a living prophet? (So we can know what Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to do.)

Explain that the prophet teaches us by speaking at conferences. Conferences are big meetings attended by a lot of people. We might be able to listen to the prophet on television, radio, or recordings. His words are also written in Church magazines that our parents or others can read to us.

Activity

Have each child select a piece of paper from the bowl or basket you prepared. Read the message on each piece of paper and discuss it briefly with the children. Tell the children that these messages are all things that the living prophet has asked us to do.

Activity

Ask the children to think of ways they can follow the prophet. Toss or hand a beanbag or soft object to each child and say, “I will follow our prophet by .” Have each child finish the sentence with a way he or she can follow the prophet.

We are blessed when we follow the prophet

Refer again to the pictures of Noah, Moses, Joseph Smith, and the living prophet. Explain that because Noah’s family followed him, they were saved from a flood. Because the Israelites followed Moses, they were led out of Egypt into a better land. Because people followed Joseph Smith, they became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Explain that these people were blessed because they followed the prophet. We will also be blessed when we follow the prophet.

Song

Help the children sing or say the words to the chorus of “Follow the Prophet” (Children’s Songbook, p. 110). Explain that to go astray means to do wrong things. Have a child hold up the picture of the living prophet while you sing.

Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; don’t go astray.

Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet; he knows the way.

Testimony

Share your testimony of the living prophet. Tell the children that you know that when we follow the prophet, we will be blessed and happy.

Enrichment Activities

Choose some of these activities to use during the lesson.

  1. Obtain an audiocassette or videocassette recording of the living prophet to play for the children, or show pictures of him from Church magazines.

  2. Sing or say the words to “We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet” (Hymns, no. 19) for the children.

  3. Retell the story of President Lorenzo Snow’s vision of the Savior (see lesson 26). Explain that Jesus appeared to President Snow to tell him how to lead the Church. Jesus told President Snow what to teach the members of the Church.

  4. Think of some situations where the children could follow the prophet’s teachings. Describe each situation to the class, and have the children tell or act out what they would do in each situation to follow the prophet. For example: “You see some money in the kitchen. You would like to have it, but you know it belongs to your mother. What will you do to follow the prophet’s teaching to be honest?”

Additional Activities for Younger Children

  1. Display a picture of the living prophet during the entire class time. Take time to tell the children who he is. Explain that he loves them and wants to help them return to Heavenly Father and Jesus. Repeat this two or three times during the class.

  2. Play “Follow the Leader” with the children. Have the children stand in a line. The first child in line runs, hops, skips, or does some other action to the other side of the room. The other children follow the first child, doing what he or she did. Then the first child goes to the end of the line, and the next child becomes the new leader. Continue until each child has had a turn to be the leader.

    After the game, explain that the prophet is the leader of the Church. If we follow the things he tells us to do, he will lead us back to Heavenly Father and Jesus.

  Listen