Hebrews 1–6

Using your own words, write on strips of paper truths about Jesus Christ that you find in Hebrews 1:2–10; 2:8–10, 17–18, and hide them around the room. Invite the children to find the paper strips. Help them read the truths written on the papers, and talk about what these truths mean. If necessary, explain that Jesus is called the Son of God because Heavenly Father is the father of both His spirit and His body.

Pass a picture of the Savior around the room, and let each child share why he or she is thankful for Jesus Christ while holding the picture.

Bring a sponge (or washcloth) and a rock to class. Invite the children to touch the objects and describe how the objects feel. Put a few drops of water on each object, and point out that more water soaks into the sponge than into the rock. Explain that our hearts need to be soft and not hard so that we can accept Heavenly Father’s truths into our hearts.

Cut a heart shape out of a soft material, such as cloth, and a harder material, such as cardboard. Tell the children that when we listen and obey we have a soft heart and when we don’t listen and don’t obey we have a hard heart. In your own words, share some examples from the scriptures of people who had soft hearts or hard hearts (such as Nephi, Laman, and Lemuel [1 Nephi 2:16–19], Paul [Acts 9:1–22], or Joseph Smith [Joseph Smith—History 1:11–20]). As you share each example, invite the children to point to the soft heart or the hard heart.

Read Hebrews 5:4 to the children. Ask a priesthood holder to explain what the priesthood is and share his experience receiving the priesthood.

Help the children memorize phrases from the fifth article of faith. Bear your testimony that people who are called to do God’s work are called by God through revelation.

Assign each child a few verses in Hebrews 1:2–10; 2:8–10, 17–18, and invite the children to search in those verses for truths about Jesus Christ. Let them share or write on the board what they find. What else do we know about Jesus Christ? The children might find some ideas in songs such as “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” (Hymns, no. 136) or “He Sent His Son” (Children’s Songbook, 34–35).

Invite the children to draw pictures of themselves with their parents. Ask them to share what they have in common with their parents. Explain that when Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus Christ is “the express image of [God’s] person,” it means that Jesus and Heavenly Father have the same qualities and attributes. Testify that we learn about Heavenly Father by learning about and following Jesus Christ.

Help the children think of people with whom they could share their testimony of Jesus Christ. Consider inviting them to practice sharing what they would tell those people about Jesus.

Ask the children to think of things that are hard and soft. (You may want to bring some examples to show them.) Read together Hebrews 3:8. What does it mean to have a hard heart? Why does God want us to have soft hearts?

In your own words, share the story of the Israelites hardening their hearts against the Lord in the wilderness (see Numbers 14:1–12; Hebrews 3:7–19). Let the children act out the story. What will happen if we harden our hearts against the Lord and His gospel?

Invite the children to read Matthew 13:15; Hebrews 3:15; Mosiah 11:29; and Moses 6:27. Ask them to draw on the board the body parts mentioned in these verses. What does it mean to have spiritually dull ears, blind eyes, and hard hearts? How can we make sure that our ears, eyes, and hearts are ready to receive God’s blessings?

Show the picture Moses Gives Aaron the Priesthood (Gospel Art Book, no. 15) while a child reads Hebrews 5:4. It may be helpful to explain that because Aaron was the first person to hold the Aaronic Priesthood, it was named after him. Help the children think of duties Aaronic Priesthood holders perform (such as baptizing, blessing and passing the sacrament, and inviting others to come unto Christ).

Help the children think about different ways in which people receive authority. For example, how does a teacher, doctor, or political leader receive authority? How does God give His authority? Invite the children to think about this question as they read Hebrews 5:4 and the fifth article of faith.