Sunday School Supplements

I have always loved reading about the miracles Christ performed during his ministry. In some ways, miracles are the great equalizer. They are performed for powerful centurions and lowly Canaanite women. The stories of Christ’s miracles are primarily stories of all kinds of people approaching Christ in their absolute brokenness, soul-crushing desperation, and outlandish hope, and finding Christ’s personalized and overflowing love for them there.

The Gospel Doctrine Lesson #8 focuses on a section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew 5. The objective as stated in the manual is “[t]o encourage class members to come unto Christ by applying the principles he taught in the Sermon on the Mount.”

Objective To comment on the story that opens NT Gospel Doctrine Lesson 9, in which Elder William Bradford counseled about a “higher law of recognition.” He stated: “Recognition from on high is silent. It is carefully and quietly recorded there. Let them feel the joy and gain the treasure in their heart and soul that come from silent, selfless service.” Commentary There’s been a tension in my personal life between a desire for recognition, and a desire to be so pure-hearted t

The Gospel Doctrine lesson #10 focuses on some of Christ’s acts of mercy which expand the old, Mosaic Law to all people. The goal of the lesson from the manual is “to help class members understand that as we take the Savior’s yoke upon us and do his will, we will find the peace and joy that he has promised.”

Gospel Doctrine Lesson #11 discusses the parables taught by Jesus in Matthew 13. The objective as stated in the manual is “to help class members develop ‘ears to hear’ so they can understand how Jesus’ parables apply to them.”

Somewhere in the symbol of bread is lodged the great contradiction of Christian discipleship. Bread is the “staff of life” — the staple of every day’s subsistence. It evokes simplicity and accessibility, the one food found on the tables of both rich and poor, the “daily” necessity (Prov 30:8). And yet, it can only be made by the strain of many months’ “sweat” and “labor” (Gen 3:19, Moses 5:1). We all know the story of the little red hen! When cultivated in Biblical times, gr

The objective of the Gospel Doctrine Lesson #13 manual is “to strengthen class members’ testimonies that Jesus is the Christ and that the priesthood keys bestowed on the Mount of Transfiguration have been restored.”

Jesus’ statement in Matthew comes just after He tells the parable of the “lost sheep.” In this parable, Jesus emphasizes how important it is to search for one lamb missing from the fold, even if 99 are safe. For a moment, let’s consider that the “ninety and nine” are those children who are already in our care– whether they be our own children or others we are responsible for. With this in mind, the “wandering one” would be those children outside of that circle.

One of U.S. history’s little-known legacies is that of the women who kept and tended lighthouses from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries. The first female lighthouse keeper (known) in the country was Hannah Thomas, who watched over the Gurnet Point Light Station in Massachusetts from 1776 to 1786.

Before preparing to write about this Sunday School lesson, I came home from work and my almost two-year-old daughter was unhappy to see me. When I tried to feed her a bottle she rolled on the floor crying and screaming until her dad (& very favorite person) picked her up and fed it to her. When I tried reading her a book, she grabbed it out of my hands and threw it on the floor. When I tried with another book, she did it again.

I’d like to consider the story of the widow’s offering (see Mark 12:41-44) on several different levels: SpatialJesus is described as being “over against the treasury” (Mark 12:41). Mark sometimes uses this kind of “stage direction” to make a theological point; in this instance, the point would be that Jesus was opposed to the temple. This might sound strange to Latter-day Saints, but the point isn’t that Jesus was “against” the temple, in general, but rather that he was agai

The first two parables are brief but pointed: A shepherd leaves his 99 sheep for the sake of the one that is lost. He carries it home and celebrates with his family and friends. In the next parable, a woman searches for her lost coin, likewise rejoicing when it is found. In comparing repentant sinners to a coin and a sheep, Jesus demonstrates their worth in concrete, measurable terms.

By way of preamble, I want to say that I believe that the atonement of Jesus Christ is basically the universal law that makes all things, both physical and spiritual, possible. I believe that it binds atoms together with a physical force. I believe that it is the power that will enable our body and spirit to reconstitute as resurrected beings. It is the law of light and the moral law of the universe that allows sins to be remitted.

The lesson manual invites the teacher to ask class members to silently consider these questions: “Am I paying tithing, giving to the poor, attending my meetings, and serving others for my own glory or for the glory of God? In all my actions, do I seek to draw closer to my Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ?”

The Gospel Doctrine #21 manual objective is “to help class members recognize the signs that will precede the Savior’s Second Coming and to encourage members to prepare themselves for this great event.” Our Objective To highlight references to women in the Olivet Discourse. Commentary Jesus’ words about the destruction of the temple and the last days are found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. I will focus on the account in Mark 13.

When the parables found in Matthew 25 (Ten Virgins, Talents, and Sheep and Goats) are brought into conversation with each other a cohesive message emerges detailing how we can achieve exaltation. Covenant Making: The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13)

If we are suppose to be like Jesus, then how can we also be “the way, the truth, and the life”? This has been very personally for me recently as I am expecting– I am literally participating in the miracle of giving life to another being. However, no matter what your situation or gender, I think we can all be life-givers in a wide variety of ways.

Lesson #24 continues Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciples in John 16, followed by what the manual calls the great intercessory prayer of John 17. This is also called the Farewell Prayer or High Priestly Prayer. In Chapter 16, Jesus explains the need for his imminent departure. Think–did he really have to leave?

Throughout my life, I have often been called stubborn. There are all sorts of titles people will assign to those of us who hate conforming to the expectations of others: Insubordinate. Uncooperative. Difficult. Uncompromising. Opinionated. Proud. Obstinate.

One of the most pivotal moments in the sacred history of the world is recounted in the gospel of John. Christ’s testimony of his mission to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, takes my breath away: “Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37).