Family Home Evening on the Sacrament

We did this family home evening for activity days.  It fills the requirement in the Faith in God book that says:  "Explain how taking the sacrament helps you renew your baptismal covenant. In a family home evening, teach
others about things we can do to remain faithful." It is chock full of fun object lessons that use common household objects and are easy for kids to do.

Materials needed:

Towel and object

sling

bowl of water, pepper, soap

picture of a key with the word “covenant” on the back

paper and scissors
glass jar
sand
quarter

Sacrament Family Home Evening Lesson

Practice saying the fourth article of faith with your family:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are;

First, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;

Second, repentance;

Third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins;

And fourth, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Say: When we take the sacrament we show faith in Jesus Christ, we repent of our sins, we promise to remember our baptism covenants, and we have the Holy Ghost to be with us..

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

Object under a towel:

Have everyone close their eyes and put something under a towel. Tell them to open their eyes.

Ask: “Is something under the towel?”

Ask: “How do you know something is there if you can't see it?

Say: This is like faith in Jesus Christ. We don't have to see him to know that he lives.

Ask: How do we know Jesus lives even though we don't see him?

Say:  When we take the sacrament, we promise to remember Him, that He lives. 

Sling

Put your arm in a sling.

Ask: My arm is not hurt, but if I leave my arm in this sling and don't exercise it for a long time, what happens to my arm? 

Ask: What happens to our faith in Jesus Christ if we don't exercise it?

Ask: How can we exercise faith in Jesus Christ?

Say: When we take the sacrament, we promise to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. This means we promise to exercise our faith in Him and try to be like Him.

Repentance

Pepper and Soap

Pour water in a bowl.

Say: This water is like our lives. Sometimes we make mistakes.

Shake pepper into the water.

Ask:  This pepper is like sin.

Put a corner of the soap in the water.  Swish it around.  The soap will clean the middle of the water.

Say: Repentance and taking the sacrament are like soap. They get rid of the sins so we are clean again.

Baptism

Key

Show the picture of the key.

Say: Baptism is the key that opens the gate to eternal life.

Show the back of the key.

When we are baptized we make covenants.

Ask: What covenants do we make when we are baptized?

Tear the paper in half.

Say: If we break our covenants, the key won't work any more and we won't have eternal life.

Say: When we take the sacrament, we remember our baptismal covenants and promise to keep them.

Holy Ghost

Glass jar, sand, and quarter
Drop the quarter in the jar.  Shake the jar to make the quarter "clink" on the glass.
Ask:  Do you hear the quarter in the jar?
Say:  This quarter represents the Holy Ghost.  When we recieve the Holy Ghost, and keep the commandments, we can hear and feel it in our lives.
Show the family the sand.
Pour sand in the jar till the quarter is buried in the sand.  Shake the jar.
Ask:  Can you hear the quarter now?
Say:  The sand is like sin.  When we have sin in our lives, we can no longer feel the holy ghost.
Pour the sand out.
Ask: How can we make it so that we can hear the Holy Ghost again?
Drop the quarter back in and shake it.
Say:  Jesus atoned for our sins.  That means that we repent of our sins, take the sacrament, and keep the commandments, we can always have the holy ghost to be with us.

Bear your testimony of how important it is to take the sacrament every week.