LDS Sharing Time August 2014 Week 4: The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship.

August 2014 Sharing Time Topic: Participating in Wholesome Activities Will Strengthen My Family

August 2014 Scripture:  “Successful . . . families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World”). 

August 2014  Week 4 Topic:  The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship.

Preparation:
Prayerfully study and think about what the specific needs of your primary are and how you can teach them this doctrine.  

Items to gather: Print out and prepare the printables below. (On pg 2 of theme poster, cut the word strips out just inside of the line, so there is no border). Cut out four pieces of red paper to cover up each scripture on the calendar. Tape the two pages of the calendar together.  Chalk and eraser. Scriptures.

Free Printables: (Printing Tip: Click on image to open and then save image to your computer.  You can then print the image from your computer.

**NEW** PDF Printable Download: August 2014 LDS Sharing Time Ideas Week 4

Sharing Time Instruction:

Begin sharing time by displaying a large calendar on the board. Have a red paper placed over each of the Sundays.  Under the paper will be a scripture.  

Before Primary place the words "Rest" and "Worship" somewhere in the front of the room. Hold up the poster that states, "The Sabbath is a day of ........ and ........" Invite the children to read the poster with you. Invite a child to find the word "Rest".  Have them come up and place it on the poster between the words "of" and "and".   

Read this scripture: "For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors..."- D&C 59:10

Discuss what the word rest means. Explain that it does not mean that we sleep all day. It simply means that we rest from our labors (work). 

Invite another child to find the word "Worship". Have them come up and place it on the poster after the word "and".

Read the rest of D&C 59:10: "and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High". 

Discuss the scripture and what the word worship means.  Explain that Sunday is day we attend our church meetings, partake of the sacrament and participate in activities that will draw us closer to our Heavenly Father.

Invite the children to read the completed poster with you, "The Sabbath is a day of Rest and Worship."

Point to the calender. Invite the children to count with you how many days are in the week. Start with Monday and count to Saturday. Explain that Heavenly Father created the world in six days. Then point to Sunday, explain that on the Seventh day, Heavenly Father rested. He has commanded his children to also rest on the Seventh day, the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

Invite a child to come up and take one of the red papers off of the Sunday and read the scripture. (For Junior primary you could still have them come up and take the red paper off and if they can not read then you could read the scripture for them.) Continue until all of the scriptures have been read. Point out as you go where the scripture is found, and who the principle is being taught to. 

Explain that each of these scriptures are teaching the same principle even though they were written at different times in history.

Read this quote: "Because the Sabbath is a holy day, it should be reserved for worthy and holy activities. Abstaining from work and recreation is not enough. In fact, those who merely lounge about doing nothing on the Sabbath fail to keep the day holy. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1831, the Lord commanded: ”That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; for verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High“ (D&C 59:9-10). In harmony with this revelation, Church members attend sacrament meeting each week. Other Sabbath-day activities may include praying, meditating, studying the scriptures and the teachings of latter-day prophets, writing letters to family members and friends, reading wholesome material, visiting the sick and distressed, and attending other Church meetings." -lds.org: gospel topics:sabbath

Invite the children to tell you some activities that would be appropriate to participate in on the Sabbath to keep it Holy. List these ideas on the board.

Close by sharing your testimony on the week's topic.

Click this link for past Sharing Time post: LDS Primary Sharing Time Ideas 

***Basic ideas for this sharing time came from the 2014 Sharing Time Outline, you can find a link here: 2014 Sharing Time Outline.