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December 13–19
Doctrine and Covenants 137-138
"The family is central to the Creator's plan."
From Come, Follow Me:
“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” is clearly about families. But it is equally about God’s plan of salvation. One way to study the proclamation is to look for what it teaches about our premortal, mortal, and postmortal life….you might write premortal life, mortal life, and life after death on three sections of a piece of paper. Search the proclamation together, and write on the paper what you learn about each of these parts of God’s plan. Why are families so important to God?
“God created this earth according to His plan to provide His spirit children a place to experience mortality as a necessary step toward the glories He desires for all His children. While there are various kingdoms and glories, our Heavenly Father’s ultimate desire for His children is what President Monson called ‘eternal life in the kingdom of God,’ which is exaltation in families. This is more than salvation. President Russell M. Nelson has reminded us, ‘In God’s eternal plan, salvation is an individual matter; [but] exaltation is a family matter.’” (The Plan and the Proclamation)
Review and discuss "The Plan of Salvation"activity in 2020 Come, Follow Me Companion week #26.
God gave us families to help us learn and grow as we seek perfection and eternal life. Each individual adds strength to the family tree - ancestors who came before us, our current family, and children yet to come. Our Father’s plan is about families.
Studies show people are more resilient and self-assured when they know about their ancestors. In addition, they can feel closer to God because “family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (Help Friends Discover Their Family History)
In his RootsTech 2015 presentation, Elder Cook challenged families to hold a “Family Tree Gathering.” He said, “This should be a recurring event. Everyone could bring to these gatherings existing family histories, stories, and photos, including cherished possessions of grandparents and parents ... However, this cannot be only a one-time effort. It requires a lifetime of diligence ... Our young people are excited to learn about the lives of family members—where they came from and how they lived. We need to help them develop a love for this work." (RootsTech 2015)
Read “What's a Family Tree Gathering” and select some ideas you and your family may want to try. Determine a plan (who, what, when, where, and how) and follow through on it.
“Families [can] be united eternally.”
From Come, Follow Me:
You could watch the video “Plan of Salvation—We’re Still a Family” ...Search the family proclamation for truths that the young man in the video understood and that helped him have faith.
“The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.” (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) “Some ordinances are essential to our exaltation. These ordinances are called saving ordinances….With each of these ordinances, we enter into solemn covenants with the Lord.” (Ordinances)
Review and discuss the Saving Ordinances activity from 2020 Come, Follow Me Companion, Week 47.
Discuss with your family what it means to each of you to be a “together forever” family? Where does your family stand on receiving the saving ordinances discussed in the activity above? What do you need to do to prepare to receive those ordinances? How can you keep the covenants you have already made? What commitments would you like to make as a family to do better so you might become an eternal family?
Read Seeing Yourself in the Family Proclamation for insights that can help you and your family better understand the inspired principles of the family proclamation. Consider reading The Family: A Proclamation to the World aloud, or have your family read (or memorize by sections and share) while recording it. Upload the recording to FamilySearch Memories. You may also want to have family members sign a copy of the Proclamation to display in your home and possibly share on social media. Creating a book with family pictures correlated to parts of The Family: A Proclamation to the World would make a beautiful gift and heirloom to pass on.
“Happiness in family life.”
From Come, Follow Me:
To discuss how to achieve more “happiness in [your] family life,” you could sing together a song about families, such as “Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth” (Hymns, no. 298). What do we learn from the song and from the family proclamation that would bring more happiness to our family? How can we make sure our family is “founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ”?
From the video, you learn that “One of the greatest influences in the life of Joseph Smith was his family ... In that family setting, Joseph learned lessons of hard work, service, and love…[and] also learned to trust in the Lord.”
What things have influenced your family from the past, currently, and those that you are working on to bless future generations? What are some of the righteous traditions you have been raised with and are trying to carry forward with your children? What can you share with other family members about your ancestors?
“Each of us has traditions in our families. Some of them are material. Some of them have deep meaning. The most important traditions are connected with the way we live our lives and will last beyond us as our children’s lives are influenced and shaped.” (Righteous Traditions) Read more about how to Cultivate Righteous Traditions and some of the benefits of Building a Strong Foundation through Family Traditions.
Review a few of the family tradition activities from past lessons and see if you find some new ideas for your family to implement.
Think of some creative ways in which you might be able to share family history with family members. Have fun as a family making one and giving away. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Note: President Nelson encouraged us to do the following for six months, but it may be a wonderful opportunity to carry this invitation through your study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year:
“As you study your scriptures for the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life." (President Russell M. Nelson, Let God Prevail, October 2020 General Conference)
Suggestion for journaling this week: Find the promises in The Family: A Proclamation to the World. . Write or audio-record about their influence in your life, and share with your family.