By Shauna Doctrine and Covenants Section 27
This idea came from a member of the LDS Seminary Teacher Facebook group (seriously, if you are a Seminary Teacher-join that Facebook group).
When I figure out who it was, I will edit and post his name so he receives credit for this brilliant visual for teaching "Dispensations" and "Dispensation of the Fullness of Times" using hymn books.
I took it one step further by attaching the names of the Prophets from the different dispensations.
I used this when teaching Doctrine and Covenants Section 27.
This will work well with Doctrine and Covenants Section 29 and a others regarding Apostasy, Restoration, Prophets, Dispensations, Fullness of Times.
If you have a specific suggestion of a Seminary lesson this goes with, please leave a comment below.
We met in the chapel and sat in front of the Sacrament table that was all draped in white cloths covering the Sacrament trays (this is a subject for another blog post)
After we discussed the emblems and symbolism of the Sacrament, we moved to the other side of the chapel to discuss the Sacrament meeting that will be held at Adam-ondi-Ahman prior to the Savior's second coming.
I had the students search Section 27 to tell me who would be at that Sacrament meeting.
Some of the people who will be in attendance are the Prophets from each DISPENSATION along with Joseph Smith the Prophet of this DISPENSATION of the FULLNESS OF TIMES
To demonstrate DISPENSATIONS, First, line up the hymnals (I labelled mine) and name the Prophets who led during past dispensations...
Source:: Seminary at Six AM – Shauna H.
Take the pieces of a flashlight apart.
Give one piece each to a class member.
Have him or her stand at the front of the class holding their piece, have one extra class member stand up there with nothing.
Ask each person with a part of the flashlight what they have and if they can turn the light on. They each say "nope".
Have the class member that didn't have a part of the flashlight say "I can help" and have her put all the pieces of the flashlight together and turn on the light.
Ask the class: "how can this relate to the restoration?" and people can say -the light of the gospel was restored, and different churches had part of the truth but not all of it. The restored gospel has all of the truth.
A lego Set with instructions
Get the group into two groups and then choose one person to be the third solo group
Dump the Legos on the table, and instruct the group to work as teams to complete the Lego project.
Have them explain how hard/easy it was to accomplish their goal of building the Lego set.
(Jenny - You could also use this lesson to teach the principles of apostasy and restoration.)
Items needed
Give one student the marker and the plate.
Ask the students to list the things necessary in the true church / Christ's gospel (i.e. apostles, revelation, baptism by immersion, etc.).
As items are listed, the student with the plate will write those items on the plate. When the class has run out of ideas, show the plate to the class and indicate that the plate is complete and whole... just as Jesus' church was when He was alive.
Then place the plate in a bag, and have another student come up and strike the plate a couple of times with the hammer (it should shatter into many pieces, hopefully large and small ones). Then pull out some of the pieces and try to put the plate back together. Point out that even if you glue the plate together, there will still be some pieces missing...it will never be completely whole again without a restoration of all the missing items.
If you are really clever, you will have another (unbroken) plate with the items written on it that you can pull out as the "restored" plate.
Here are some references about the True Church
Begin with the Rubik's cube puzzle solved. As you talk about the apostasy turn the rubik's cube until all of the colors are mixed, illustrating the point that parts of the gospel that were lost or confused.
While you talk about the importance of each part of the gospel and the church return the cube to the completed state representing the restoration of the gospel.
The period of time when the true Church no longer existed on earth is called the Great Apostasy. (Gospel Principles, Lesson 16: The Church of Jesus Christ in Former Times) Priesthood authority was restored to the earth by Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith.
That has a lot of big words. What does it mean?
Pretend that this building (Show the simple block building without the "Authority/Priesthood" block) represents the Church as Jesus organized it when he was on the earth.
The church cannot be organized correctly without the priesthood (add the "Authority/Priesthood" block).
The church must be “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20). If the priesthood is gone, the church is not built the way Heavenly Father wants it to be organized. After Jesus returned to Heaven, wicked people tried to destroy the church. Many people changed the way the church was organized. (Move the blocks around and build the tower differently)
People taught their own ideas instead of Heavenly Father's. Jesus's Apostles were killed. The perfect church Jesus organized was broken. (Knock the block tower over)
The priesthood was finally taken from the earth because the people were so wicked. (Find "Authority/Priesthood" block and take it back.)
Many people tried to rebuild Jesus's church, but they couldn't build it just right. Without the priesthood, the church can't be built correctly. (Build a building without the "Authority Priesthood" block.)
People lived a long time without the priesthood. They forgot how much Heavenly Father loves us. They forgot and changed His commandments. They changed Heavenly Father's ordinances, like baptism and the sacrament. They even forgot why we came to earth. People were very confused. Heavenly Father knew the Great Apostasy would happen, and He prepared a way for the gospel to be restored -- He prepared a way to rebuild His church correctly.
When he was 14 years old, Joseph Smith asked Heavenly Father which church he should join. The Savior told him not to join any church because the true Church was not on the earth. Jesus told Joseph that that he would help organize the true church again. John the Baptist came in 1829 to ordain Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the Aaronic Priesthood (see D&C 13; D&C 27:8).
Later, Jesus' Apostles Peter, James, and John, gave Joseph and Oliver the Melchizedek Priesthood (see D&C 27:12–13).
Through this Restoration the priesthood was returned to the earth! (Build the tower correctly, with the "Authority/Priesthood" block) The church was organized again like Heavenly Father wants it. Heavenly Father has promised us that since the church has been restored, it will never be destroyed again (Daniel 2:44). (see Gospel Principles, Lesson 16: The Church of Jesus Christ in Former Times and Gospel Principles, Lesson 17: The Church of Jesus Christ Today)
** This would be an especially effective object lesson if when you removed the "Priesthood Authority" block the structure collapsed on its own. -- Jenny **
** You may also want to consider labeling some of the other blocks "apostles" or "seventies" or whatever if you are using this lesson to teach the offices of the priesthood. -- Jenny**
The following is from Teaching, No Greater Call, B: Basic Principles of Gospel Teaching--Use Effective Methods, 27: Choosing Effective Methods, page 92: