Take a "Master" lock and attach a sign to it that says "Eternal Life". The only way to get the "Eternal Life" is if you unlock the lock.
I have several keys that I can give to a class member and let him/her take one and pass the rest to the person beside them. That person takes one and passes the rest until they are all passed out.
Then discuss how the keys of the priesthood are passed from one individual to another worthy individual. Once the keys are passed ask a person without a key to unlock the lock to gain eternal life. He/She will not be able to because he/she doesn't have a key. Ask another person who has an incorrect key to unlock the lock to gain eternal life. He/She will not be able to because he/she doesn't have the right key.
Then give the lock to the person that has the correct key.
Then discuss how some may say they have the power to gain eternal life, but are unable to do so because they don't have the authority -- priesthood -- given by God.
Talk about how we all spend a lot of love, effort and energy building wonderful, beautiful families. Liken it to the work it takes to get all the little fuse beads just the way you want them in the correct colors and patterns on the peg board. Note how the pieces are little and all go together to make the whole picture and we have to choose them and handle them carefully. Say that this is the same as living our lives with our family. Then talk about how everybody must go through the "drop of death" Death is part of the plan and we all do it.
Push the peg board and beads off a ledge over the big bowl and see how the beads scatter everywhere ruining the picture and all the work we did.
Heavenly Father provides a way for us to keep our families together after the "drop of death" it is through the sealing power of the temple. (I have the iron plugged in heating up on a separate table with a picture of the temple displayed and a grownup standing guard.)
Talk about how you have to be careful on the way to the temple (if you rush or get silly you will wreck your "family" peg board). But in the temple the priesthood "seals" everything together (press iron on beads through parchment to fuse) show how the design is made permanent and demonstrate how the drop of death no longer can upset the beautiful picture.
Hold up the pure white egg and tell how we all come to the earth pure and unblemished.
As we grow, we make mistakes which tarnish us. Take the crayons and make marks on the shell of the hard boiled egg as you mention possible sins-lied to my mom, hit my brother, cheated on my homework, said a bad word, stole candy from the store. (Do not use markers as they will bleed through the shell.)
Then hold up the egg so all can see the blemishes. Carefully peel the egg to show how baptism allows us to shed our wordly-self and become pure and unblemished again.
Tell the child being baptized that today they will make mistakes in their life, but because they have been baptized and washed clean, they can renew those covenants, repent, and become clean each week by taking the sacrament.
Give 1 person in the class 10 pieces of candy. Then ask them if they'll give one back to you, before they eat any of them. It should be easy to share 1 piece, since you've just given them ten.
In contrast, give someone else ten pieces of candy (something small- like an m&m) and have them eat 9 of them before you ask for their last piece of candy.
Explain that all we have comes from the Lord, all he asks is that we give 10 percent back in return. This is much easier if we give back before we are down to our last funds.
Plus paying the Lord first allows him the opportunity to bless us further.
Person leading the discussion places a piece of string on the front of their clothing. It should be obviously noticeable.( a color that stands out) Then they begin to talk about what reverence is.
After a couple of minutes they ask if anyone noticed the string and if it was distracting.
Begin by having a brief discussion on reverence. Help your students understand that if something as little as a thread can distract us, how much more distracting is talking, tapping our foot, or any other form of inappropriate behavior or appearance? Our lack of reverence can distract ourselves and others from feeling the spirit.
Start out with both containers about 3/4 full of water. Show the group the orange and explain to them that this represents a youth like them and you can name it "Joe" or "Susie" etc. - - tell them that it represents "Joe" or "Susie" when they do all of the daily things that they have been told will keep them safe, or "afloat" in life such as, daily prayer, scripture study, getting along well with family members, church attendance, etc. etc. etc...
Place the orange in the first container - - it will float at the top of the water.
Then pick up the second orange and call it by name and say something to the effect of "Susie" didn't say her prayers this morning but she was really in a hurry (and peel off a chunk of the peel);
"Susie" didn't attend YW this week because she had a test to study for (peel off another piece);
"Susie" had a huge fight with her mom about going to the high school dance with a date - - she knows she's wrong because she's not 16 yet, but her mom could have let her go anyway (peel off another chunk);
"Susie" told her geometry teacher that she'd lost her homework and would redo it but knew she'd never finished it the first time (peel away another chunk)
When the orange is about half peeled, ask the group how they think "Susie" is doing - is she staying afloat by staying true to the guidance and directors that the Lord has given her? Place the orange in the second container of water and it will sink but not all the way.
Take it out of the water and continue with "Susie" was too tired to get up for early morning seminary and figured that missing one day surely wouldn't hurt (peel off a piece) - -
-Continue on with these seemingly small infractions until you have peeled the entire orange - - place it in the water and it will sink.
Make the point that an orange peel has very tiny air pockets in it. These small, barely noticeable air pockets are what keeps the orange afloat. They have small, routine directors in their lives (such as daily prayer, seminary, church and youth night attendance, scripture study, reading the new era, obeying the guidance given by their parents, leaders and Strength of Youth pamphlet, etc.) that keep them afloat but if they "peel them off" by not doing them or disregarding themselves, they are sinking themselves slowly but surely.
End on a positive note by reminding them to keep themselves afloat by doing the small things, like they're doing right now. Each attended meeting (like this one) can be like an airpocket that can help keep them afloat.
Separate a bag of jelly beans into a separate glass or other see thru container.
Begin handing out the jelly beans to the class while saying things like "these green jelly beans represent my aunt. I remember _____, but I've gotten too busy and haven't seen her in years.
These jelly beans remind me of my nephew, who allows ______, but they have moved away and I never see him any more." and so on until you have given away all but the white jelly beans.
When you pick up the white jar of jelly beans, talk about how this is all that's left and how plain and boring it is, kind of like your life would be without your family.
Place a container large enough to hold all the jelly beans and have the girls help you fill it up. Point out how colorful and full the bowl looks and compare it to a family full of love and variety.
Now that you've got the class' attention, continue on with the rest of the lesson. You could use the jelly beans as incentive for class participation.
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.
Pass out a bowl filled with oranges. Ask each class member to take and orange and examine it for a minute. "Get to know" your orange.... Then put all the oranges back in a bowl. Mix them up and pass it back around and have everyone pick out their orange and tell how they knew it was their orange.
Liken this to how each of us are individuals and may all look similar but all have special things about us, either on the inside or outside.
Our Heavenly Father has studied us in far more detail that you studied your oranges. He knows each of us individually and loves us.
The handout was orange lotion that said, "Orange you special" that they could use each day and remember how special they are. Megan K.
Matthew 6:26: "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"
Hold up the burned matches and say, "These represent the sisters in our R.S. who no longer worship with us. Their testimony light once burned brightly, but has gradually become cold. Do you think it is possible to relight a once lit match?" [They will answer, 'yes']
"The same is true of these sisters [Ward members]. If I were to continually contact a lit match again and again to these burned-out ones; the warmth generated could eventually 're-light'the relationship and let the light of the gospel burn brightly once again."
Point out that by consistent attention and love [think Visiting Teaching, Home teaching, friendshipping, sincere love] we can help bring them 'back to the fold'.
