You may use one or more of the following activities any time during the lesson or as a review, summary, or challenge.

Make wordstrips with key words or phrases from Old Testament prophecies, such as:

Isaiah 53:5wounded for our transgressions

Isaiah 53:5with his stripes we are healed

Psalm 22:16pierced my hands and my feet

Isaiah 25:8swallow up death in victory

Hosea 13:14redeem them from death

Display the wordstrips at the front of the class as you teach the scripture account of the Saviors Atonement. Have the children listen for these words, phrases, or general ideas to see the fulfillment of these prophecies. Help the children understand the difficult phrases.

To use this activity, before class write the following questions on separate pieces of paper. During class give the questions to six different children.

What is death?

What is resurrection?

Who was the first person on earth to be resurrected?

What are the two greatest gifts Jesus Christ gave to us?

What gift is given to us from Jesus Christ without any effort on our part?

What gift from Jesus Christ do we have to work for?

Tell the children you are going to give an answer to a question. The child who has the right question is to read it aloud. Here are some possible answers to the questions you handed out:

When the spirit leaves the body. (What is death?)

When the body and spirit come together again, never to be separated. (What is resurrection?)

Jesus Christ. (Who was the first person on earth to be resurrected?)

Immortality and eternal life. (What are two gifts Jesus Christ gave to us?)

The gift of resurrection or immortality. (What gift is given to us without any effort on our part?)

The gift of eternal life. (What gift do we have to work for?)

Show a picture of someone you love who has died. Tell how you feel knowing that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, if you live worthily you will see this loved one again. Let the children tell about someone who has died in their family whom they would like to see again. Explain that we do not need to fear death. Prophets have revealed that we will see our loved ones again, and we will feel great comfort and joy in the spirit world after death. Joseph Smith said: I have a father, brothers, children, and friends who have gone to a world of spirits. They are only absent for a moment. They are in the spirit, and we shall soon meet again (History of the Church, 6:316).

Brigham Young said: We shall turn round and look upon it [the valley of death] and think, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I tire no more, [I feel] nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my Heavenly Father (in Journal of Discourses, 17:142).

If you are teaching older children, prepare a matching game with the headings Prophecies and Fulfillment of Prophecies. Have the children read an assigned reference from the lettered list of fulfillment of prophecies and match it with the appropriate prophecy from the numbered list. Some examples you might use are:

Discuss the third article of faith and help the children memorize it.

Gather together the following small objects and attach to each a piece of paper with the corresponding scripture references. Place the objects in a basket or sack, and let each child choose an object and read the scripture. Have the class decide how the object relates to the story of the Atonement.

Sing or read the words to Did Jesus Really Live Again? (Childrens Songbook, p.64), Jesus Has Risen (Childrens Songbook, p.70), There Is a Green Hill Far Away (Hymns, no.194), or He Is Risen! (Hymns, no.199).

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Lesson 45: The Gift of the Atonement (Easter)