King Benjamin Visits Sunday School

April 15, 2012

This is the class photo with King Benjamin after he had finished his sermon, and he is still standing on his tower.

As you can see, the lesson in Sunday School was about the sermon that King Benjamin gave his people. 

King Benjamin was a righteous King in the Book of Mormon, and he talked to his people of the need to become like little children, to put off the natural man, to be of service, and to keep the commandments of God.

And today, he visited our class!

The kids were excited....I heard from several during the week, and then today, they came into the room wondering where the King was....guess I got their attention.

So I talked to them just a little about what kind of man King Benjamin was....how he was righteous, how he worked beside the people, he didn't charge them taxes and take their gold and silver.  He didn't take advantage of his place, he didn't confine the people to dungeons, and he strove to obey the commandments of God.  He was making his son Mosiah the new king, and giving him the sword of Laban, the liahona, and the brass plates.  Mosiah was to keep them safe, and the keep the people moving in the paths of righteousness...

And then I brought in the King.  The kids couldn't believe that he was actuallly wearing a king's robe and crown, and was carrying a scepter. (I think that's how it's spelled)

He climbed up his tower and delivered his sermon right out of the scriptures.  (I had given him beforehand what the lesson covered, so he knew what I needed him to say.)  AND, he did a tremendous job!!  He told the people that they needed to obey God's commandments, be of service to one another because when they were serving others they were serving their God.  He told them they needed to put off the natural man, and to become like little children.  He said that they needed to not trifle with his words, but to teach them to their children, and to remember them and use them.  He taught them about the Savior's atonement, and what it means to them.

When he was finished, we posed for the above photo, and he left.

Then I talked to the kids about service, and how it can be of great benefits to us in our lives today.  We talked about how serving others makes us feel, and even how ofter we had performed an act of service during the past week.  We discovered that we are sadly lacking in the service department as a class this past week.  Then I gave them each a kitchen towel.  I explained that the Savior had used a towel to perform a simple act of service, but to set the example of how to serve.  I told them that during the next two weeks (we have Stake Conference next week) that they had to go out there and use their towels to perform acts of service.  Then after they did, they are to text Cooper to let me know what they did for their service.  And in two weeks, they are to bring the towels back to show me, and they better not be neatly pressed and starched when I see them again.  I also told them that the towels were not to be used to hit others.....

And then an interesting side note from Relief Society.

The teacher asked a question to the people that worked with teenagers or kids for some ideas on how we teach the kids something that is important to us....several people gave some ideas:  asking the kids why it's important, and teaching FHE lessons, repetition of teaching.  I raised my hand and said that I teach the priest and laurels in Sunday School, and before I could answer the question the teacher asked, the moms of the kids in my class interrupted and said and you can never retire, the kids love you, we look forward to hearing what you've done in class on the way home from church, the kids look forward to class each week.  None of which had anything to do with the question that had been asked....but I must admit, it made me stop and think about the time I spend each week preparing, and pondering, and rethinking, and more preparing so that those kids can have a spiritual experience each week in class.  It makes all the time worthwhile.

And I must admit, that with all the trauma and cruel things going on lately, it made me feel good about myself for just a moment.  Maybe Heavenly Father knew I needed that today.