June 2009 Sharing Time on Repentance
Week 3: Repentance helps me return to Heavenly Father.
References: 3 Nephi 9:22; D&C 58:42
This sharing time focuses on three scripture stories about repentance. The children will learn the steps to repentance.
- Show the following pictures and ask the children to tell you the stories if they know them. You may want to use flannel board pictures to tell the stories. Links to those are included. 34730, Gospel Art Picture Kit, Alma Baptizes in the Waters of Mormon, 309 (Alma was a priest serving under the wicked king Noah. He heard Abinidi preach and was converted. He repented of his sins and then began to teach the gospel to others. He taught others how to repent and baptized over 200 people.)
Flannel Board Story: “Alma Teaches and Baptizes,” Friend, May 1992, 37
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2. 34730, Gospel Art Picture Kit, Ammon Defends the Flocks of King Lamoni, 310
(Ammon was a missionary who offered to serve King Lamoni. After he saved the flocks, he had an opportunity to preach the gospel to the king, who believed and repented.) Flannel board story (There is a picture of him, but most of the pictures are for another story.): Ammon’s Example: How Do I Show That I am Keeping My Baptismal Covenant?,” Friend, Oct 2000, 15
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3. 34730, Gospel Art Picture Kit, The Anti-Nephi-Lehies Burying Their Swords, 311
(Some Lamanites were converted and repented of their sins and the people they had killed. They buried their swords and promised never to fight again.)
Flannel Board Story: Linda Magleby and Elizabeth Ricks, “Sharing Time: The Scriptures Show the Way,” Friend, Aug 2006, 16–18
After discussing each story, point out that each of these people repented because they had been converted. What did it mean to be converted. (They joined the church after realizing it was the true church.) Ask all the children who have been baptized to stand up. Tell them all the children standing have been converted. They chose to join the church. Have them sit and then ask all the children who haven’t been baptized to stand. Explain that these children will soon be making the choice to join the church. How old do they have to be to get baptized?
Have everyone sit. Explain that when we are baptized, our sins are washed away, just as if they had never happened. What is a sin?
Do we have to get baptized again every time we sin? No, we can repent without being baptized. Tell the children they are going to learn how to repent. Those who have been baptized should repent whenever they make mistakes. Younger children can also go through these steps whenever they make a mistake to help them practice for when they are older. (Remember that children under the age of eight cannot sin; they can only make mistakes.)
Create signs showing the stages of repentance: recognition, remorse, confession, restitution, and keeping the commandments. Call up five children and have them stand in a line facing away from the children who are watching. Give each one a sign, making sure they are in the proper order. Have them spread out just a little. Invite two more children to come up and hold signs. One of these will have a happy face and the other will have a sad face. Put the child with the sad face at the start of the line, facing the audience, and the other child at the end of the line, also facing the audience. Call up three more children. At the very start of the line, put two children with signs that say, “Repentance is turning” and “From Wrong.” At the end of the line, place a child with a sign that says, “To Right.”
Ask a child in the audience to read the written words that are showing. “Repentance is turning from wrong to right.” This concept is from Karen Ashton, “Sharing Time: Repentance—Turning from Wrong to Right,” Friend, Apr 1997, 36. There is a craft in this sharing time you will use at the end.
Create a simple story about a child who has done something wrong—stolen a toy, broken a lamp, or hurt a little brother’s feelings. If you’d like, use a stick puppet of a realistic looking child to be the child in the story. Give the stick puppet to each backward-facing child as he turns around, to show the progression. You could make the puppet two-sided, with a sad face on one and a happy face on the other. Use the sad face until the end.
Invite the first child to turn around and tell the others what his sign says if he can read. If he can’t, help him or invite another child to read it. The word is recognition. Ask the children if they know what the word means. Explain in terms of the puppet child—let’s call him Bobby and say Bobby has broken his mother’s lamp.
Tell them this means Bobby has to admit he did something wrong and not make any excuses or try to blame anyone else. You might offer some examples and ask the children if this is the right way to do it: “I broke the lamp, but it’s really Amy’s fault because she told me to throw the ball in the house.” “I broke the ball. I know we’re not supposed to play ball in the house, and I did anyway.”
Remind the children that even though this step can be scary and it might mean getting punished, it will eventually make them happier.
Have the second child turn around. This card says, “remorse.” Suggest several ways Bobby could talk and feel about breaking the lamp. “I’m glad it’s broken. I didn’t like it anyway.” “Who cares if a dumb old lamp is broken?” “I am so sorry I broke the lamp. I wish I’d been more careful. I know Mommy is going to be sad and I don’t like to make her sad.”
Remorse means to be very sorry for what you’ve done wrong. If you’re not sorry, you’re not ready for the next step, and you have to work on it.
The third child’s sign says, “Confession.” This means they have to tell what they did. Who do they have to tell? They have to tell their parents, no matter what they did. They also have to tell anyone who was hurt by what they did, and anyone who is involved in some way. Finally, they must also tell Heavenly Father. Ask the children what they think Bobby should say to his mother.
The fourth child’s sign says, “Restitution.” This means to make things better.
Suggest several things a child might do wrong and ask the children to suggest ways to perform restitution. Examples might include: stealing a candy bar, calling another child names, cheating on a test, or forgetting to do chores. Finish up with Bobby and his lamp.
Tell the children to notice that Bobby has almost made it to the end of the repentance process. He’s done some hard things, but he’s starting to feel better.
The last step is the hardest: Keep the commandments. Tell the children that after they’ve done all of this, they must never do that sin again and must try very hard to keep all the commandments. Pass Bobby to the smiling face and talk about how happy Bobby is.
Invite the children with the slogan cards to come forward and line up. Have all the children read it together, “Repentence is turning from wrong to right.”
Give the children the Repentance reminder from the sharing time referenced above to color.
