God is Our Loving Heavenly Father

Preparation: Gospel Art Book (GAB) picture 66 & 112

Opening Song: I Am a Child of God pg. 2

Opening Prayer

We are God’s children

“All of you are children of the most High” (Psalm 82:6).

“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a
beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine
nature and destiny” (“Proclamation,” paragraph 2).

God Loves Us and will Help Us Make Right Choices

Heavenly Father gave me agency. I chose to follow His plan. “Therefore, cheer up your
hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of
everlasting death or the way of eternal life” (2 Nephi 10:23).
You had the power to choose even before you were born. In the premortal Council in
Heaven, Heavenly Father presented His plan, which included the principle of agency.
Lucifer rebelled and “sought to destroy the agency of man” (Moses 4:3). As a result,
Lucifer and all those who followed him were denied the privilege of receiving a mortal
body. Your presence on the earth confirms that you exercised your agency to follow
Heavenly Father’s plan.
In mortality, you continue to have agency. Your use of this gift determines your
happiness or misery in this life and in the life to come. You are free to choose and act,
but you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions. The consequences
may not be immediate, but they will always follow. Choices of good and righteousness
lead to happiness, peace, and eternal life, while choices of sin and evil eventually lead to
heartache and misery.
Through Jesus Christ, we can live with God again (Picture 66 GAB)

“Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ … to be
raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise”
(Moroni 7:41)

Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior (Abraham 3:22–28). He sent the
Savior to fulfill His promise of our eternal happiness (John 3:16). Heavenly Father gave
me agency and through Jesus Christ provided a way for me to repent and return to Him.
The Gospel Blesses Families (Picture 112 – GAB)

“The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His
eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be
reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.
Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and
maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love,
compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are
to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide
the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible
for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are
obligated to help one another as equal partners” (The Family: A Proclamation to the
World).

Closing Song:

Closing Prayer

Treat: Rootbeer Floats

Vanilla Ice Cream

Rootbeer