Preach My Gospel, Lesson 2, Heading 5 “The Atonement”

The Atonement

Preparation: Have visual aid from last week, showing the two bridges. Choose between the Pushup
Object Lesson or the Story from Pres. Hinckley, and prepare for the one you choose. Ask someone really in
shape in your family to be prepared to do a lot of pushups and prep them for the object lesson (or be ready to
tell the story from Pres. Hinckley in your own words). Get coins ready from visual aids section. Have
Gospel Art Kit pictures ready (#230, 231, 233, 227)

Opening Song: “He Sent His Son”

Start by showing the picture of the bridges from the last lesson. Remember the two
bridges that make it so we can get back to Heavenly Father? Who built the
bridges? (Jesus Christ). That’s right. Do you think it was hard? It was incredibly
hard, and tonight we’re going to talk about how Jesus did it.

~Because Jesus Christ overcame physical death, we will all be resurrected (see
Alma 11:41-43).
Show GAK pictures of His death, burial, resurrection (230, 231, 233). You probably
remember this special story. We talk about it a lot at Easter time. Jesus was the
Son of God and the son of Mary. He had a mortal body like ours that could die,
but He also had power over death and was resurrected on the third day.

(If there is any confusion or if you sense more explanation is needed, use the
hand and glove object lesson from the Primary 1 Manual – included below).

Because Jesus Christ overcame death, we will all be resurrected, too. Our spirits
will be joined again to our bodies, never to die again.

This is the first bridge that Jesus built.

~Through Christ’s Atonement we can become clean from sin so that we can
return to live in God’s presence (see 2 Nephi 9:8-9).
Do the Push-ups Object Lesson or (if no one in your family is tuff enough to
handle it ☺) use the story from Pres. Hinckley found below.
Show GAK 227. When Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, he hurt inside
and outside. He felt all of the pain we have when someone hurts our feelings or
when bad things happen to us. He felt all of the guilty bad feelings we have
when we sin. He paid the price for our sins so that we can become clean and free
from them if we repent. Read Doctrine & Covenants 19:16-19. This was the
second bridge.

~Christ will forgive our sins as we have faith in Him, repent, receive baptism
and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.
The first bridge is free for us to cross. Everyone will be resurrected. But the
second bridge costs four coins. Place coins on page. Do the words on those coins
look familiar? Yes, they’re from the 2nd Article of Faith. This is what the gospel’s
all about—what we need to do to get across the second bridge and back to
Heavenly Father. Isn’t it amazing and wonderful that Jesus built those bridges
for us? Why did He do it? What do you think of Heavenly Father’s plan for us?
Heavenly Father’s plan is beautiful and so loving. Read 2 Nephi 9:10.

Bear testimony as directed by the Spirit.

Hand and Glove Object Lesson

Show the children a glove or mitten. Compare our earthly bodies to a hand with a glove
on it. Show how the hand (the spirit) makes the glove (the body) move. Take off the
glove and explain that this is like physical death. The spirit and the body are separated,
and the body cannot move. Put the glove back on your hand and explain that this is like
being resurrected. Now the spirit and body are reunited. Remind the children that
because Jesus Christ was resurrected, all people will be resurrected someday.

Pushup Object Lesson

Beforehand ask someone who is pretty in shape in your family how many pushups they
think they can do. Explain the object lesson, and have them ready to volunteer at the
right time.
Tell everyone that the only people who will get the treat tonight have to do 10 pushups,
from their toes (no knees). Some will protest that they can’t. Say that you’re sorry, but
there have to be 10 pushups or no treat. Mention younger siblings “I guess Rosemary
won’t get the treat.” When they say that’s not fair, say, “Well, if you can find someone
willing to do your pushups and give you their share of the treat, then that will work,
too.” The person you prepared beforehand then offers to do the pushups. Say, “Since
you’re doing hers, will you also do mine? Will you also do his? etc.” Everyone watches as
the person does their pushups. You can stop them before they pass out, and when you
can tell the point has been made. Explain that this is like what Jesus did for us in the
Garden of Gethsemane, except it was harder than thousands of pushups.
Pres. Hinckley’s Story “He Took My Licking For Me” I think that for a pre-8-year-
old this story will be more effective in your own words.

Some years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley told “something of a parable” about “a
one room school house in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough no
teacher had been able to handle them.

“Then one day an inexperienced young teacher applied. He was told that every teacher
had received an awful beating, but the teacher accepted the risk. The first day of school
the teacher asked the boys to establish their own rules and the penalty for breaking the
rules. The class came up with 10 rules, which were written on the blackboard. Then the
teacher asked, ‘What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?’

“‘Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on,’ came the response.

“A day or so later, … the lunch of a big student, named Tom, was stolen. ‘The thief was
located—a little hungry fellow, about ten years old.’

“As Little Jim came up to take his licking, he pleaded to keep his coat on. ‘Take your
coat off,’ the teacher said. ‘You helped make the rules!’

“The boy took off the coat. He had no shirt and revealed a bony little crippled body. As
the teacher hesitated with the rod, Big Tom jumped to his feet and volunteered to take
the boy’s licking.

“‘Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you
all agreed?’ the teacher asked.

“After five strokes across Tom’s back, the rod broke. The class was sobbing. ‘Little Jim
had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. “Tom, I’m sorry that I
stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my
licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!”’”
Sources:
lds.org (Primary 1 manual and http://lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/the-atonement-our-
greatest-hope?lang=eng)
Sugardoodle.net
http://lds.about.com/od/1/a/les_atonement.htm
Sofia’s Primary Ideas blog

Visual Aids: