Beehives Temple Lesson
Apr 8th, 2007 by Bethany
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Next week I'm teaching the Beehives on Sunday, and it's two lessons combined:"The Blessings of the Temple" and "Temple Marriage." Combining the two lessons is going to be tough, but we need to keep up with the schedule and this week we did an Easter lesson.
The objectives of the two lessons are that each young woman will understand "that the temple brings great blessings" and "the divine purpose of marriage."
The main blessings of the temple the first lesson wants me to emphasize are:
- Haven of peace
- Sanctuary of service
- House of covenants
- Place of revelation
These four blessings are taken from a quote by President Hinckley (when he was 1st counselor in the First Presidency) that says that the temple is "a symbol of strength, a haven of peace, a sanctuary of service, a school of instruction, a place of revelation,…a house of covenants."
The second lesson wants me to emphasize these points:
- Marriage is ordained of God for a divine purpose: to have children and to teach and train them so they can return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus
- A celestial marriage is the beginning of an eternal kingdom
- Preparation for celestial marriage requires commitment and effort
I think what I'll do is take the four blessings of the temple they want me to talk about in the first lesson as my outline, then add in my temple marriage stuff throughout as examples and stories of the rest, putting House of Covenants last in the order of the outline.
So, here we go:
Display several pictures of temples, including pictures of a temple ordinance room and of a bride and groom outside the temple.
Haven of Peace
Talk about the feeling of peace and love in the temple, how I feel specifically. Explain that everyone wears white clothes and speaks quietly. Show them pictures and talk about how beautiful temples are.
A Place of Revelation
Quote Ezra Taft Benson from lesson #14 (p. 52) and explain that we can receive personal inspiration to guide us through our lives, as well as learn during the endowment the eternal truths that allow us to understand our purpose and responsibilities here on earth.
Sanctuary of Service
Ask the girls what kinds of service Church members perform in the temple. Ask the girls to imagine that they had lived on earth and died before the gospel was restored, but then they were taught the gospel in the spirit world. They learned that through Christ's atonement they could be baptized into the true Church, that they could be sealed eternally to their families, and that someday they could live eternally with our Father in Heaven. But they had to wait for someone on earth to perform the necessary ordinances for them.
Explain that for the people who didn't have the opportunity to perform the ordinances for themselves, the Lord has provided a way for them to receive them. Church members can go to the temple and receive the ordinances in behalf of those who have died. Ask them to imagine how the people waiting for us to do their ordinances must feel.
We can do great service for those who have died by providing the blessings of the gospel to them. Ask them to think about the times they have done baptisms for the dead and how they felt about it. Someday, once they have received their own endowment in the temple, they will be able to receive it on behalf of others who are dead, and also sealing ordinances.
We also need to be grateful for the opportunities we have to go to the temple and realize that the work for the dead is only for those who could not do the work for themselves. Quote Pres. Kimball in lesson 15 (p.55) and explain that we need to prepare and be committed to marry in the temple so that we can receive the blessings since we have the blessings available to us.
A House of Covenants
In the temple we make covenants with the Lord that are necessary for our eternal progression. These covenants protect us through our lives. They have already made covenants through their baptism which, if they honor those covenants, will prepare them to go to the temple, including to be married there.
Marriage is ordained of God (D&C 49:15). The Lord performed a marriage ceremony with Adam and Eve to make them husband and wife, and every person should plan to follow this pattern. Explain that the divine purpose of marriage is to have children and to teach and train them so they can return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus and that having children is a commandment. Explain that those who live righteously and are not allowed the privilege and blessing of marriage or of children in this life will receive those blessings and all other blessings of eternal life in the life to come.
Explain that temple marriage makes it possible for husband and wife to reach the highest degree in the celestial kingdom, as long as they live worth lives, keep the commandments, and endure to the end. Their families can be together forever this way.
Ask:
- When should you begin to prepare for a celestial marriage? Why?
- How will deciding on celestial marriage today affect your future?
- Is temple marriage important to you?
- How committed are you to marrying in the temple?
- Will a young woman who has made a commitment to marry in the temple be more selective of the young women she will date?
- What can you do now to prepare for a temple marriage?
Tell them the Lord will help each of them keep their commitment to be married in the temple if they will keep his commandments. Tell them you want each of them to kneel at the altar of the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity to a worthy young man so they can establish an eternal kingdom. Bear testimony that marriage is divine, that the temple gives you great blessings, and that temple marriage is the Lord's way and the only way to eternal happiness.
