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Blossom as the Rose

Isaiah saw far into the future: a sealed book that a learned man couldn’t read, a marvelous work that would amaze the world, and a dry desert bursting into flowers. This week your kids watch his prophecy come true with the Book of Mormon, learn that Heavenly Father teaches us line upon line, and discover that Jesus is a shelter in every storm. Sunday wraps it up with what they learned in Primary.

  • Week 39
  • 📅 Sep 21–27, 2026
  • 📖 Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35
Start with Monday
Read it togetherIsaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOld Testament 2026, week 39

What your kids learn in class

Stories, verses and games for the week come from each child’s own Primary or youth lesson, so home matches Sunday.

Daily sparks

Five to ten minutes a day, Monday to Sunday. Grown-ups lead; kids act, play and answer. Where a step says to tap something, that’s in the Gospel Sparks app; on the web, use the “Play along” links.

Monday · 10 min · Story

The Book Nobody Could Read

📜 Isaiah saw it coming: the book nobody could read!Act out every scene.Try to open the sealed book.Find the real book at the end!

📖 Read together: Isaiah 29:11–12; Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65 ↗

  1. Make a “sealed book”: wrap any book tightly with string, yarn or rubber bands. Hide your family’s Book of Mormon nearby.
  2. Tap Story and read each scene out loud. Your kids act out every screen: dig up the plates, travel to New York as Martin Harris, stroke a pretend beard like the professor.
  3. At the professor scenes, hand a parent the sealed book. The parent tugs at the string, frowns and says in a fancy voice: “I cannot read a sealed book!”
  4. Read Isaiah 29:11–12 out loud. Ask: “Did Isaiah get it right?” Everyone shouts: “Yes!”
  5. On the last scene, pull out your Book of Mormon with a drumroll. Say: “Isaiah wrote about this book about 2,700 years ago. And here it is, in our house!”

🎭 Play along: scenes 1–9 (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Why couldn’t the professor read the book?
  • Who translated it, and how did he do it?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the angel Moroni with a blanket cape, or the one who pulls the Book of Mormon out of its hiding place.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your 10–13-year-old read Isaiah 29:11–12 and then Joseph Smith—History 1:65 out loud and point out the words that match.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read 2 Nephi 27:15–20, where Nephi repeats this same prophecy with more detail, and tell the family one thing Nephi adds that Isaiah 29 leaves out. Then ask why the Lord might choose someone “not learned” for such a big job.
☕️ For grown-upsIsaiah 29:4 pictures a voice that would “whisper out of the dust,” and Moroni later wrote that his words would come as if speaking “out of the dust” (Moroni 10:27). The book on your shelf was buried in a hill for centuries. When did it last speak to you personally, and what would help it do that again?

Sticker for today: 📜

Tuesday · 8 min · Verse

Marvelous Work Fireworks

🎆 A marvelous work and a wonder: WOW!March, hammer, point.Burst like fireworks!Say it faster and faster.

📖 Read together: Isaiah 29:13–14 ↗

  1. Tap Key Verse and read Isaiah 29:14 together. Learn the motions on the screen: march, hammer, point, then burst like fireworks: “Wow!”
  2. Say it three ways: in a whisper, in a robot voice, and like a sports announcer. Do the motions every time.
  3. Explain the tricky words: “proceed” means go ahead and do it, “marvellous” means amazing, and a “wonder” is something that makes you say wow.
  4. Fireworks round: say the verse faster and faster. On “wonder,” everyone jumps and bursts their hands open.
  5. SAY“God’s marvelous work is bringing back the gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon, the priesthood, temples and your baptism are all part of it!”

📖 Play along: the key verse (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Which part of God’s marvelous work do you love most?
  • What makes you say “wow” about Heavenly Father?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Put your little one in charge of the fireworks: every time the family reaches “wonder,” they shout “Wow!” and throw their hands up high.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid read 2 Nephi 25:17 and find the same phrase Isaiah used. Then let them lead the fireworks round and set the speed.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Isaiah 29:13 first: people honored the Lord with their lips while their hearts were far away. Ask what that looks like for a teenager today, and why the Lord answered it with a “marvellous work” instead of just a scolding.
☕️ For grown-upsThe promise in verse 14 comes right after verse 13’s diagnosis: worship taught “by the precept of men.” The Restoration wasn’t only new information; it was God reaching for hearts again. Where has your own worship slipped into routine, and what would help it feel like a wonder again?

Sticker for today: 🎆

Wednesday · 8 min · Activity

Line upon Line Tower

🧱 Build it line upon line!One piece at a time.Name something you know.How tall can it get?

📖 Read together: Isaiah 28:9–10 ↗

  1. Grab something to stack: plastic cups, blocks, books, or cans from the pantry.
  2. Read Isaiah 28:10 together. Say: “Heavenly Father doesn’t teach us everything at once. He teaches us a little at a time, line upon line.”
  3. Tap Timer for one minute. Take turns adding one piece to the tower. Each time you add a piece, name one thing you know about Jesus or the gospel.
  4. Now try building it all at once: everyone drops their pieces on at the same moment. What happens? (Crash!)
  5. SAY“We learn the gospel one line at a time: one prayer, one verse, one Primary lesson. Little by little, we build something strong.”

⏱️ Big Timer (in the Gospel Sparks app)

Talk about it
  • What’s something you learned about Jesus this year that you didn’t know before?
  • What’s one small thing we can do every day to learn more?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Give your little one the biggest, sturdiest pieces for the bottom, and let them knock the tower down at the very end.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Challenge your older kid to name a different scripture story for each piece they add, without repeating anyone else’s.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read 2 Nephi 28:30 and notice the promise: those who listen and accept what the Lord teaches will receive more. Ask what “here a little, and there a little” looks like in their own testimony, and whether they ever feel pressure to have every answer right now.
☕️ For grown-ups“Line upon line” is gentle news for parents. Kids’ testimonies, and our own, grow in small, uneven layers, not in one perfect family night. What single line do you most want your kids to add this month?

Sticker for today: 🧱

Thursday · 10 min · Game

Forehead Guess: Sealed Book Edition

🤔 Guess the word before time runs out!device on your forehead.Family gives clues.Tilt down when you get it!
  1. Tap Forehead Guess. The first player holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing out.
  2. Everyone else gives clues without saying the word. Tilt down for “got it,” up to pass.
  3. Family twist: for Desert, Rose, Storm or Deer, clue-givers can only act it out. Be a prickly cactus, bloom like a flower, or leap like a deer!
  4. Rotate until everyone has had a turn. Add up the family total, then try to beat it in round two.
  5. Ask: “Which words showed that Isaiah’s prophecy came true?”

🤔 Play along: Forehead Guess (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Which word was the hardest to describe?
  • Which word reminds you of something Jesus does for us?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one hold your phone or tablet for a parent and shout clues with your help: “It’s a pretty flower!”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Older kids can only give one-word clues, or must act everything out with no talking.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Before the game, have your teen read Isaiah 14:12–14 and count how many times Lucifer says “I will.” (Five.) Then read Moses 4:1–2 and compare it with the Savior’s answer: “Father, thy will be done.” Ask what the difference between those two attitudes looks like at school or online.
☕️ For grown-upsIsaiah 14 traces pride’s whole arc: “I will ascend… I will be like the most High,” then the fall (Isaiah 14:13–15). In grown-ups it rarely sounds that bold; it sounds like needing to be right or insisting on doing it all ourselves. Where is the Lord inviting you to say “Thy will” this week?

Sticker for today: 🎯

Friday · 10 min · Service

Shelter from the Storm

⛺ Be a shelter for someone today!Build a fort.Ride out the storm inside.Go shelter someone!

📖 Read together: Isaiah 25:4 ↗

  1. Build a quick shelter: a blanket over two chairs or the kitchen table. Everyone crawls inside.
  2. Read Isaiah 25:4 together. Say: “A refuge is a safe place. Jesus is like a shelter in a storm and cool shade on a hot day.”
  3. Make a storm outside the shelter: a parent drums on the table for thunder, whooshes like wind, or flicks a few drops of water. Everyone inside stays safe and dry.
  4. Mission: be a shelter for someone today. Bring a cold drink to someone working hard, sit with someone who’s sad, or help a sibling finish a hard chore.
  5. SAY“When we help someone through a hard day, we help Jesus be their shelter.”
Talk about it
  • When have you felt safe even though something hard was happening?
  • Who needs a shelter from their storm this week?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the storm maker, with thunder drums and whooshing wind, then crawl into the shelter for a big hug.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid plan the shelter mission: pick who to help, decide what to bring, and lead the family there.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen who in their world is going through a storm right now: a friend, a teammate, someone at school. Read Mosiah 18:8–9 together, then invite them to reach out this week in a way that fits them, like a text, a ride, or sitting by someone at lunch.
☕️ For grown-upsIsaiah 25:4 calls the Lord a strength “to the needy in his distress.” Not after the distress; in it. Is there a storm you’re waiting to get through before you let Him in? Pray about it by name tonight.

Sticker for today: ⛺

Saturday · 10 min · Activity

A Nail in a Sure Place

🔩 Hang it on the sure place!Try the wobbly spot.Try the sturdy hook.Get ready for Sunday!

📖 Read together: Isaiah 22:22–23 ↗

  1. Find a sturdy hook, coat peg or doorknob, and something wobbly: a pencil poked into a stack of books, or a strip of tape on the wall.
  2. Hang a backpack on the wobbly one. What happens? (Thud!) Now hang it on the sturdy hook. It holds!
  3. Read Isaiah 22:23. Say: “A nail in a sure place holds tight. Jesus is our sure place. When we hang our worries and hopes on Him, He holds.”
  4. Get Sunday-ready: each person hangs up or lays out their church clothes and puts their scriptures by the door.
  5. Tap Quiz for a quick kids vs. parents warm-up before Primary tomorrow.

🏆 Play along: Scripture Showdown (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What worries can we “hang” on Jesus?
  • What will you think about during the sacrament tomorrow?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one hang their own coat or bag on the sturdy hook and cheer: “It holds!”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid host the quiz, reading each question out loud and explaining the answers.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Isaiah 22:22 and Revelation 3:7 side by side and spot the “key of David” in both. Many readers see Eliakim, the faithful servant in Isaiah 22, as a type of Jesus Christ. Ask what it means that the Savior is the one who “openeth, and no man shutteth.”
☕️ For grown-upsIn Isaiah’s day a nail was a strong peg driven into a wall so a household could hang its vessels and treasures on it (Isaiah 22:23–24). What are you hanging your family’s hopes on right now, and is it fastened in Christ?

Sticker for today: 🔩

Sunday · 7 min · Sabbath

The Desert Will Bloom

🌹 Jesus can make the desert bloom!Tell what you learned in Primary.Think only of Jesus.Say one thank-you.

📖 Read together: Isaiah 35:1–2; 26:3 ↗

  1. Ask: “What did you learn in Primary today? Show me the motions for the marvelous work!”
  2. Put a flower, a leaf, or a drawing of a rose in a cup of water on the table. Read Isaiah 35:1 together.
  3. SAY“A desert is dry and empty. Isaiah said it would burst into flowers. Jesus can make sad, dry or broken things bloom again.”
  4. Perfect peace moment: read Isaiah 26:3, then everyone closes their eyes for 30 seconds and thinks only about Jesus.
  5. Each person names one hard thing Jesus can help bloom and one thing they’re thankful for. Share a sentence or two of your testimony, then say a family prayer.
Talk about it
  • What did you learn in Primary today?
  • What’s something sad or hard that Jesus can help make better?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one hold the flower and pass it to each person when it’s their turn to share.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Invite your older kid to read Isaiah 25:8 and tell the family what it means that the Lord will “wipe away tears from off all faces.”
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Isaiah 25:8 and 1 Corinthians 15:54–55 and explain what it means that Jesus will “swallow up death in victory.” Then ask about a dry, desert-like stretch they or a friend have been through, and what helped something grow again.
☕️ For grown-upsIsaiah 35:6 promises that “in the wilderness shall waters break out.” Often the Lord doesn’t move us out of the desert; He brings water to it. What dry place in your life might He be preparing to bloom, and how can you keep your mind “stayed” on Him while you wait (Isaiah 26:3)?

Sticker for today: 🌹

Family challenge

Line upon Line Chain

Read a little of the Book of Mormon together every day this week, even just one verse. After each reading, add a paper strip with the reference on it to a family chain. Hang the chain where everyone can watch it grow, one line at a time.

Parent Corner

This week’s chapters swing between pride and promise. Isaiah’s taunt against the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:4) becomes a portrait of Lucifer, the “son of the morning” who said “I will be like the most High” and fell (Isaiah 14:12–15; see Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–27). Then Isaiah looks far past his own century to a sealed book that would speak “out of the dust” and a day when the Lord would “proceed to do a marvellous work… and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:4, 14). Nephi quotes and expands this prophecy in 2 Nephi 27, and Joseph Smith records how Professor Anthon unknowingly echoed it (Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65). Between those scenes Isaiah scatters promises that feel written for tired parents: the Lord is “a refuge from the storm” (Isaiah 25:4), He will “swallow up death in victory” (Isaiah 25:8), He keeps in “perfect peace” the mind that is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3), and He teaches “line upon line” (Isaiah 28:10). The contrast is the lesson: pride climbs and falls, while the Lord’s work grows quietly, a little at a time, until the desert blossoms.

  • Ponder: Where am I trying to climb on my own strength, and where am I letting the Lord build my life line upon line?
  • Try this: Read 2 Nephi 27 this week with Isaiah 29 open beside it and mark each line Nephi adds. Then write a few sentences about when you first felt the Book of Mormon was true, and share them with your kids on Sunday.

Dinner-table questions

  • If you could plant a garden anywhere, even in a desert, what would you grow?
  • What’s one marvelous thing Heavenly Father made that you saw today?
  • Why do you think the Lord teaches us line upon line instead of all at once?
  • Who was a shelter for you on a stormy day?
  • If you could ask Joseph Smith one question about the gold plates, what would it be?

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

All family weeks