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According to Thy Word

A priest who waited for decades, a young woman who said yes, and a God for whom nothing is impossible

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 1
  • 📅 Sunday, January 3, 2027
🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Zacharias, Elisabeth, Mary and Joseph each had their lives rewritten by God. Their faithful waiting, their honest questions and Mary’s trusting “be it unto me according to thy word” show us how to follow the Lord when His will is bigger than anything we could have planned.

I can stay faithful while I wait on the Lord, bring my honest questions to Him, and answer His will with trust: “be it unto me according to thy word.”

Study it yourself firstRead Matthew 1; Luke 1 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Matthew 1; Luke 1)
Know the chapters

Welcome to the New Testament. Matthew and Luke open with two different doorways into the same story. Matthew, writing with Jewish readers in mind, begins with a genealogy that ties Jesus to Abraham and David (Matthew 1:1) and tells Joseph’s side of the story. Luke, the “beloved physician” and companion of Paul (Colossians 4:14), explains that he gathered accounts from eyewitnesses so that Theophilus could “know the certainty” of what he had been taught (Luke 1:1–4). Luke gives us Zacharias, Elisabeth and Mary.

Zacharias belonged to the priestly course of Abia (Luke 1:5; see 1 Chronicles 24:10), one of twenty-four divisions that took turns serving at the temple. Priests were chosen by lot to burn incense in the holy place, so the moment in Luke 1:9 was likely a rare honor. While the people prayed outside (1:10), the angel Gabriel said, “thy prayer is heard” (1:13). Luke calls Zacharias and Elisabeth “righteous before God” and “blameless” (1:6), yet they had been childless for years. Their long wait was not a punishment. Latter-day revelation adds that John was “ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:28).

Compare two questions. Zacharias asked, “Whereby shall I know this?” (Luke 1:18), asking for proof, and his silence became the sign. Mary asked, “How shall this be?” (Luke 1:34), believing and asking how. Both were honest, and the Lord was patient with both. Mary’s answer, “be it unto me according to thy word” (1:38), is the heart of the week. Joseph, “a just man,” had planned a quiet, merciful course before the angel came, then “did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him” (Matthew 1:19, 24). The manual quotes Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s October 2020 promise that sincere prayers are heard and answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted.

Handle this week with care. Your class may include people waiting for a child, a spouse, a healing, or a family member’s return. Elisabeth’s story is hope, not a formula; don’t promise anyone the same outcome. With 25 minutes, read the two announcements, compare the two questions, and give the “While We Wait” discussion the most time. The parallels between Luke 1 and the restored Church are ready as a bonus step.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Luke 1:5–38 and 1:57–64 once. Open by asking the class to think silently of something that feels impossible. Read the scenes, then put Luke 1:18 and 1:34 side by side and ask what makes the two questions different. Spend most of the time on the While We Wait questions. Close with Luke 1:37, one or two testimonies, and an invitation to end this week’s prayers with Mary’s words.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Luke 1 straight through, then Matthew 1:18–25. Mark verses 6, 13, 18, 34, 37, 38 and 63 in Luke 1; they carry the lesson.
  2. Ask three people ahead of time to read: Zacharias (Luke 1:18 and 1:63–64), Mary (Luke 1:34 and 1:38), and a Reader for the narration verses. A text on Saturday is plenty.
  3. Write on the notepad in large letters: “What feels impossible right now?” Keep it face down until class starts.
  4. Think of a prayer of your own that was answered late or differently than you expected. If the room is quiet, you may share it first.
  5. Pick the two or three discussion questions you most want to reach. New Year’s weekend attendance can be light; plan to cut.

Discussion tips

  • Tender topic: waiting for children, marriage, healing or a wayward family member is real pain for many adults. Luke 1:6–7 says Zacharias and Elisabeth were righteous and still waiting; honor that. Never suggest that someone’s wait means they lack faith.
  • If someone asks, “Why was Zacharias silenced when Mary wasn’t?”, you can say that Gabriel named the reason plainly (Luke 1:20), and that the silence ended in praise (1:64). Both questions were answered; neither person was abandoned.
  • Questions about how Jesus was conceived: stay with what the scriptures say. The Holy Ghost came upon Mary and the power of the Highest overshadowed her, so the child would be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35; see also 1 Nephi 11:18–21). Don’t speculate beyond that.
  • New year, new faces: welcome visitors and new members by name, say briefly that the class follows Come, Follow Me through the New Testament this year, and never ask someone to read aloud without checking first.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet,” or send the next question to pairs first.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Each “On the screen” line is what the class sees on a shared screen in Teach Mode in the Gospel Sparks app; on paper, read it aloud or write it on the board. On the web you can play Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

A Silent Question

3 min

Opens in silence, as Zacharias lived for months, with a personal question the chapter will answer.

  1. Before you say a word, turn over the notepad that reads “What feels impossible right now?” and hold it up for a few seconds.
  2. Then say: “Zacharias went months without speaking. You only have to think for twenty seconds.”
  3. Invite everyone to think silently of something in their life, or in the life of someone they love, that seems impossible to change. No one has to say it out loud.
  4. After the quiet, ask: “What makes something feel impossible to us?” Take two or three answers.
  5. SAY“Luke opens the New Testament with two impossible announcements. Let’s watch how two faithful people responded.”

On the screen: 🤐 What feels impossible to you right now?

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A notepad or small whiteboard and a marker (Zacharias asked for a “writing table”)

Twenty Seconds of Silence

  1. Put the question on the shared screen and don’t say anything for a few seconds.
  2. Then say: “Zacharias went months without speaking. You only have to think for twenty seconds.”
  3. Invite everyone to think silently of something that seems impossible to change. No one has to say it out loud.
  4. After the quiet, ask: “What makes something feel impossible to us?” Take two or three answers, then say: “Luke opens the New Testament with two impossible announcements. Let’s watch how two faithful people responded.”
2. Story

Read It in Context: Two Impossible Announcements

7 min

Reads Luke 1 as a real moment in the temple and in Nazareth so the promises land with weight.

  1. Open Teach Mode to the scripture scene. The shared screen shows one scene at a time.
  2. Read each scene’s context yourself, then let the assigned voices read their verses. You read the angel’s words.
  3. Keep it moving: context, verses, next scene. Save comments for the discussion.
  4. After scene 7, let a few seconds of silence sit before moving on.

On the screen: 👼 Luke 1: an old priest in the temple, a young woman in Nazareth, and two impossible promises · Follow along in Luke 1:5–38, 57–64

3. Scripture

Two Questions

4 min

Compares Zacharias’s and Mary’s questions so the class discovers what faithful questioning looks like.

  1. Put Luke 1:18 and 1:34 on the shared screen and read them one after the other.
  2. SAY“Both of them asked the angel a question. With the person next to you, decide what makes the two questions different.”
  3. After a minute, draw it out: Zacharias asked for proof; Mary believed and asked how it would happen. The Lord was patient with both.
  4. Read Luke 1:38 slowly. Ask: “What does it take to say ‘be it unto me according to thy word’ when you don’t know how it will turn out?”

On the screen: ❓ “Whereby shall I know this?” and “How shall this be?” What’s the difference? · Luke 1:18, 34, 38

4. Talk it over

While We Wait

6 min

Helps adults draw strength from Zacharias and Elisabeth’s faithfulness during a long, unexplained wait.

  1. Pick two or three questions; don’t try to cover all of them.
  2. Start the second question in pairs: give one minute to talk with a neighbor, then invite a few to share with the room.
  3. Before the last question, share Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s promise (in “From general conference” below).
  4. Let silence work. Count to seven in your head before rescuing a question.
💬 Ask the class
  • Luke 1:6–7 calls Zacharias and Elisabeth righteous and blameless, and still childless. What does that teach us about how to read our own unanswered prayers?
  • What do you notice about how they lived while they waited? (Talk with a neighbor first.)
  • Gabriel’s first words were “thy prayer is heard” (Luke 1:13), perhaps about a prayer they had long stopped expecting. What prayer of yours was answered late, or differently than you expected?
  • Elisabeth held firm on the name John before Zacharias could speak (Luke 1:60). How do husbands and wives, or friends, carry each other’s faith through a long wait?
  • How can we support someone in the ward who is still waiting, without offering easy answers?

On the screen: ⏳ Righteous, blameless, and still waiting: what do we do in the meantime? · Luke 1:5–25, 57–64

5. Talk it over

Joseph’s Quiet Yes

3 min

Shows how Joseph’s character and prompt obedience prepared him for his role.

  1. Ask a volunteer to read Matthew 1:18–21 and 24 while the class follows along.
  2. Point out that Joseph had already chosen a quiet, merciful course before the angel came (verse 19).
  3. Ask one or two questions, then move to the testimony on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • Before the dream, Joseph planned to act privately and mercifully (Matthew 1:19). What does that tell you about his character?
  • Matthew 1:24 says he “did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him.” What helps you act promptly on revelation, even when it rearranges your plans?
  • Mary said yes to an angel, and Joseph said yes to a dream. How do the people around us make our own yes possible?

On the screen: 💤 Joseph woke up and did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. · Matthew 1:18–25

6. Testimony

Nothing Shall Be Impossible

2 min

Ends with testimony of the God of the impossible and a concrete invitation for the week.

  1. Read Luke 1:37 together: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
  2. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, a time the Lord did something they thought was impossible, or sustained them while they waited.
  3. Bear a short testimony that Heavenly Father hears every prayer and that His Son came to do what no one else could do.
  4. Invite: “This week, take the thing that feels impossible to the Lord in prayer, and end with Mary’s words: ‘Be it unto me according to thy word.’”

On the screen: ✨ For with God nothing shall be impossible. · Luke 1:37 · This week: pray about your impossible thing. End with “be it unto me.”

7. Talk it over

The Church Then and Now

5 minBONUS

Uses the manual’s idea to notice how much Luke 1 resembles the restored Church.

  1. Read Luke 1:5–17 and ask the class to call out practices they recognize: the office of priest, ordinances, temple service, prayer, angels, a law about food and drink, promised blessings.
  2. Read Articles of Faith 1:6.
  3. Ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • Which similarity between Luke 1 and the restored Church stood out to you, and why does it matter?
  • Zacharias received his answer while serving in the temple. What have you received in the Lord’s house?
  • Luke 1:15 mentions a commitment about food and drink. How does keeping the Word of Wisdom prepare us to receive the Lord’s messages?

On the screen: 🏛️ Priests, temples, prayer, angels: what in Luke 1 looks like the restored Church? · Luke 1:5–17 · Articles of Faith 1:6

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A light, friendly review if you finish early.

  1. Split the room down the middle into two teams.
  2. Launch Scripture Showdown on your phone or tablet and read each question aloud.
  3. After each reveal, read the reference so people can mark it.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

On the screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: how well do you know Matthew 1 and Luke 1?

Read it together

Two Impossible Announcements

Luke 1:5–64 ↗

Reading parts

  • ReaderReads the narration: Luke 1:5–7, 1:8–11 and 1:57–60.
  • ZachariasReads Luke 1:18 (his question) and later 1:63–64 (“His name is John”).
  • MaryReads Luke 1:34 (her question) and 1:38 (her answer).

Scenes

  1. 🕯️ Righteous, faithful, and still waiting

    Zacharias is a priest, and Elisabeth descends from Aaron. Luke calls them both righteous and blameless. They have prayed for a child for years, and now they are old.

    🎬 The Reader reads Luke 1:5–7.

  2. 🏛️ Chosen by lot to burn incense

    It is his priestly course’s week at the temple, and the lot falls to Zacharias to burn incense in the holy place. Outside, a crowd is praying. Inside, an angel appears beside the altar.

    🎬 The Reader reads Luke 1:8–11.

  3. 👼 “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard”

    The angel’s first words answer a prayer Zacharias may have stopped praying. The son will be named John, and he will turn many hearts to the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias.

    🎬 The teacher reads Luke 1:13–17.

  4. 🤐 “Whereby shall I know this?”

    Zacharias asks for proof. The angel gives his name, Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and a sign: silence until the promise is fulfilled. The people outside wonder why he is taking so long.

    🎬 Zacharias reads Luke 1:18. The teacher reads verses 19–22.

  5. 🏡 Six months later, in Nazareth

    Gabriel comes to a young woman in a small Galilean town. She is engaged to Joseph, of the house of David. The message is even more impossible than the last one.

    🎬 The teacher reads Luke 1:26–33.

  6. 🙏 “Be it unto me according to thy word”

    Mary asks how, not whether. Gabriel explains, points to her aged cousin Elisabeth as evidence, and gives the line at the center of the week. Then Mary answers.

    🎬 Mary reads Luke 1:34. The teacher reads verses 35–37. Mary reads verse 38. Let a moment of quiet follow.

  7. ✍️ “His name is John”

    The baby is born. Relatives expect him to be named after his father, but Elisabeth says no. Zacharias asks for a writing tablet, writes four words, and his tongue is loosed. The first thing he does with his voice is praise God.

    🎬 The Reader reads Luke 1:57–60. Zacharias reads verses 63–64.

Key verse

Luke 1:38 ↗
“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”
In plain words: Mary didn’t understand everything that was coming, but she trusted the Lord completely: I am Yours; let it happen the way You said.

More verses

Luke 1:37 ↗
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
In plain words: Gabriel gave Mary this promise along with the evidence of Elisabeth. The God who did both of these things can work in our lives too.
Luke 1:13 ↗
“But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.”
In plain words: Years of prayer had not been wasted. Heaven had heard every one.
Luke 1:45 ↗
“And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
In plain words: Elisabeth blesses Mary for believing. What the Lord promises, He performs.
Matthew 1:24 ↗
“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:”
In plain words: Joseph woke up and obeyed right away, even though it changed all his plans.

Scripture Showdown7 questions

  1. What was Zacharias doing when the angel appeared to him?
    • A. Burning incense in the temple
    • B. Teaching in the synagogue
    • C. Tending his flocks
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Burning incense in the temple Luke 1:9–11: his lot was to burn incense, and the angel stood by the altar of incense.

  2. What sign was Zacharias given?
    • A. A new star
    • B. He could not speak
    • C. His staff budded
    Show answer

    ✅ B. He could not speak Luke 1:20: he would be unable to speak until the promise was fulfilled.

  3. What did Zacharias write on the writing table?
    • A. “Thy prayer is heard”
    • B. “Call him Zacharias”
    • C. “His name is John”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “His name is John” Luke 1:63. Immediately his mouth was opened and he praised God.

  4. Finish Luke 1:37: “For with God nothing shall be…”
    • A. impossible
    • B. hidden
    • C. too hard
    Show answer

    ✅ A. impossible “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

  5. Which relative of Mary was also expecting a miracle child?
    • A. Anna
    • B. Elisabeth
    • C. Hannah
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Elisabeth Luke 1:36: “thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age.”

  6. What name did the angel tell Joseph to give the child?
    • A. John
    • B. David
    • C. Jesus
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Jesus Matthew 1:21: “thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

  7. What did Joseph do when he woke from his dream?
    • A. Went to the temple
    • B. Did as the angel had bidden him
    • C. Asked for a sign
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Did as the angel had bidden him Matthew 1:24.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“So while we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted.”

— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Waiting on the Lord,” October 2020

Share in While We Wait, before the last question.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Did You Think to Pray? Hymns, no. 140

    Zacharias and Elisabeth’s story is about prayers that are heard. A good opening hymn. Find it ↗

  • Come, Follow Me Hymns, no. 116

    The first Sunday of a year spent following the Savior through the New Testament. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

Be It unto Me

This week, bring the thing that feels impossible, or the blessing you have waited longest for, to the Lord in prayer. Tell Him honestly how you feel, then close with Mary’s words: “Be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). Notice how that changes the rest of your day.

Take it home

In Sunday School we read Luke 1: Zacharias and Elisabeth waited years for an answer, and Mary answered an impossible message with “be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). Take it home: at dinner, read Luke 1:37 together and ask each person to share one “impossible” thing the Lord has done in the scriptures or in your family.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

🌳 Four Women in the Family Line · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 1:1–6 and look for the women Matthew names before Mary: Thamar, Rachab, Ruth, and “her that had been the wife of Urias.”
  2. Briefly recall their stories (Genesis 38; Joshua 2; Ruth 1–4; 2 Samuel 11–12).
  3. Ask: “Why might Matthew include these women in the Savior’s family line? What does it tell us about who belongs in His story?”

📜 Prophets Knew Her Name · 4 min

  1. Read 1 Nephi 11:13–20, Mosiah 3:8 and Alma 7:10, where prophets see or name Mary long before she was born.
  2. Ask: “What does it mean to you that the Lord knew Mary’s name and mission centuries in advance?”
  3. Ask: “What might the Lord know about your life that you can’t see yet?”

🎶 Two Songs of Praise · 5 min

  1. Read Mary’s words in Luke 1:46–55, then Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1–10. Look for echoes.
  2. Read Zacharias’s praise in Luke 1:68–79, especially the “dayspring from on high” in verse 78.
  3. Ask: “What ‘great things’ has the Lord done for you (Luke 1:49)? What would it mean for your soul to ‘magnify the Lord’?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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