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I Have Loved You

Malachi’s back-and-forth with a weary people ends the Old Testament with a promise: Elijah will come and turn hearts

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 51
  • 📅 Sunday, December 20, 2026
🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The Lord loves us and keeps inviting us to return with our real best, and through the keys Elijah restored He turns our hearts to our families, living and dead, and seals them to Him.

I can answer the Lord’s love by returning to Him with my best, and turn my heart toward one family member, living or dead, before the year ends.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Malachi)
Know the chapters

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, written some decades after the second temple was finished, probably in the same era as Nehemiah. The excitement of rebuilding had worn off. Priests offered blind, lame and sick animals and called the whole thing a weariness (Malachi 1:8, 13). People held back tithes (3:8) and dealt treacherously with the wives of their youth (2:14). Nehemiah describes the same problems (Nehemiah 13:10–12, 23–27). Malachi’s name means “my messenger,” and his book is built as an argument: the Lord says something, the people push back with “Wherein?” (1:2, 6–7; 2:17; 3:7–8), and the Lord answers. It opens with “I have loved you” and the reply, in effect, “Prove it” (1:2).

Look for the Savior throughout. The Lord will send His messenger to prepare the way, and “the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple” (3:1); Jesus identified that messenger as John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10). He comes like a refiner’s fire, sitting patiently as a refiner of silver (3:2–3). Those who feared the Lord “spake often one to another,” and a book of remembrance was written for them (3:16). And for those who fear His name, “the Sun of righteousness” will “arise with healing in his wings” (4:2). The Savior taught Malachi 3–4 to the Nephites, because the Father commanded that they have it (3 Nephi 24–25).

The Old Testament ends with a promise: the Lord will send Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord to turn the hearts of the fathers and the children to each other (Malachi 4:5–6). When Moroni visited Joseph Smith in 1823, he quoted it differently: the Lord would reveal the priesthood by the hand of Elijah, and he would plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers (Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39; see also Doctrine and Covenants 2). On April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland Temple, after the Savior appeared and accepted the temple, Elijah came and committed the keys of this dispensation’s sealing power to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16). It was Easter Sunday, in the season of Passover, when Jewish families have long hoped for Elijah’s return.

Twenty-five minutes goes quickly, and this is the last Sunday before Christmas. One story read well and one honest conversation will do more than a survey. Be tender with the turning-hearts discussion. Some in the room have painful or broken family relationships, no family in the Church, no spouse or children, or a loss this year. Turning hearts includes ancestors, the people who raised and love us now, and the family the Lord will give us in His time.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Malachi 1:1–8, 3:1–18 and 4:1–6 once. Open by asking where the class has seen evidence of the Lord’s love this year. Read Malachi 1:2 and 3:7 aloud, noticing the people’s “Wherein?” Read Malachi 4:5–6 and Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16, then use the Hearts Turned questions for most of the time. Close with Malachi 4:2, invite one or two testimonies, and ask each person to turn their heart toward one family member before the year ends.

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 Malachi straight through; it’s four short chapters. Mark 1:2, 1:8, 3:1–3, 3:7, 3:10, 3:16–17 and 4:2, 5–6.
  2. Ask one person ahead of time to read Malachi 3:16 and 4:5–6 when the time comes. A quick text on Saturday is plenty.
  3. Read Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39 and Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16 so you can explain how Malachi’s promise was fulfilled.
  4. Choose a family photo, heirloom or story from your own family to share briefly. Keep it to a minute.
  5. Pick the two or three discussion questions you most want to reach. It’s the week before Christmas; people will appreciate ending on time.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? Start the turning-hearts questions in pairs. Many people have a family history story they will tell one neighbor long before they tell a room.
  • 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.
  • Family is tender ground, especially at Christmas. Don’t assume everyone has a happy family, a spouse, children or members in their family. Elder Renlund’s words about sealing and healing “despite tragedy, loss, and hardship” are a gentle bridge; turning hearts can begin with a single ancestor or a single phone call.
  • Tithing is in Malachi 3, and year-end tithing declaration is near. Keep any tithing discussion about faith and blessings, never about amounts, and never single anyone out.
  • Visitors and new members: Malachi is short, and the idea of family history and temples may be new. Explain terms like “sealing” plainly, give page numbers, and never ask anyone to read aloud without checking 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

Prove It

3 min

Opens with Malachi’s first exchange and turns it into a year-end look at the Lord’s love.

  1. SAY“Imagine telling someone you love, ‘I love you,’ and hearing back, ‘Oh really? Prove it.’”
  2. SAY“That’s how the last book of the Old Testament begins. The Lord says, ‘I have loved you,’ and the people answer, ‘Wherein hast thou loved us?’”
  3. Ask: “As this year comes to an end, where have you seen evidence of the Lord’s love for you?”
  4. Give 20 seconds of quiet to think, then take two or three answers.
  5. SAY“Malachi is full of the people’s ‘Wherein?’ and the Lord’s patient answers. Let’s listen to the conversation.”

On the screen: ❤️ Where have you seen evidence of the Lord’s love for you this year? · Malachi 1:2

2. Story

Read It in Context: “Wherein?”

7 min

Reads Malachi as the back-and-forth it is, so the final promise of Elijah lands as the Lord’s last word in the Old Testament.

  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 read the Lord’s words. The Class answers with the people’s lines; no one is assigned to speak as the Lord.
  3. Keep it moving: context, verses, next scene. Save comments for the discussion.
  4. After the last scene, let a few seconds of silence sit before moving on.

On the screen: 💬 Malachi: the Lord’s love, the people’s “Wherein?”, and the promise of Elijah · Follow along in Malachi 1–4

3. Scripture

The Promise Kept

4 min

Shows class members for themselves how Malachi’s final promise was fulfilled in the Restoration.

  1. Put Malachi 4:5–6 on the shared screen and read it together.
  2. SAY“With the person next to you, open Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39 and find what Moroni added when he quoted these verses to Joseph in 1823.” Give one minute.
  3. Gather answers: the priesthood revealed by the hand of Elijah, and the promises made to the fathers planted in the hearts of the children.
  4. Read Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16. Explain that Elijah came to the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836, Easter Sunday, and committed the sealing keys.
  5. SAY“Every temple sealing, every proxy ordinance, every family history discovery traces back to that day.”

On the screen: 🗝️ Elijah came, the keys were given, and hearts are turning. · Malachi 4:5–6 · Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39 · Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16

4. Talk it over

Wherein?

5 min

Helps adults recognize their own “Wherein?” and what returning with our best looks like.

  1. Pick two or three questions; don’t try to cover all of them.
  2. Start the second question in pairs for a minute, then invite a few to share with the room.
  3. Let silence work. Count to seven in your head before rescuing a question.
  4. If the room is quiet, share your own honest answer first.
💬 Ask the class
  • Every time the Lord speaks, the people answer, “Wherein?” Which of their pushbacks sounds most like something we might say?
  • The priests gave the Lord their leftovers (1:8). What does giving Him our real best look like for busy adults, not just our leftover time and energy? (Talk with a neighbor first.)
  • “Return unto me, and I will return unto you” (3:7). When has the Lord met you partway after you turned back?
  • In 3:16, faithful people “spake often one to another,” and the Lord listened. What happens in us when we talk with each other about the Lord?

On the screen: 💬 “Return unto me, and I will return unto you.” “Wherein shall we return?” · Malachi 1:2, 8, 13; 3:7, 16

5. Talk it over

Hearts Turned

4 min

Applies Elijah’s promise to our families, living and dead, with tenderness for every family situation.

  1. Show your family photo, heirloom or page, and share in under a minute what it means to you.
  2. Read the end of Malachi 4:6 again: hearts turning in both directions.
  3. Share Elder Renlund’s words about sealing and healing (in “From general conference” below).
  4. Ask one or two questions, then move to the testimony on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • What has turned your heart toward an ancestor or toward your family: a story, a temple visit, a name, a person?
  • Not every family relationship is easy. How have you seen the Lord heal or turn hearts where family has been painful?
  • Who in your family, living or dead, is the Lord inviting you to turn toward before the year ends?

On the screen: 👨‍👩‍👧 He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the children to their fathers. · Malachi 4:6

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A family photo, heirloom or page of family history from your own family

  1. Tell, in under a minute, a short story about one of your ancestors or a family member who shaped your faith.
  2. Read the end of Malachi 4:6 again: hearts turning in both directions.
  3. Share Elder Renlund’s words about sealing and healing (in “From general conference” below).
  4. Ask one or two questions, then move to the testimony on time.
6. Testimony

Healing in His Wings

2 min

Ends the Old Testament year with testimony of Jesus Christ, the Sun of righteousness, and an invitation for Christmas week.

  1. Read Malachi 4:2.
  2. SAY“The Old Testament closes looking forward to the One who comes with healing. Next week we celebrate His birth, and in two weeks we begin a year in the New Testament with Him.”
  3. Invite one or two people to share, briefly, what they learned about the Savior from the Old Testament this year.
  4. Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ is the Sun of righteousness and that He heals and binds families through His sealing power.
  5. Invite: “Before the year ends, turn your heart toward one family member, living or dead: a phone call, a letter, a name taken to the temple, or a story written down.”

On the screen: ☀️ Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. · Malachi 4:2 · Before the year ends: turn your heart toward one family member.

7. Talk it over

The Windows of Heaven

4 minBONUS

Looks at Malachi’s teaching on tithing as an invitation to trust, as year-end tithing declaration approaches.

  1. Read Malachi 3:8–12.
  2. Point out that the Lord says “prove me now herewith”: it is one of the few places He invites us to test Him.
  3. Explain that tithing is one-tenth of our increase (Doctrine and Covenants 119:4), and that tithing declaration with the bishop happens near the end of each year.
  4. Ask one or two questions. Keep it about faith and blessings, never amounts.
💬 Ask the class
  • Why do you think the Lord invites us to “prove” Him on tithing specifically?
  • What blessings from tithing have you noticed that weren’t financial?
  • How can we help children and new members see tithing as an act of trust rather than a bill?

On the screen: 🪟 “Prove me now herewith … if I will not open you the windows of heaven.” · Malachi 3:8–12

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 Malachi?

Read it together

“Wherein?”

Malachi 1–4 ↗

Reading parts

  • ReaderReads Malachi 3:16 and Malachi 4:5–6.
  • The ClassEveryone reads the people’s pushback together each time it comes: “Wherein …?” in 1:2, 3:7 and 3:8, and “what a weariness is it!” in 1:13.

Scenes

  1. 🕍 A finished temple, a weary people

    Decades after the second temple was finished, the thrill has worn off. Worship has become routine, even a chore. Into that tired religion the Lord sends one more prophet, whose name means “my messenger.”

    🎬 The teacher reads this context. No scripture yet.

  2. ❤️ “I have loved you.” “Wherein?”

    The Lord opens with the simplest possible words. The people answer by asking for proof.

    🎬 The teacher reads the first sentence of Malachi 1:2. The Class answers, “Wherein hast thou loved us?”

  3. 🐑 “Offer it now unto thy governor”

    The priests are offering blind, lame and sick animals. The Lord asks: would your governor accept a gift like that? And the people admit how they really feel about worship.

    🎬 The teacher reads Malachi 1:8. The Class reads the people’s words from 1:13: “Behold, what a weariness is it!”

  4. 🔥 Like a refiner’s fire

    Then a promise: the Lord Himself will come suddenly to His temple. He will be like a refiner who sits over the silver, patiently, until it is pure.

    🎬 The teacher reads Malachi 3:1–3.

  5. ↩️ “Return unto me, and I will return”

    The Lord invites them back and promises to meet them. Again they answer with a question, and He gets specific.

    🎬 The teacher reads the first part of Malachi 3:7. The Class answers, “Wherein shall we return?” The teacher reads 3:8 up to “Yet ye have robbed me”; the Class answers, “Wherein have we robbed thee?” The teacher finishes 3:8 and reads 3:10.

  6. 📖 A book of remembrance

    Not everyone is weary. Some who love the Lord keep talking to each other about Him, and the Lord listens and writes their names down.

    🎬 The Reader reads Malachi 3:16. The teacher reads 3:17.

  7. 👨‍👩‍👧 Elijah will come, and hearts will turn

    The last words of the Old Testament are a promise. Before the great day of the Lord, Elijah will come, and hearts will turn between generations.

    🎬 The Reader reads Malachi 4:5–6. Let a few seconds of quiet follow.

Key verse

Malachi 4:5–6 ↗
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
In plain words: The Lord promised to send Elijah to bind families together across the generations. Elijah came to the Kirtland Temple in 1836 and restored the sealing keys, and hearts are still turning.

More verses

Malachi 1:2 ↗
“I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?”
In plain words: The Lord begins with His love. The people ask Him to prove it, and He patiently answers.
Malachi 3:7 ↗
“Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?”
In plain words: When we turn back to the Lord, He turns back to us. He is willing to tell us exactly how.
Malachi 3:16 ↗
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”
In plain words: When faithful people talk to each other about the Lord, He listens, and He remembers them.

Scripture Showdown7 questions

  1. What are the Lord’s first words to the people in Malachi 1:2?
    • A. I have loved you
    • B. Repent
    • C. Build my house
    Show answer

    ✅ A. I have loved you “I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?”

  2. What kind of animals were the priests offering?
    • A. The firstborn of the flock
    • B. The blind, the lame and the sick
    • C. Only doves
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The blind, the lame and the sick Malachi 1:8: “offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee?”

  3. What does Malachi 3:2 compare the Lord to?
    • A. A mighty wind
    • B. A shepherd
    • C. A refiner’s fire
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A refiner’s fire “He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.”

  4. What does the Lord promise to open for those who pay tithing?
    • A. The gates of the city
    • B. The windows of heaven
    • C. The doors of the temple
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The windows of heaven Malachi 3:10: “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.”

  5. What was written for those who feared the Lord?
    • A. A book of remembrance
    • B. A new law
    • C. A letter to the king
    Show answer

    ✅ A. A book of remembrance Malachi 3:16: “a book of remembrance was written before him.”

  6. Whom did the Lord promise to send before His great and dreadful day?
    • A. Moses
    • B. Isaiah
    • C. Elijah
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Elijah Malachi 4:5. Elijah came to the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836 (Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16).

  7. Who did Jesus say was the messenger of Malachi 3:1?
    • A. John the Baptist
    • B. Peter
    • C. Elijah
    Show answer

    ✅ A. John the Baptist Matthew 11:10: “Behold, I send my messenger before thy face.”

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“God, in His infinite capacity, seals and heals individuals and families despite tragedy, loss, and hardship.”

— Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing,” April 2018

Share in Hearts Turned, after reading Malachi 4:6 again.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Hymns, no. 209

    The last Sunday before Christmas. This carol borrows Malachi’s image of the Sun of righteousness rising with healing. Find it ↗

  • The Spirit of God Hymns, no. 2

    Sung at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, where Elijah later came and restored the sealing keys. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

Turn One Heart

Before the year ends, turn your heart toward one family member, living or dead: call a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while, write down a family story, find a name on FamilySearch, or take a name to the temple. And add one entry to your own “book of remembrance”: a way the Lord showed His love to you this year.

Take it home

In Sunday School we finished the Old Testament with Malachi. The Lord began with “I have loved you” (Malachi 1:2) and ended with a promise to send Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers and children to each other (4:5–6), which came true in the Kirtland Temple in 1836. Take it home: share a family story at dinner this week and ask everyone which ancestor they would like to know more about.

📝 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?

🔥 The Refiner Sits · 4 min

  1. Read Malachi 3:2–3.
  2. Point out that the refiner “shall sit.” Refining silver takes patient attention; the refiner stays close to the heat.
  3. Ask: “What does it mean to you that the Lord sits with us while He refines us, rather than walking away?”

💍 Have We Not All One Father? · 4 min

  1. Read Malachi 2:10, then 2:14–16, where the Lord calls a man’s wife his companion and “the wife of thy covenant.”
  2. Ask: “What does it mean to treat marriage, and every family relationship, as a covenant with God and not just a contract?”
  3. Be sensitive to single, divorced and widowed class members; the principle of covenant faithfulness applies to everyone.

📜 Our Old Testament Year · 5 min

  1. SAY“We started in January with the Creation and we end with Malachi.”
  2. Ask each person to name, in one sentence, the Old Testament story or verse that meant the most to them this year.
  3. Close by pointing out how many of them pointed to Jesus Christ.

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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