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We Have Waited for Him

Isaiah promised a great light to a land in darkness, and a Child whose names tell us who He is

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 52
  • 📅 Sunday, December 27, 2026
🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The whole Old Testament leans forward toward Jesus Christ. The light Isaiah promised to a people sitting in darkness came in Bethlehem, and He still comes to everyone who waits for Him and seeks Him.

I can recognize Jesus Christ in the promises of the Old Testament, choose one of His names to learn from in the coming year, and carry His light to someone who is sitting in darkness.

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

This week closes the Old Testament year with Christmas instead of new chapters. The manual’s title comes from Isaiah 25:9: “we have waited for him, and he will save us.” From the beginning, prophets and poets looked forward to a Deliverer who would “proclaim liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1). Adam offered sacrifices as “a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten” (Moses 5:7), Abraham told Isaac that God would “provide himself a lamb” (Genesis 22:8), and Balaam saw “a Star out of Jacob” (Numbers 24:17). The manual invites us to rejoice in our Redeemer, to notice the symbols that point to Him (star, shepherd, lamb, water, rock, branch, light), and to ponder His names and titles.

The lesson reads Isaiah 9:1–7 in its own setting. Around 732 BC the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser swept through northern Israel and carried away the people of Galilee and “all the land of Naphtali” (2 Kings 15:29). Zebulun and Naphtali were among the first to fall into that darkness, and Isaiah 8:22 ends with “dimness of anguish.” Into that gloom Isaiah promised that the same region would see “a great light” (9:1–2) and that a child would be born whose names would be Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (9:6). About seven centuries later Jesus made His home in Capernaum, “in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim,” and Matthew quotes Isaiah to say the light had come (Matthew 4:13–16). Nephi included the whole chapter in his record (2 Nephi 19).

If questions come up about the titles: Jesus Christ is Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament, which is why Isaiah could call a newborn “The mighty God.” He is called “The everlasting Father” not because He is Heavenly Father (He is not) but because He is “the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8), and because those who make covenants with Him are spiritually born of Him and become His sons and daughters (Mosiah 5:7).

Christmas week can be tender. Someone in your class may be facing an empty chair, a strained family or a lonely holiday. Isaiah 9 was written to people in real darkness, so there’s no need to pretend everyone’s season is bright. With 25 minutes, read the story, study one verse closely, and let the discussion of Christ’s names carry most of the time. The traditions step is ready as a bonus if the class is chatty.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Isaiah 9:1–7 and Matthew 4:12–16 once. Open by asking, “What’s the longest you have ever waited for something?” Move quickly through the story, study Isaiah 25:9 together, and spend most of the time on the names in Isaiah 9:6, inviting everyone to choose one name of Christ to study in 2027. Close by reading Isaiah 9:2 and inviting one or two short testimonies.

What to bring3 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 Isaiah 8:22 through 9:7 in one sitting, then Matthew 4:12–16. Notice that the promise lands on the exact place that was darkest.
  2. Ask two people ahead of time to read: one for Isaiah 9:2–3 and one for Matthew 4:13–16. A quick text on Christmas Eve or Saturday is plenty.
  3. Decide which name in Isaiah 9:6 means the most to you this year and why. If the room is quiet, you’ll go first.
  4. Test the flashlight and find the light switch. You’ll dim the room for about thirty seconds at the end.
  5. Pick the two or three discussion questions you most want to reach. Holiday classes often start late, so plan to cut.

Discussion tips

  • Tiny holiday class? Pull chairs into a circle, read the story together as a group, and let the discussion run longer. A packed room of visitors? Welcome them warmly, and invite them to share how their family celebrates the Savior’s birth.
  • Christmas can ache. If someone mentions grief, loneliness or a family that isn’t together, thank them and point to Isaiah 9:2: the light came to people who were still in darkness. Don’t rush past it to something cheerful.
  • Quiet class? Give a full minute for everyone to read the five names in Isaiah 9:6 silently and choose one before you ask anything. Then use the pairs moment: people who won’t speak to the room will talk to a neighbor.
  • 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.
  • If someone asks how Jesus can be called “The everlasting Father,” see the third background paragraph. Keep it short and clear: He is the Son of God, the Creator, and the Father of all who are born again through Him.

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

The Longest Wait

3 min

Opens with a real-life question about waiting, the feeling the whole Old Testament carries.

  1. SAY“Think of the longest you have ever waited for something: a phone call, a baby, a missionary, a diagnosis, a home, an answer to a prayer.”
  2. Ask: “What did that waiting feel like? What did it do to you?”
  3. Give 20 seconds of quiet, then take two or three answers. Accept every honest one, including waits that haven’t ended yet.
  4. SAY“Ancient Israel waited centuries for the Messiah. Isaiah imagined the day the wait would end: ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him.’ Today we’ll read one of the promises that kept them waiting, and see how it came true.”

On the screen: 🕰️ What is the longest you have ever waited for something?

2. Story

Read It in Context: A Great Light in a Dark Land

6 min

Reads Isaiah 9 as a promise given to real people in real darkness, then shows where it came true.

  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 the verses.
  3. Keep it moving: context, verses, next scene. Save comments for the discussion.
  4. After scene 6, let a few seconds of silence sit before moving on.

On the screen: 🌅 Isaiah 9: a land in darkness, a great light, and a Child with five names · Follow along in Isaiah 9:1–7 and Matthew 4:13–16

3. Scripture

What the Waiting Turns Into

4 min

Studies Isaiah 25:9 closely so the class sees that faithful waiting ends in recognition and joy.

  1. Put Isaiah 25:9 on the shared screen and read it slowly.
  2. SAY“The word ‘waited’ is there twice. With the person next to you, find both, and then find what the waiting turns into.”
  3. After a minute, draw it out: the waiting turns into recognition (“Lo, this is our God”), salvation, gladness and rejoicing.
  4. Read verse 8 aloud: death swallowed up, tears wiped away. Ask: “Which of these promises did Christmas begin to fulfill, and which are we still waiting for?”

On the screen: ⏳ “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.” · Isaiah 25:8–9 · Find both “waited.” What does the waiting turn into?

4. Talk it over

His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful

6 min

Helps adults find personal meaning in the names of Jesus Christ and choose one to study in the coming year.

  1. Put Isaiah 9:6 on the screen and read the five names aloud.
  2. Start with pairs: each person chooses the name that means the most to them right now and tells their partner why. Give one minute, then invite a few to share with the room.
  3. Share Elder Quentin L. Cook’s words about the Prince of Peace (in “From general conference” below).
  4. Pick one or two more questions. Count to seven in your head before rescuing a question.
💬 Ask the class
  • Which of the five names in Isaiah 9:6 speaks to what you need right now, and why? (Talk with a neighbor first.)
  • “Wonderful” means full of wonder. When has the Savior surprised you with something you didn’t think was possible?
  • A good counselor listens before advising. How has the Lord counseled you, and how did you know it was Him?
  • Isaiah promised “The Prince of Peace” to a nation at war. What does His peace look like when the world around you isn’t peaceful?
  • If you chose one name or title of Jesus Christ to study all through 2027, which would it be?

On the screen: 👑 Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace · Isaiah 9:6 · Which name speaks to you right now?

5. Talk it over

Symbols That Point to Him

4 min

Looks back over the Old Testament year to see how often it testified of Jesus Christ.

  1. SAY“The Old Testament is full of pictures of Jesus Christ, and many of them show up in our Christmas traditions.”
  2. Read the list on the shared screen: star, shepherd, lamb, water, rock, branch, light.
  3. Invite anyone to name one symbol and a story from this year where they saw it.
  4. Ask one or two questions, then move to the testimony on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • Which Old Testament story from this year taught you the most about Jesus Christ, and what did it teach you?
  • Abraham promised Isaac that God would “provide himself a lamb” (Genesis 22:8). How does knowing the whole story change the way you see the Nativity?
  • Which of your Christmas traditions points most clearly to the Savior? Is there one you’d like to add?

On the screen: ✨ Star, shepherd, lamb, water, rock, branch, light: every symbol points to Jesus Christ. · Numbers 24:17 · Psalm 23:1 · Genesis 22:8 · Isaiah 11:1 · Isaiah 9:2

6. Testimony

A Great Light

2 min

Ends with testimony of Jesus Christ as the promised Light and an invitation for the new year.

  1. Dim the room lights and switch on the flashlight or battery candle.
  2. Read Isaiah 9:2 once more: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.”
  3. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, a time the Savior brought light into a dark season of their life.
  4. Bear a short testimony that the Child born in Bethlehem is the Deliverer every prophet waited for, and that He still comes to those who seek Him.
  5. Invite: “This week, choose one name of Christ to study in the new year, and carry a little of His light to someone who is sitting in darkness.”

On the screen: 🕯️ The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. · Isaiah 9:2 · This week: choose a name of Christ for 2027. Share His light.

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small flashlight or battery candle, and a way to dim the room lights for a moment

  1. Read Isaiah 9:2 once more, then Matthew 4:16: “to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”
  2. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, a time the Savior brought light into a dark season of their life.
  3. Bear a short testimony that the Child born in Bethlehem is the Deliverer every prophet waited for, and that He still comes to those who seek Him.
  4. Invite: “This week, choose one name of Christ to study in the new year, and carry a little of His light to someone who is sitting in darkness.”
7. Talk it over

Traditions That Point to Christ

5 minBONUS

Connects Israel’s remembering traditions to the ways families today keep Christ at the center of Christmas.

  1. Read Exodus 12:26–27, where the Passover was designed to make children ask, “What mean ye by this service?”
  2. SAY“Israel’s feasts were built to point hearts to the Lord. Our traditions can do the same.”
  3. Ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • Which tradition from your own family history has helped you remember the Savior?
  • What is one Christmas tradition you’d like to start, or change, so it points more clearly to Him?
  • How can a single person, a new convert or a couple whose children are grown build meaningful traditions too?

On the screen: 🎄 “What mean ye by this service?” Which traditions point your family to Jesus Christ? · Exodus 12:26–27

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 the promises of the Messiah?

Read it together

A Great Light in a Dark Land

Isaiah 9:1–7 ↗

Reading parts

  • First ReaderReads Isaiah 9:2–3, the great light and the joy of harvest.
  • Second ReaderReads Matthew 4:13–16, the promise fulfilled seven centuries later.
  • The ClassEveryone reads Isaiah 9:6 together.

Scenes

  1. ⚔️ Assyria sweeps through the north

    Around 732 BC the Assyrian army pours into northern Israel. Galilee and the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali are stripped, and whole towns are marched away as captives. For the people left behind, the future looks like a dark road.

    🎬 The teacher reads 2 Kings 15:29, then Isaiah 8:22. Let the heaviness sit for a moment.

  2. 🌅 “The people that walked in darkness”

    Then Isaiah turns the page. The very region that fell first will be the first to see light. Not a flicker: a great light.

    🎬 The teacher reads Isaiah 9:1. The First Reader reads verse 2.

  3. 🌾 Joy like harvest, and a yoke broken

    Isaiah pictures the joy of bringing in the harvest, and a heavy yoke snapped off the people’s shoulders, as on the day the Lord delivered Israel from Midian through Gideon.

    🎬 The First Reader reads Isaiah 9:3. The teacher reads verses 4–5.

  4. 👶 “For unto us a child is born”

    How will the deliverance come? Not by a bigger army. By a child. Isaiah gives Him five names, and each one is a window into who He is.

    🎬 The Class reads Isaiah 9:6 together, slowly.

  5. 👑 Peace without end

    His government will keep growing, His peace will never run out, and He will reign on David’s throne with justice. Isaiah’s last line is the guarantee: the Lord’s own zeal will make it happen.

    🎬 The teacher reads Isaiah 9:7.

  6. 🌊 Seven hundred years later, by the Sea of Galilee

    Jesus leaves Nazareth and makes His home in Capernaum, a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee in the old lands of Zebulun and Naphtali. Matthew recognizes the place and the promise.

    🎬 The Second Reader reads Matthew 4:13–16. Pause and let the class notice: the light came to the exact place that had been darkest.

Key verse

Isaiah 25:9 ↗
“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
In plain words: Isaiah pictures the day people finally meet their Deliverer and say, “This is the One we were waiting for.” Waiting on the Lord ends in gladness, because He comes and He saves.

More verses

Isaiah 9:6 ↗
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
In plain words: The Deliverer would come as a baby, a gift given to us, and His names tell us what He would be: a wonder, a counselor, God Himself, the Creator and Father of the reborn, and the source of peace.
Isaiah 9:2 ↗
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
In plain words: The light didn’t wait for people to get out of the dark first. It came to them right where they were.
Isaiah 53:5 ↗
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
In plain words: The Child in the manger came to carry what we cannot: our sins, our sorrows and our wounds. His suffering is the source of our healing.
Isaiah 61:1 ↗
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
In plain words: Jesus later read this passage aloud in Nazareth and said it was about Him. He came to heal broken hearts and set captives free.

Scripture Showdown7 questions

  1. Which two tribal lands does Isaiah 9:1 say were afflicted first?
    • A. Judah and Benjamin
    • B. Zebulun and Naphtali
    • C. Ephraim and Manasseh
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Zebulun and Naphtali Isaiah 9:1. Assyria took Galilee and “all the land of Naphtali” (2 Kings 15:29).

  2. Finish Isaiah 9:2: “The people that walked in darkness have seen…”
    • A. a great light
    • B. a bright star
    • C. the morning
    Show answer

    ✅ A. a great light “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

  3. Where did Jesus make His home, fulfilling Isaiah 9:1–2?
    • A. Bethlehem
    • B. Jerusalem
    • C. Capernaum
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Capernaum Matthew 4:13–16: Capernaum, “in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim.”

  4. Which of these is NOT one of the names in Isaiah 9:6?
    • A. Counsellor
    • B. Good Shepherd
    • C. The Prince of Peace
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Good Shepherd Isaiah 9:6 lists Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

  5. In Isaiah 25:9, what do the people say they have done?
    • A. Waited for him
    • B. Searched for him
    • C. Built a temple for him
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Waited for him “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.”

  6. What did Abraham tell Isaac that God would provide?
    • A. A ram in the thicket
    • B. Himself a lamb
    • C. A new altar
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Himself a lamb Genesis 22:8: “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”

  7. Who prophesied “a Star out of Jacob” centuries before Bethlehem?
    • A. Balaam
    • B. Micah
    • C. Samuel the Lamanite
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Balaam Numbers 24:17: “there shall come a Star out of Jacob.”

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“One of the most cherished titles of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is “Prince of Peace.””

— Elder Quentin L. Cook, “Personal Peace in Challenging Times,” October 2021

Share in His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful, after the pairs choose a name from Isaiah 9:6.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Joy to the World Hymns, no. 201

    The manual pairs it with rejoicing in our Redeemer. A joyful opening hymn for the Sunday after Christmas. Find it ↗

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

    A hymn full of the Savior’s titles, including the Prince of Peace from Isaiah 9:6. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

One Name for the New Year

Before January, choose one name or title of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6 is a good place to start) to study through 2027. Write it where you’ll see it and watch for it as you read the New Testament. This week, carry His light to one person who is walking through a dark season: a visit, a call or an invitation to dinner.

Take it home

In Sunday School we read Isaiah 9: a land in darkness was promised “a great light” and a Child called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:2, 6). Take it home: at dinner, read Isaiah 9:6 together and let each person choose the name of Jesus Christ they’d like to learn about in the new year.

📝 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?

🕊️ Liberty to the Captives · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 61:1–3, then Luke 4:16–21, where Jesus reads the passage in Nazareth and says, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
  2. Ask: “Israel knew captivity in Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. What kinds of captivity did the Savior come to end for us?”
  3. Read Isaiah 61:3 and ask which exchange (beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise for heaviness) someone has experienced.

🎶 Joy Before He Came · 4 min

  1. Assign one passage to each pair: Psalm 35:9; Isaiah 51:11; Zephaniah 3:14–17; Moses 5:10–11.
  2. Ask each pair to find why the writer rejoiced, centuries before the Savior was born.
  3. Ask: “If they could rejoice while they were still waiting, what can we learn from them about joy in our own waiting?”

🔎 Symbol Search · 5 min

  1. Give each pair one symbol and its verses: Star (Numbers 24:17; Revelation 22:16), Shepherd (Psalm 23:1; John 10:11), Lamb (Genesis 22:8; 1 Peter 1:18–20), Water (Exodus 17:6; John 4:14), Rock (Isaiah 28:16; Ephesians 2:20), Branch (Isaiah 11:1–2; Jeremiah 23:5), Light (Psalm 27:1; John 8:12).
  2. Give two minutes to read, then ask each pair to share in one sentence what their symbol teaches about the Savior.
  3. Close by asking which symbol they’d like to notice this Christmas.

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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