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Come and See!

Jesus is the Light no darkness can beat, and His first followers couldn’t wait to bring their friends

  • 💧 Valiant 7–8
  • Week 3
  • 📅 Sunday, January 17, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, and when I find Him I can invite others to “come and see.”

I can follow Jesus’s light and invite a friend or family member to come and see.

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

John 1 doesn’t start with a manger. It starts “In the beginning.” The Apostle John wrote this book. He wants us to know that Jesus lived with Heavenly Father before He was born. Under the Father’s direction, He created the earth and everything on it, in John 1:1–3. John calls Him “the Word,” because Jesus speaks for Heavenly Father and shows us exactly what the Father is like. He also calls Jesus the Light: “the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” That’s John 1:5. Darkness couldn’t understand that Light, and it couldn’t put it out.

Then the story jumps to John the Baptist, the baby from two weeks ago. He’s grown now and teaching by the Jordan River. When he saw Jesus, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” That’s John 1:29 and 36. For centuries Israel had offered lambs as a symbol of the Savior. Now the real Savior was here, and He’d give His life for everyone. The sacrament each week helps us remember that.

For eight-year-olds, the heart of this week is John 1:35–51. It’s a chain reaction. Two of John’s followers start following Jesus, and He invites them: “Come and see.” One of them, Andrew, runs to get his brother Simon: “We have found the Messias.” That means the Christ. Jesus gives Simon a new name, Cephas, meaning a stone. We know him as Peter. Jesus calls Philip, and Philip finds his friend Nathanael. Nathanael doubts anything good can come from Nazareth. Philip doesn’t argue. He just says, “Come and see.” Jesus already knew Nathanael. He’d seen him under a fig tree. And Nathanael declares that Jesus is the Son of God.

Kids often think sharing the gospel is only for missionaries. But at baptism they promised to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all places, in Mosiah 18:9. A simple, friendly “come and see” is exactly how Andrew and Philip did it. Kids can invite a friend to Primary, an activity, or a sibling’s baptism. Or they can share a favorite scripture story. Also point out Nathanael’s moment. Jesus knew him before they ever met. Jesus knows each child in your class by name.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read John 1:1–5 and 35–51. Grab a flashlight. Do the lights-out hook and tell the story from Teach Mode. Say John 1:41 with motions, play the Come and See Chain, and close with your testimony. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” The glowing screen becomes the light.

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 John 1:1–5 and 35–51.
  2. Find the light switch and test your flashlight. Plan to leave the door cracked a little for safety.

If your class is wild

  • Lights-out is exciting. Give the rule before you flip the switch: “In the dark, bodies freeze and mouths close.” If anyone moves, lights go back on.
  • Echo lines work anytime. Say “Come and see!” in a whisper, and wait for it to come back.
  • Make your wiggliest kid the Sound Helper. Tapping the sounds gives their energy a job.
  • In the Come and See Chain, the chain walks. If it starts running, it freezes and counts to five.
  • Give the shyest kids the first invitations so nobody feels picked last.

The 25-minute plan23 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Can the Dark Beat the Light?

3 min

A lights-out moment makes John 1:5 something they see.

  1. SAY“When the lights go off, bodies freeze and mouths close.”
  2. Turn off the lights, leaving the door cracked. Whisper, “Can anybody see?” After three seconds, click on the flashlight.
  3. Ask what happened to the dark. Then ask if anyone can turn on the dark to beat the light. No! Lights on.
  4. SAY“John wrote that Jesus is the Light. And the darkness can’t beat Him. Today some friends find that Light, and they can’t wait to share it.”
🌪️ Keep it dark for five seconds at most. Stand right by the switch so you can flip it on fast.

Class screen: 🔦 Can the dark beat the light? · ✨ The light wins!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A flashlight (a phone flashlight works)

Can the Dark Beat the Glow?

  1. SAY“When the lights go off, bodies freeze and mouths close.”
  2. Turn your phone or tablet face down and the lights off, door cracked. Whisper, “Can anybody see?” After three seconds, flip your phone or tablet over.
  3. Ask what happened to the dark. Then ask, “Can anyone turn on the dark?” No! Lights on.
  4. SAY“John wrote that Jesus is the Light. And the darkness can’t beat Him. Today some friends find that Light, and they can’t wait to share it.”

Class screen: ☀️ Can the dark beat the light? · ✨ The light wins!

2. Story

Story: We Found Him!

7 min

A true story shows the first followers finding Jesus and bringing their friends, one “Come and see” at a time.

  1. SAY“This is a true story from the Bible. Sometimes I’ll say a line, and you say it right back to me.”
  2. Open the story in Teach Mode. When a line shows at the bottom, say it first. Then the class says it back.
  3. After scene 4, ask what Andrew did first after finding Jesus. He brought his brother!
  4. After scene 6, ask why Philip just said “Come and see” instead of arguing.
🌪️ If the room drifts, say the next line in a whisper. They’ll whisper it back.

Class screen: 👣 We Found Him! · 🔁 Say it back! · 👋 Come and see!

3. Scripture

Key Verse: John 1:41

4 min

Motions help kids memorize Andrew’s exciting words.

  1. SAY“Here are Andrew’s exciting words to his brother.”
  2. Show the verse on your phone or tablet and read it slowly.
  3. SAY“‘Messias’ is another way to say Messiah. It means the Christ, the Savior everyone was waiting for.”
  4. Teach the motions one phrase at a time. Say it together twice, first in a whisper, then like breaking news.
  5. Ask, “Who did Andrew tell first?” His own brother! Then ask, “Who could you tell?”

Class screen: 👬 We have found the Messias!

4. Game

The Come and See Chain

6 min

Kids practice inviting, one friend at a time, until the whole class has come together.

  1. SAY“Andrew brought Simon, and Philip brought Nathanael. Let’s see how fast kind invitations can bring our whole class together.”
  2. Kids spread out around the room. The first inviter walks to a friend, says their name and “Come and see!” and links arms.
  3. The newest person in the chain makes the next invitation. The chain walks together to each new friend.
  4. When everyone’s in, the chain walks to the front and sits reverently. Tap Big Timer to time it.
  5. Play again and try to beat your time. Say, “That’s how the Church grew, one invitation at a time.”
🌪️ If the chain breaks or runs, it freezes and counts to five. Let the shyest kids make the first invitations.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🔗 Say their name… and “Come and see!” · Look them in the eye · Link arms · Walk, don’t run

5. Testimony

Testimony & the Invitation Challenge

3 min

End calm and reverent, with a real invitation to make this week.

  1. SAY“Jesus knew Nathanael before they ever met. He knows each of you by name, too.”
  2. Briefly share how Jesus has been a light for you. Or tell about someone who invited you closer to Him.
  3. Ask, “Who could you invite to come and see?” Let two or three kids answer.
  4. Show the Come and See challenge on the screen. Then invite a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 💌 This week: invite someone to “come and see!” · A friend, a cousin, a neighbor · Tell us next week!

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Come and See Round

4 minBONUS

A quick Heads Up–style review of every person and idea from today.

  1. SAY“Let’s see what you remember! Give clues, but don’t say the word.”
  2. Tap Forehead Guess.
  3. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class. Everyone else gives clues from their seats.
  4. Tilt down for “got it” and up to pass. Each turn is 45 seconds. Then pass your phone or tablet to the next kid.
🌪️ Go around the room one clue at a time. That way nobody shouts over anybody.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues, don’t say the word!

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. SAY“Team Andrew versus Team Philip!”
  2. Split the class in two and tap Scripture Showdown.
  3. Read each question out loud. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer.
  4. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

The story

We Found Him!

John 1:1–5, 29–49 ↗

Optional helpers

  • Sound HelperSits next to you and taps each scene’s sound on your phone or tablet.

Scenes

  1. 🌑➡️☀️ A Light the dark can’t beat

    John wrote that before the world was made, Jesus was with Heavenly Father. Under the Father’s direction, Jesus made all things. John called Him the Light. His light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can’t put it out.

    🙌 Cover your eyes. Then burst your hands open: “Light!”

  2. 🏞️🐑 “Behold the Lamb of God!”

    John the Baptist was teaching by the river. Then he saw Jesus walking by. He pointed and said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” What did he mean? Jesus is the Savior. He would give His life for everyone.

    🙌

  3. 👣 “Come and see”

    Two of John’s followers started following Jesus. Jesus turned and asked, “What seek ye?” They asked where He was staying. Jesus said, “Come and see.” They went with Him and stayed with Him that day!

    🙌 Wave your hand in and say it back: “Come and see!”

  4. 🏃‍♂️👬 Andrew runs to find his brother

    Andrew was so excited! He found his brother Simon and said, “We have found the Messias!” That means the Christ. Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. And Jesus gave him a new name, Peter. It means “a stone.”

    🙌 Say it back, excited like Andrew: “We found Him!”

  5. 🌳🤨 “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

    The next day, Jesus told Philip, “Follow me.” Philip hurried to his friend Nathanael under a fig tree. “We found the Savior! He’s from Nazareth!” Nathanael wasn’t sure. “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip just said, “Come and see.”

    🙌

  6. 😲🙏 “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God”

    When Nathanael came, Jesus said He had seen him under the fig tree before Philip ever called him. Jesus already knew him! Nathanael said, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God.” One invitation at a time, people came to Jesus.

    🙌 Say it back softly: “Thou art the Son of God.”

Key verse

John 1:41 ↗
“He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias”
In kid words: The first thing Andrew did was find his brother and tell him, “We found the Savior!”
🙌 “He first findeth” = hand over your eyes, searching · “his own brother Simon” = arm around an invisible brother · “and saith unto him” = cup your hands around your mouth · “We have found” = jump and point forward with both hands · “the Messias” = point up and whisper, “the Christ!”

More verses

John 1:5 ↗
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
In kid words: Jesus’s light shines in the dark, and the dark can’t understand it or put it out.
John 1:39 ↗
“He saith unto them, Come and see.”
In kid words: Jesus said, “Come and see.”
John 1:3 ↗
“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
In kid words: Jesus made everything, and nothing was made without Him.
John 1:29 ↗
“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
In kid words: Look! There is Jesus, the Savior who takes away the sins of the world.

Forehead Guess words17 words

  • 💡 Light
  • 🌑 Darkness
  • 🐑 Lamb
  • 🧔 John the Baptist
  • 🎣 Andrew
  • 🪨 Simon Peter
  • 🏃 Philip
  • 🤨 Nathanael
  • 🌳 Fig Tree
  • 🏡 Nazareth
  • 👑 Messiah
  • 👬 Brother
  • 🏞️ River
  • 🌍 Creation
  • 💌 Invite
  • 👣 Follow
  • 🌌 Beginning
Clues for each word
  • Light: Jesus is the ___ of the world
  • Darkness: It can’t put out Jesus’s light
  • Lamb: John called Jesus the ___ of God
  • John the Baptist: Pointed at Jesus by the river
  • Andrew: Hurried to tell his brother Simon
  • Simon Peter: Jesus gave him a name meaning “stone”
  • Philip: Jesus told him, “Follow me”
  • Nathanael: Doubted at first, then believed
  • Fig Tree: Nathanael was sitting under it
  • Nazareth: Nathanael doubted anything good could come from there
  • Messiah: Another name for the Savior, the Christ
  • Brother: The first person Andrew went to find
  • River: Where John the Baptist was teaching
  • Creation: Jesus made the earth for Heavenly Father
  • Invite: Ask a friend to “come and see”
  • Follow: What Jesus asked Philip to do
  • Beginning: “In the ___ was the Word”
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Where does the book of John start the story of Jesus?
    • A. In Bethlehem
    • B. In the beginning, before the earth was made
    • C. At a wedding
    Show answer

    ✅ B. In the beginning, before the earth was made John 1:1. Jesus lived with Heavenly Father long before He was born.

  2. What did John the Baptist call Jesus when He walked by?
    • A. The Lamb of God
    • B. A great fisherman
    • C. The King of Rome
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The Lamb of God John 1:29, 36. Jesus is the Savior who takes away the sins of the world.

  3. What did Jesus say when two followers asked where He was staying?
    • A. “Go away”
    • B. “Maybe later”
    • C. “Come and see”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “Come and see” John 1:39. They went and stayed with Him that day!

  4. Who was the first person Andrew went to find?
    • A. His brother Simon
    • B. His mom
    • C. The king
    Show answer

    ✅ A. His brother Simon John 1:41. He told Simon, “We have found the Messias!”

  5. What does the name Cephas mean?
    • A. Fish
    • B. A stone
    • C. Light
    Show answer

    ✅ B. A stone A stone is strong and steady, and Peter became a strong leader of Jesus’s Church.

  6. Where was Nathanael sitting when Jesus saw him?
    • A. On a boat
    • B. On a mountain
    • C. Under a fig tree
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Under a fig tree Jesus knew him before they ever met, and He knows you too.

  7. What did Nathanael say after Jesus told him about the fig tree?
    • A. “Who told you?”
    • B. “Thou art the Son of God”
    • C. “I like figs”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “Thou art the Son of God” John 1:49. Nathanael went from doubting to believing in one conversation.

  8. Who created the earth under Heavenly Father’s direction?
    • A. Jesus Christ
    • B. The angels
    • C. Nobody did
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Jesus Christ John 1:3: all things were made by Him.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Lived in Heaven Children’s Songbook, p. 4

    Jesus lived with Heavenly Father before He came to earth, and so did we. Find it ↗

  • Tell Me the Stories of Jesus Children’s Songbook, p. 57

    Andrew and Philip couldn’t stop telling about Jesus. Find it ↗

  • I Hope They Call Me on a Mission Children’s Songbook, p. 169

    You don’t have to wait to be a missionary. “Come and see” works today. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Come and See

Be like Andrew and Philip. Invite someone this week to come and see something about Jesus. Try a Primary activity, family prayer, or a favorite scripture story. Come ready to tell the class what happened!

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned that Jesus is the Light the darkness can’t beat. We heard how His first followers found Him. Then they brought their friends with two simple words: “Come and see.” We learned John 1:41: “We have found the Messias.” Your child’s challenge is to invite someone to come and see something about Jesus this week. Ask your child who Andrew went to find first, and who they could invite.

📝 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?

🔎 Light Hunt · 4 min

  1. Give pairs John 1:4–9. Have them count how many times they find the word “light.”
  2. Ask, “What do lights help us do?” They help us see, stay safe, and find our way.
  3. Ask, “How does Jesus do those same things for us?”

🍞 The Lamb and the Sacrament · 4 min

  1. Read John 1:29: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
  2. Explain that long ago, people offered lambs to remember a Savior would come. Jesus is the Savior they were waiting for.
  3. Ask what we do every Sunday to remember Jesus. The sacrament! Pick one reverent thing to think about next week.

🌳 Thank-You Creation Walk · 5 min

  1. If you can, step outside or look out a window. Each kid points to something Jesus created and thanks Him for it.
  2. Read John 1:3.
  3. Back inside, say a class prayer of thanks using the things they named.

🌳 I Saw You Under the Fig Tree · 3 min

  1. Say, “Jesus told Nathanael He saw him under the fig tree, before they’d even met. Nathanael was amazed.”
  2. Say, “I’ve been watching too.”
  3. Go around the circle. Say each child’s name and “I saw you under the fig tree.” Then share a true good thing you’ve noticed.
  4. Say, “If I noticed that, imagine how well Jesus knows you. He knows your name, your worries, and all the good you do.”

🌍 Creation Station · 2 min

  1. Say, “John said all things were made by Jesus. When I call something He made, become it for five seconds!”
  2. Call them out fast. The sun! An ocean wave! An elephant! A hummingbird! A mountain!
  3. Finish with “People!” Everyone gives a neighbor a gentle high five. Say, “And He made YOU.”

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.

All Valiant 7–8 lessons