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Old Rags and a Rope

A king with a penknife, a prophet stuck in the mud, and the outsider who had the courage to speak up

  • 🧭 Youth 11–14
  • Week 44
  • 📅 Sunday, November 1, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

When I have the courage to speak up for what’s right and keep the Lord’s law written in my heart, He stands by me, and His mercies are new every morning.

I can speak up for someone who is being treated wrong, and let my covenants shape who I am, not just what I do.

Study it yourself firstRead Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Jeremiah 31–33; 36–39; Lamentations 1; 3)
Know the chapters

Jeremiah 36 is a showdown over scripture. The Lord had Jeremiah dictate His warnings to the scribe Baruch, hoping the people would hear and turn back (36:2–3). When the scroll was read to King Jehoiakim as he sat by a fire in his winter house, the king cut off each section with a penknife as it was read and threw it into the fire until the whole scroll was gone, even though some of his officials begged him not to (36:22–25). The Lord simply had Jeremiah write it again, with more words added (36:28, 32). You can burn paper; you can’t burn the word of the Lord.

Later, under King Zedekiah, Babylon’s army surrounded Jerusalem. Some princes accused Jeremiah of discouraging the soldiers and lowered him with ropes into a dungeon, a pit with no water, only mud, and he sank in it (38:4–6). Then an unlikely hero stepped up: Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian officer in the king’s house, an outsider with no power of his own. He went to the king in public and said these men had done evil to the prophet (38:7–9). The king told him to take thirty men. Ebed-melech gathered old rags and worn-out clothes, lowered them on ropes, and told Jeremiah to put them under his arms so the ropes wouldn’t hurt as they pulled him up (38:10–13). The Lord later promised to protect Ebed-melech “because thou hast put thy trust in me” (39:15–18). Zedekiah, by contrast, believed Jeremiah privately but was too afraid to obey, and Jerusalem fell (38:14–28; 39).

Woven through the sad history are huge promises. The Lord says, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (31:3) and promises a new covenant: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (31:31–34). Lamentations mourns Jerusalem’s destruction, yet in the middle of it Jeremiah remembers that the Lord’s mercies “are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22–23). Our covenants, made at baptism, renewed with the sacrament, and made in the temple, are meant to be written in our hearts, not just followed like posted rules.

For 11- to 14-year-olds: speaking up is hard at this age. Group chats, lunch tables, and hallways are full of moments when someone is being mocked or left out. Ebed-melech shows courage and wisdom: he didn’t start a fight; he went to someone with the power to help, and he was kind in the details (the rags). Help youth see that telling a trusted adult is also speaking up. It’s the day after Halloween, so move early and keep the energy up.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Jeremiah 36:21–28 and 38:6–13. Do the Swipe Left, Swipe Right hook (it gets everyone moving), let Teach Mode run the scroll-and-pit story, play Pull Him Out with a rope (or your phone or tablet Tug of War), teach Jeremiah 31:33, run the Speak-Up Challenge, and close with Lamentations 3:22–23. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing”: the rope becomes your phone or tablet Tug of War and the paper verse becomes a memory countdown.

What to bring4 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. Write Jeremiah 31:33 on a sheet of paper in large letters: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
  2. Text a steady youth to be Ebed-melech and ask them to bookmark Jeremiah 38:9 so they can read it from a real Bible. Pick a good sport to be Jeremiah (he gets stuck in the “mud”).
  3. Split the class into two teams for the whole lesson: Team Baruch and Team Ebed-melech. Keep score on the Goal Jar or with tally marks.
  4. Clear a strip of floor for the rope pull, or plan to use your phone or tablet Tug of War if your room is tight.
  5. Think of a time someone spoke up for you, or you wish you had spoken up. You’ll share it briefly at the end.

If your class is wild

  • Day-after-Halloween energy: start with the Swipe Left, Swipe Right hook standing up, and don’t sit them down until the story is rolling.
  • Give King Jehoiakim to a youth who can play a cool, bored king. Slowly cutting and tossing the invisible scroll into the fire is more chilling than yelling.
  • The rope pull is a real tug. Set rules first: rope stays low, no wrapping it around hands, and when you say “Rags!” everyone lets go gently.
  • The Speak-Up Challenge touches real situations. Keep it about what to do, not about naming real people.
  • If a youth mentions being bullied or something unsafe, thank them, follow up privately, and involve parents or the bishop as needed.

The 25-minute plan24 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

Swipe Left, Swipe Right

2 min

A standing, jumping vote on messages we don’t want to hear sets up a king who literally deleted the word of the Lord.

  1. Everyone stands in the middle. Say: “I’ll read a notification. Jump LEFT to delete it, jump RIGHT to keep it.”
  2. Read: “Mom: Clean your room before dinner.” · “Coach: Extra laps tomorrow.” · “Friend: Hey, that joke you made about me actually hurt.” · “Group chat: Everybody’s roasting the new kid, you in?” · “A prophet: Keep your covenants.”
  3. After a couple, ask one person on each side why. Then ask: “What do people do with messages they don’t want to hear?” (Ignore, delete, block, argue.)
  4. SAY“In Jeremiah 36, a king got a message from the Lord he didn’t like. He didn’t swipe left. He got out a knife.”
🌪️ Jumps land on two feet with no pushing. Anyone who crashes into someone reads the next notification.

Class screen: 📲 Delete it or keep it? Jump left or right! · ⬅️ Delete · Keep ➡️

2. Story

Scripture Scene: The Scroll, the Pit and the Outsider

5 min

Acting out Jeremiah 36 and 38 shows that the Lord’s word can’t be destroyed and that one person’s courage can pull someone out of the mud.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone without a part is on the Rescue Crew.
  2. SAY“Two true stories from Jeremiah. The first one has a villain. The second one has a hero nobody expected.”
  3. Read each scene and pause for the action. Ebed-melech reads Jeremiah 38:9 in scene 5 from a real Bible.
  4. Afterward ask: “Ebed-melech wasn’t a prince or a prophet. He was an outsider. Why do you think he spoke up when the powerful people didn’t?”
🌪️ Jeremiah sinks in the mud in slow motion only. When the Rescue Crew pulls, they pull an invisible rope; no grabbing Jeremiah.

Class screen: 🎭 A burned scroll, a muddy pit, and an unexpected hero · Jeremiah 36 · 38

3. Wiggle break

Pull Him Out!

2 min

A real tug-of-war with “rags” on the rope burns off Halloween sugar and puts youth in Ebed-melech’s rescue crew.

  1. Tie the old rag to the middle of the rope. Say: “The rag is Jeremiah’s armpit padding. Pull him to your side of the room!”
  2. Team Baruch vs. Team Ebed-melech. Best two out of three. The rope stays low, and nobody wraps it around their hands.
  3. When you shout “Rags!”, everyone lets go gently and sits down.
  4. Ask: “Why do you think the scriptures bother to mention the rags?” (Ebed-melech was kind in the details. Courage and kindness go together.)

Class screen: 🪢 One, two, three, PULL! · Jeremiah 38:11–13

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A jump rope, clothesline, or long scarf, plus an old sock or dish rag for the “old rotten rags”

Pull Him Out! (Screen Edition)

  1. Tap Tug of War. Team Baruch takes one side of your phone or tablet, Team Ebed-melech the other.
  2. Before each round, everyone on the winning team from the last round must do five “rope pulls” (hand over hand in the air) standing up.
  3. Best two out of three.
  4. Ask: “Why do you think the scriptures bother to mention the rags?” (Ebed-melech was kind in the details. Courage and kindness go together.)

Class screen: 🪢 Tap fast! Pull him out of the mud! · Jeremiah 38:11–13

4. Object lesson

Passcode vs. Phone Number

3 min

Comparing what youth know by heart with what they’d have to look up explains the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:33.

  1. Ask: “Hands up if you know your phone passcode by heart.” (Everyone.) “Now, who knows their best friend’s phone number by heart?” (Almost no one.)
  2. Ask: “Why do you know one and not the other?” (You use the passcode all the time; the number is saved in your phone, so you never needed to learn it.)
  3. SAY“Jehoiakim could burn a scroll. But the Lord promised a new covenant that can’t be burned. Listen.” Read Jeremiah 31:33.
  4. SAY“Some people keep the commandments like a number saved in their phone: look it up when you need it. The Lord wants His law to be like your passcode: part of you.” Ask: “How do covenants move from ‘saved in my phone’ to ‘written in my heart’?” (Using them every day, the sacrament each week, the temple, repenting, choosing it when no one is watching.)

Class screen: 🔐 Saved in your phone, or written in your heart? · Jeremiah 31:33

5. Scripture

Burn-Proof: Jeremiah 31:33

4 min

Youth memorize the key verse as the teacher tears it apart, proving that what’s in your heart can’t be burned.

  1. Hold up the paper with Jeremiah 31:33. Teach it with the motions and say it together twice.
  2. SAY“I’m King Jehoiakim now.” Tear off a strip with a couple of words and toss it into an imaginary fire. Everyone says the full verse again, including the missing words.
  3. Keep tearing and reciting, faster each time, until the paper is gone. Then the teams say it one last time with no paper at all.
  4. Challenge round: one volunteer from each team says it solo from memory for a team point.
  5. SAY“He burned the scroll. He couldn’t burn what was in Jeremiah’s heart.”

Class screen: 🔥 Tear it up. Say it anyway. · Jeremiah 31:33

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A sheet of paper with Jeremiah 31:33 written in big letters

Burn-Proof Countdown

  1. Show Jeremiah 31:33 on the screen and teach it with the motions. Say it together twice.
  2. SAY“I’m King Jehoiakim.” Cover part of the screen with your hand and toss an imaginary strip into the fire. Everyone says the full verse anyway.
  3. Cover more each time, faster and faster, until you turn the screen away completely. Teams say it one last time from memory.
  4. Challenge round: one volunteer from each team says it solo for a team point. Say: “He burned the scroll. He couldn’t burn what was in Jeremiah’s heart.”

Class screen: 🔥 Hide the words. Say it anyway. · Jeremiah 31:33

6. Game

Speak-Up Challenge

3 min

A fast team game turns Ebed-melech’s courage into real words youth could use this week.

  1. SAY“I’ll read a real-life situation. Each team has 20 seconds to come up with what an Ebed-melech would say or do. Then one person performs it.”
  2. Situations: A group chat starts roasting someone. · Someone’s eating alone at lunch. · A friend is being pressured to vape. · Someone gets mocked for going to church. · A rumor about a classmate is spreading.
  3. The class votes with thumbs on the most courageous AND kind answer. Winner scores a point.
  4. Point out: Ebed-melech went to the person with the power to help. Say: “Telling a parent, teacher, or leader is speaking up too, and sometimes it’s the smartest move.”
🌪️ No real names or real people from school. Say it once before you start.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🙋 What would Ebed-melech say? 20 seconds! · Courageous AND kind

7. Talk it over

Real Talk

3 min

Honest questions help youth apply Ebed-melech’s courage and the new covenant to their own lives.

  1. Sit in a circle. A youth Discussion Leader reads each question and picks who answers.
  2. Anyone can pass. Share one honest answer of your own.
💬 Ask the class
  • What makes it hard to speak up when someone is being treated badly? What makes it easier?
  • King Zedekiah believed Jeremiah in private but was too scared to obey. Where do people your age do the same thing?
  • Jehoiakim tried to destroy a message he didn’t like. What are modern ways people “burn the scroll”?
  • What does it look like when someone keeps the commandments because it’s written in their heart, not because they have to?
  • Lamentations 3:23 says His mercies are new every morning. Why is that good news after a bad day or a bad choice?

Class screen: 💬 Real talk

8. Testimony

New Every Morning

2 min

Ending with Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds youth that no matter how muddy yesterday was, the Lord’s mercy is new today.

  1. Wait for quiet. Say: “Jeremiah watched Jerusalem burn. He wrote Lamentations in deep grief. And right in the middle of it, he wrote this.” Read Lamentations 3:22–23 slowly.
  2. Share your short example of a time someone spoke up for you or pulled you out of the “mud,” or a time the Lord gave you a fresh start.
  3. Testify that the Lord loves them with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), that He stands by people who trust Him like Ebed-melech, and that His mercies are new every morning.
  4. Introduce the challenge and invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🌄 His mercies are new every morning. · Lamentations 3:22–23

9. Game

Forehead Guess: Rescue Edition

3 minBONUS

A fast bonus review of the people and things from Jeremiah 31–39.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. Teams alternate 45-second turns.
  2. Youth rules: clue-givers can’t say the word or any word in the hint. Acting is allowed.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Rescue Edition

10. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews the scroll, the pit, and the new covenant.

  1. Keep Team Baruch and Team Ebed-melech. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Ten seconds to whisper, then point. Bonus point if the winning team can name the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Team Baruch vs. Team Ebed-melech!

Story drama

The Scroll, the Pit and the Outsider

Jeremiah 36:20–32; 38:1–13; 39:15–18 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • JeremiahDictates the scroll, gets lowered into the muddy pit, sinks slowly, and is pulled out.
  • BaruchThe scribe: writes every word Jeremiah speaks, twice.
  • King JehoiakimSits by the fire, bored, cutting off each piece of the scroll with a penknife and tossing it in.
  • PrincesTwo or three youth who accuse Jeremiah and lower him into the pit with ropes.
  • Ebed-melechAn Ethiopian officer and outsider who speaks up to the king. Reads Jeremiah 38:9 from a real Bible.
  • King ZedekiahSits at the city gate, listens to Ebed-melech, and gives him thirty men.
  • Rescue CrewEveryone else: the thirty men who haul Jeremiah out of the mud.

Scenes

  1. ✍️📜 Baruch writes down every word

    The Lord told Jeremiah to write down all His warnings on a scroll. Maybe, if the people heard them all together, they would turn back and be forgiven. Jeremiah spoke, and his friend Baruch the scribe wrote every word.

    🎬 Jeremiah paces and talks with big hand motions. Baruch scribbles furiously on an invisible scroll, shaking out a tired hand.

  2. 🔥✂️ The king cuts the scroll and burns it

    The scroll was read to King Jehoiakim as he sat by a fire in his winter house. Every time a few columns were read, the king cut them off with a penknife and tossed them into the fire. Some of his own officials begged him to stop. He didn’t. He burned the whole thing.

    🎬 King Jehoiakim yawns, slices off invisible pieces, and flicks them into the fire. The Princes wince. Baruch covers his face.

  3. 📜📜 Write it again, with more words

    Did the Lord give up? Nope. He told Jeremiah to take another scroll and write it all again. Baruch wrote it again, and this time many more words were added.

    🎬 Baruch groans, cracks his knuckles, and starts writing again, even faster. Jeremiah gives a thumbs up.

  4. 😠🕳️ Lowered into a pit of mud

    Years later, Babylon’s army surrounded Jerusalem. Some princes were angry that Jeremiah kept warning the people. They lowered him with ropes into a dungeon. There was no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into it.

    🎬 The Princes lower Jeremiah to the floor with invisible ropes. Jeremiah slowly sinks, squishing and struggling.

  5. 🙋🚪 An outsider goes to the king

    Ebed-melech worked in the king’s house. He was from Ethiopia, an outsider, not a prince. When he heard what had happened, he went straight to the king, who was sitting at the city gate, and spoke up in front of everyone.

    🎬 Ebed-melech walks to King Zedekiah and reads Jeremiah 38:9 aloud from a real Bible. The Princes glare.

  6. 👑✅ “Take thirty men with you.”

    The king listened. He told Ebed-melech to take thirty men and pull the prophet out before he died.

    🎬 King Zedekiah points: “Go!” The Rescue Crew lines up behind Ebed-melech.

  7. 🧦🪢 Old rags, so the ropes won’t hurt

    Here’s a detail that shows Ebed-melech’s heart. He grabbed old rags and worn-out clothes and let them down on the ropes. He told Jeremiah to put them under his arms, so the ropes wouldn’t cut into him while they pulled.

    🎬 Ebed-melech lowers invisible rags. Jeremiah tucks them under his arms and grabs the invisible rope.

  8. 💪🎉 Pulled out of the mud!

    Together they pulled Jeremiah up out of the mud. Later the Lord sent Ebed-melech a promise: when the city fell, he would be protected, because he had put his trust in the Lord.

    🎬 The Rescue Crew pulls in rhythm: “One, two, three, PULL!” Jeremiah rises. Everyone cheers for Ebed-melech.

Key verse

Jeremiah 31:33 ↗
“I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
In plain words: I’ll put My law inside you and write it on your heart, so it’s part of who you are. I will be your God, and you will be My people.
🙌 “I will put my law in their inward parts” = both hands press in toward your middle · “and write it in their hearts” = trace a heart over your chest with one finger · “and will be their God” = point up · “and they shall be my people” = open your arms wide to the whole group.

More verses

Jeremiah 38:9 ↗
“My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon”
In plain words: Ebed-melech told the king, in front of everyone, that what those men did to Jeremiah was wrong.
Jeremiah 39:18 ↗
“For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.”
In plain words: The Lord promised to protect Ebed-melech, because he trusted the Lord.
Lamentations 3:22–23 ↗
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
In plain words: The Lord’s mercy never runs out. Every morning it’s brand new. He is so faithful.
Jeremiah 31:3 ↗
“Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
In plain words: The Lord loves you with a love that never ends, and that love is what pulls you back to Him.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧑 Jeremiah
  • ✍️ Baruch
  • 📜 Scroll
  • ✂️ Penknife
  • 🔥 King Jehoiakim
  • 👑 King Zedekiah
  • 🙋 Ebed-melech
  • 🕳️ Dungeon
  • 🟫 Mud
  • 🪢 Rope
  • 🧦 Old rags
  • 💪 Thirty men
  • 💗 New covenant
  • ❤️ Heart
  • 🏛️ Babylon
  • 😢 Lamentations
  • 🌄 Morning
  • 🔐 Passcode
Clues for each word
  • Jeremiah: Prophet who got stuck in a muddy pit
  • Baruch: Scribe who wrote the scroll twice
  • Scroll: The king cut it up and burned it
  • Penknife: What King Jehoiakim cut the scroll with
  • King Jehoiakim: Burned the Lord’s message in his fire
  • King Zedekiah: Believed Jeremiah privately but was afraid to obey
  • Ebed-melech: Ethiopian outsider who spoke up and rescued Jeremiah
  • Dungeon: A pit with no water, only mud
  • Mud: What Jeremiah sank into
  • Rope: Used to lower Jeremiah down and pull him up
  • Old rags: Padding under Jeremiah’s arms
  • Thirty men: The rescue crew the king sent
  • New covenant: The Lord’s law written in hearts
  • Heart: Where the Lord will write His law
  • Babylon: Army that surrounded Jerusalem
  • Lamentations: Book of mourning for Jerusalem
  • Morning: His mercies are new every ___
  • Passcode: Something you know by heart
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. Who wrote down Jeremiah’s words on the scroll?
    • A. Baruch
    • B. Ebed-melech
    • C. Zedekiah
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Baruch Jeremiah 36:4. Baruch the scribe wrote every word, and later wrote it all again.

  2. What did King Jehoiakim do with the scroll?
    • A. Framed it
    • B. Cut it up and burned it
    • C. Hid it in the temple
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Cut it up and burned it Jeremiah 36:23. He cut it with a penknife and threw it into the fire.

  3. What did the Lord do after the scroll was burned?
    • A. Gave up on the king
    • B. Sent fire from heaven
    • C. Had it written again, with more
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Had it written again, with more Jeremiah 36:28, 32. You can’t burn the word of the Lord.

  4. What was at the bottom of the dungeon Jeremiah was lowered into?
    • A. Deep water
    • B. Mud
    • C. Lions
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Mud Jeremiah 38:6. No water, only mire, and he sank into it.

  5. Where was Ebed-melech from?
    • A. Egypt
    • B. Babylon
    • C. Ethiopia
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Ethiopia Jeremiah 38:7. An outsider who worked in the king’s house.

  6. How many men did the king send with Ebed-melech?
    • A. Thirty
    • B. Three
    • C. Three hundred
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Thirty Jeremiah 38:10. Enough to haul a prophet out of the mud.

  7. Why did Ebed-melech send down old rags?
    • A. To clean the mud off
    • B. So the ropes wouldn’t hurt Jeremiah
    • C. To wave for help
    Show answer

    ✅ B. So the ropes wouldn’t hurt Jeremiah Jeremiah 38:12. Courage and kindness in the details.

  8. In the new covenant, where does the Lord write His law?
    • A. On stone tablets
    • B. In their hearts
    • C. On the city gates
    Show answer

    ✅ B. In their hearts Jeremiah 31:33. His law becomes part of who we are.

  9. Why did the Lord promise to protect Ebed-melech?
    • A. He was rich
    • B. He was a prince
    • C. He put his trust in the Lord
    Show answer

    ✅ C. He put his trust in the Lord Jeremiah 39:18. Trust in the Lord brought His protection.

  10. Lamentations 3:23 says the Lord’s mercies are new every…
    • A. morning
    • B. year
    • C. Sunday
    Show answer

    ✅ A. morning “Great is thy faithfulness.” Every day is a fresh start.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    Ebed-melech chose the right when the powerful people didn’t. A strong opener. Find it ↗

  • Count Your Blessings Hymns, no. 241

    Pairs with Lamentations 3:22–23: even in hard times, His mercies are new every morning. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Be an Ebed-melech

This week, speak up once for someone who is being left out, mocked, or treated wrong: in person, online, or by telling an adult who can help. Add something kind to it, like Ebed-melech’s rags. And each morning, read Lamentations 3:22–23 before you open any app.

Text the parents

This week we studied Jeremiah 31–39 and Lamentations. We acted out King Jehoiakim burning the Lord’s scroll and Ebed-melech, an outsider, speaking up to the king and pulling Jeremiah out of a muddy pit with ropes and old rags. We learned the Lord wants His law written in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). Ask your youth: what would an Ebed-melech do in a group chat where someone is being roasted?

📝 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?

👑 Zedekiah’s Dilemma · 4 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 38:14–20. Zedekiah asked Jeremiah for the truth in secret, then was too afraid of what others would think to follow it.
  2. Compare with Lehi, who lived in Jerusalem at the same time and obeyed the Lord’s warning (1 Nephi 1–2).
  3. Ask: “Why is knowing what’s right not the same as doing it? What helps you act on what you know?”

♾️ Everlasting or Not? · 3 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 31:3. Call out things and have youth vote “everlasting” or “temporary”: a phone battery, a streak, a friendship, a family sealed in the temple, the Lord’s love, a trend.
  2. Ask: “What’s the difference between things that last and things that don’t? Which ones get most of our attention?”

🌸 Mourning into Joy · 3 min

  1. Read Jeremiah 31:13: the Lord promises to turn mourning into joy.
  2. Ask each youth to think silently of one sad thing they’ve seen the Lord turn around, for them or someone they know.
  3. Invite a few to share, then connect it to the Savior, who makes that possible.

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 Youth 11–14 lessons