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Can These Bones Live?

A hot-take debate on whether people really change, the valley of dry bones read by three readers, and a rock versus a sponge

  • 🔥 Youth 14–15
  • Week 45
  • 📅 Sunday, November 8, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Nobody is too far gone: Jesus Christ can take a heart that feels stuck, stony or dead and give it new life, and He asks us to help find the ones who feel lost.

I can believe that I and the people around me can really change through Jesus Christ, and I can be the kind of friend who goes looking for the lost.

Study it yourself firstRead Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47)
Know the chapters

Ezekiel was a priest carried off to Babylon about ten years before Jerusalem fell, in Ezekiel 1:1–3. His audience was homesick refugees. They’d lost their homes, their temple and, for many, their hope. The Lord called him a watchman, in 3:17 and 33:7. That’s the guard on the wall who sees danger coming and shouts a warning. A watchman who stays quiet isn’t being polite. He’s failing the city. That’s worth talking about with teens who see friends heading toward trouble.

Chapter 33 answers a question every honest teen has felt. “If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?” That’s 33:10. The Lord’s reply is urgent. He takes no pleasure in anyone’s ruin, and He pleads, “turn ye, turn ye,” in 33:11. A good reputation doesn’t save someone who stops trying. A bad one doesn’t doom someone who turns around. That’s 33:12–16. Chapter 34 rebukes shepherds who fed themselves and ignored the flock. Then the Lord promises to seek the lost Himself. He’ll bring back the driven away and bind up the broken, in 34:11 and 16. Jesus later called Himself the Good Shepherd, in John 10:11. In 36:26 He promises to remove the “stony heart” and give “an heart of flesh.”

Chapter 37 has two famous visions. A valley of very dry bones rattles together and gets sinews and skin. Then breath comes from the four winds. They stand up as “an exceeding great army,” in 37:1–10. The Lord explains that the bones are Israel saying, “our hope is lost,” in 37:11. He promises to open their graves and put His Spirit in them, in 37:12–14. Latter-day revelation connects this vision to the Resurrection, in Doctrine and Covenants 138:43. Jesus Christ makes it possible. Then Ezekiel joins a stick “for Judah” and a stick “for Joseph” into one, in 37:15–17. The Church teaches these are the Bible and the Book of Mormon. They’re two witnesses of Christ that grow together, as 2 Nephi 3:12 says.

In chapter 47, water flows out from under the temple door and gets deeper. Ankles, then knees, then a river to swim in. Everything it touches comes alive, even the salty Dead Sea. That’s 47:1–12. Blessings flow from the house of the Lord. Many of your youth do baptisms for the dead. This is their chapter. For fourteen- to sixteen-year-olds, the heart of the lesson is hope. Labels, screenshots and the internet may not forget, but the Lord offers a new heart. Keep it honest, not preachy. Let them argue the hard version of the question first.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Ezekiel 36:26 and 37:1–14. Run the hot-take walls. Three volunteers read the Valley of Dry Bones from their seats, and you read the Lord’s words. For Ezekiel 36:26, open a fist into an open hand. Ask two or three Dry Bones Moments questions. Close with “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing.” Every step still works.

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. Text three readers on Saturday: the Narrator, Ezekiel and Israel’s Voice. “Will you read a part from your seat on Sunday? Mark Ezekiel 37:1–14.”
  2. Read Ezekiel 33:10–16, 36:26 and 37:1–14.
  3. Put the rock, sponge and water where you can reach them.

If your class is wild

  • Hot-take debates get loud fast. Set one rule up front. Argue the idea, never a person in the room. And no naming classmates’ past mistakes.
  • Readers stay in their seats. If someone wants to ham it up, they can do it with their voice, not by performing.
  • Teens can smell a canned answer. If someone says “people never change,” thank them and take it seriously. It makes the valley of bones land harder.
  • Keep the testimony step private. Nobody shares what they wrote on their card.
  • If energy crashes after the discussion, run Dry Bones Freeze. A minute of movement wakes a room up.

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

Hot Take: Can People Really Change?

3 min

Arguing the hard version of the question first makes the Lord’s answer land harder.

  1. SAY“The window wall is agree. The door wall is disagree. No middle. I’ll read a hot take. You walk to your side.”
  2. Read each one. “People can completely change.” “Once you get a reputation at school, it’s basically permanent.” “The internet never forgets, so you’re stuck with your worst moment.”
  3. After each, one person per side defends their spot in a sentence. If someone switches sides, say, “Someone just changed their mind. That counts.”
  4. SAY“Twenty-six hundred years ago, a whole nation said, ‘We’re done. Our hope is lost.’ Let’s hear what the Lord said back.”
🌪️ Set one rule up front. Argue the idea, never a person in the room. And don’t name anyone’s past mistakes.

Class screen: 🔥 Hot take: can people really change? · Agree wall · Disagree wall

2. Story

Readers’ Theater: The Valley of Dry Bones

8 min

Three readers bring Ezekiel 37 to life from their seats, so the class can focus on the words and the question at its center.

  1. SAY“It’s readers’ theater. I need three readers, reading from your seats. No acting. I’ll read the Lord’s words. Everyone else, listen for the most honest line.”
  2. Tap Roles in Teach Mode for the Narrator, Ezekiel and Israel’s Voice. Readers read from real scriptures.
  3. At scene 2, hold the silence after Ezekiel’s answer. It’s the most important line in the story.
  4. At scene 4, ask what it looks like when someone has all the right parts but no breath. Take one answer and keep going.
  5. After scene 6, point out that the Lord didn’t ask the bones to fix themselves. He asked Ezekiel to speak, and He sent the breath.
🌪️ Pick readers who read well aloud. Text them Saturday so they can practice. Nobody gets put on the spot.

Class screen: 🦴 “Can these bones live?” · Ezekiel 37:1–14

3. Scripture

Stone or Flesh?

5 min

A rock and a sponge make the key verse visible: the Lord offers to take a hard heart and give one that can feel and change.

  1. SAY“Today’s key verse is Ezekiel 36:26.”
  2. Show the verse. Teach the motions and say it together once. Pour a little water over the rock into the cup. It runs straight off.
  3. SAY“A stony heart isn’t always evil. Sometimes it’s just ‘whatever.’ Nothing gets in. What makes a heart go stony at our age?”
  4. Take a few answers. Then dip the dry sponge in. It soaks the water up.
  5. SAY“A heart of flesh takes in the Spirit, other people’s pain and love. It changes shape. He does the surgery. Our part is to hand it over.”

Class screen: 🪨 “A new heart also will I give you” · Ezekiel 36:26

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small rock and a dry kitchen sponge, A cup or bowl of water

  1. SAY“Today’s key verse is Ezekiel 36:26.”
  2. Show the verse and say it together once.
  3. SAY“Make a tight fist. That’s a stony heart. It says ‘whatever,’ and nothing gets in. What makes a heart go stony at our age?”
  4. SAY“Now slowly open it. That’s a heart of flesh. It can take in the Spirit, other people’s pain and love. It can change shape.”
  5. SAY“Notice who does the surgery. ‘I will give… I will take away.’ Our part is to hand it over.”
4. Talk it over

Dry Bones Moments

5 min

Honest questions connect the valley of bones to guilt, reputation and the people who drift away.

  1. SAY“You don’t need your right-answer voice. Just say what you actually think. And you can pass on any question.”
  2. Show one question at a time. Let two or three people answer each. Skip one if the room isn’t feeling it.
  3. Briefly share your own honest answer to at least one question.
💬 Ask the class
  • In Ezekiel 33:10, people feel stuck in their sins. They ask how they can live. When does guilt make someone feel stuck, instead of wanting to change?
  • Ezekiel 33:12–16 says a good reputation won’t save someone who quits. And a bad one won’t doom someone who turns around. Why is that both good news and a warning?
  • Ezekiel 34:16 says the Lord seeks the lost and brings back the “driven away.” Who gets driven away from friend groups or church at our age?
  • The bodies looked alive, but they had no breath. When you’re just going through the motions, what brings the breath back?

Class screen: 💬 Dry bones moments: real talk

5. Testimony

Lord, Thou Knowest

3 min

A private moment and a short testimony turn Ezekiel’s honest answer into trust.

  1. SAY“Write down one area of your life that feels dry right now. Maybe a friendship, a habit, your testimony or your family. Nobody will see it.”
  2. Hand out the cards.
  3. SAY“Under it, write Ezekiel’s answer. ‘O Lord GOD, thou knowest.’ That isn’t giving up. It’s trusting the One who can put breath in bones.”
  4. Briefly testify that the Savior gives new hearts, and that you’ve seen someone really change. Give the challenge and invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🌬️ “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” · Ezekiel 37:3

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Index cards or scrap paper and pens, one per person

  1. SAY“Close your eyes. Think of one area of your life that feels dry right now. Nobody will know what you picked.”
  2. SAY“In your mind, answer the way Ezekiel did. ‘O Lord GOD, thou knowest.’ That isn’t giving up. It’s trusting Him.”
  3. Briefly testify that the Savior gives new hearts. Give the challenge and invite a youth to pray.
6. Wiggle break

Dry Bones Freeze

3 minBONUS

A quick movement round lets a restless class burn energy and reviews the vision.

  1. SAY“Walk around while the music plays. When it stops, freeze. Then I’ll call ‘Bone to his bone’ and a number.”
  2. Tap Freeze Dance. Everyone links elbows in groups that size. Anyone left over answers one: “What was missing after the skin came?” or “Who’s the watchman today?”
  3. Three or four rounds is plenty. End with “The whole house of Israel!” so everyone links up.
🧊 Freeze Dance (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 💀 Dry Bones Freeze!

7. Game

Scripture Showdown: Ezekiel

4 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Ezekiel.

  1. SAY“Two teams. This Scripture Showdown is all Ezekiel.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Teams confer for ten seconds, then answer. The losing team sets the last question’s wager: double or nothing.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Ezekiel

Readers’ theater

Readers’ Theater: The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1–14 ↗

Reading parts (volunteers, from their seats)

  • NarratorReads each scene from the screen, from their seat, slowly enough for everyone to picture it.
  • EzekielReads Ezekiel’s lines from real scriptures (Ezekiel 37:3, 7, 8 and 10), from their seat.
  • Israel’s VoiceFrom their seat, reads Ezekiel 37:11, the people saying “our hope is lost,” with honest discouragement.

Scenes

  1. 🏜️🦴 A valley full of very dry bones

    Ezekiel is a refugee in Babylon, far from a burned-out Jerusalem. The Spirit of the Lord carries him to a valley covered with bones. Not recent bones. Sun-bleached, scattered, very dry bones. Nobody expects this to change.

    🙌 The Narrator reads. Ezekiel reads Ezekiel 37:1–2.

  2. ❓🦴 “Can these bones live?”

    The Lord asks a question that sounds almost like a trick. “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel could say, “Obviously not.” He could say, “Sure!” just to sound faithful. Instead, he gives the most honest answer in the chapter.

    🙌 The teacher reads the Lord’s question. Ezekiel reads, “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” Hold three seconds of silence.

  3. 🗣️💥 Ezekiel speaks, and the bones rattle

    The Lord tells Ezekiel to speak to the bones. It feels ridiculous, talking to a pile of bones. Ezekiel does it anyway. There’s a noise. Then a shaking. And the bones start snapping together, bone to his bone.

    🙌 Ezekiel reads Ezekiel 37:7. Everyone taps the table softly, faster and faster.

  4. 🧍🚫 Bodies, but no breath

    Sinews come, then muscle, then skin. Row after row of complete bodies lie in the valley. They look right. But there is no breath in them. Looking alive and being alive are not the same thing.

    🙌 Ezekiel reads Ezekiel 37:8. The Narrator repeats slowly, “But there was no breath in them.”

  5. 🌬️🧍‍♂️ “Come from the four winds, O breath”

    So the Lord tells Ezekiel to call to the wind. And the breath comes into them. They live. They stand up on their feet, an exceeding great army.

    🙌 The teacher reads Ezekiel 37:9. Ezekiel reads 37:10. Everyone takes one slow, deep breath together.

  6. 💔➡️❤️ “Our hope is lost”… “Ye shall live”

    Then the Lord explains. These bones are His people. They’re saying their hope is lost. And His answer? I will open your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live. It’s a promise of the Resurrection through Jesus Christ. And it’s for anyone who feels spiritually dead right now.

    🙌 Israel’s Voice reads Ezekiel 37:11. The teacher reads 37:12–14.

Key verse

Ezekiel 36:26 ↗
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
In plain words: You don’t have to manufacture a better version of yourself alone. The Lord offers to swap out the heart that’s gone hard for one that can feel, love and change again.
🙌 “New heart”: hands form a heart over your chest. “New spirit”: breathe in and open your arms. “Stony heart”: make a tight fist. “Heart of flesh”: slowly open the fist into a relaxed, open hand.

More verses

Ezekiel 37:3 ↗
“Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.”
In plain words: When something looks hopeless, the honest, faithful answer is “Lord, You know.” He sees possibilities we can’t.
Ezekiel 33:11 ↗
“turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die”
In plain words: The Lord isn’t waiting to catch you. He’s pleading with you to turn around, because He wants you to live.
Ezekiel 34:16 ↗
“I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken”
In plain words: The Good Shepherd goes after the lost, the pushed-out and the hurting, and He asks us to help.
Ezekiel 47:9 ↗
“every thing shall live whither the river cometh”
In plain words: Wherever the water from the temple goes, things come alive. The Lord’s house brings healing.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧔 Ezekiel
  • 🔭 Watchman
  • 🧑‍🌾 Shepherd
  • 🐑 Lost Sheep
  • 🦴 Dry Bones
  • 🏜️ Valley
  • 🌬️ Breath
  • 🧍 Great Army
  • 🪨 Stony Heart
  • ❤️‍🩹 New Heart
  • 🥢 Two Sticks
  • 📖 Bible
  • 📘 Book of Mormon
  • ⛪ Temple
  • 🌊 River
  • 🏛️ Babylon
  • ↩️ Repent
  • 🌅 Resurrection
Clues for each word
  • Ezekiel: Prophet in exile who saw a valley of bones
  • Watchman: Guard on the wall who warns the city
  • Shepherd: Should feed the flock, not himself
  • Lost Sheep: The Lord goes looking for it
  • Dry Bones: Filled a whole valley in Ezekiel 37
  • Valley: Low place between hills, full of bones
  • Breath: Came from the four winds and brought life
  • Great Army: What the bones became when they stood up
  • Stony Heart: The Lord offers to take this away
  • New Heart: Ezekiel 36:26 promise
  • Two Sticks: For Judah and for Joseph, joined as one
  • Bible: The stick of Judah
  • Book of Mormon: The stick of Joseph
  • Temple: Water flowed from under its door
  • River: Everything it touched came alive
  • Babylon: Where Ezekiel lived as a captive
  • Repent: “Turn ye, turn ye”
  • Resurrection: Because of Jesus, every body will live again
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What job did the Lord give Ezekiel, like a guard on a city wall?
    • A. Watchman
    • B. Scribe
    • C. Gatekeeper
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Watchman Ezekiel 3:17 and 33:7. A watchman sees danger coming and warns people.

  2. What did Ezekiel answer when asked, “Can these bones live?”
    • A. “Absolutely not.”
    • B. “Only if they repent.”
    • C. “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “O Lord GOD, thou knowest.” Ezekiel 37:3. Honest and faithful: he trusted the Lord to know what was possible.

  3. What was still missing after the bones got sinews, flesh and skin?
    • A. Clothes
    • B. Breath
    • C. Names
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Breath Ezekiel 37:8. They looked alive, but there was no breath in them until the wind came.

  4. What did the bones become when breath entered them?
    • A. A family
    • B. A temple
    • C. An exceeding great army
    Show answer

    ✅ C. An exceeding great army Ezekiel 37:10. Row after row stood up on their feet.

  5. What does the Lord promise to replace in Ezekiel 36:26?
    • A. A stony heart
    • B. An old temple
    • C. A broken stick
    Show answer

    ✅ A. A stony heart He takes away the stony heart and gives a heart of flesh.

  6. What does the Church teach the two sticks in Ezekiel 37 represent?
    • A. The Old and New Testaments
    • B. The Bible and the Book of Mormon
    • C. Two tribes at war
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The Bible and the Book of Mormon The stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph become one witness of Jesus Christ.

  7. In Ezekiel 34, what did the bad shepherds do wrong?
    • A. Fed themselves and ignored the flock
    • B. Lost their staffs
    • C. Sold the sheep
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Fed themselves and ignored the flock Ezekiel 34:2–4. So the Lord promised to seek His sheep Himself.

  8. In Ezekiel 47, where did the healing river come from?
    • A. A mountain spring
    • B. Under the temple door
    • C. The Jordan River
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Under the temple door Ezekiel 47:1. Blessings flow from the house of the Lord.

  9. In Ezekiel 33:11, what does the Lord plead with His people to do?
    • A. Hide
    • B. Fight
    • C. Turn from their evil ways and live
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Turn from their evil ways and live “Turn ye, turn ye.” He wants us to live, not to fail.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives Hymns, no. 136

    The dry bones point to the Resurrection. This hymn is a testimony that the Savior lives and gives life. Find it ↗

  • The Lord Is My Shepherd Hymns, no. 108

    Pairs with Ezekiel 34: the Lord is the Shepherd who seeks and feeds His sheep. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Go Get One

Be a shepherd this week. Pick one person who’s been driven away, drifting or alone. It could be a friend, a class member or a sibling. Do one real thing. Send a text that isn’t about church, sit by them, or invite them to something fun. Then pray about the dry area you wrote down.

Text the parents

This week in class we debated whether people can really change. Three classmates read Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones coming back to life. We talked about the Lord’s promise in Ezekiel 36:26 to give “a new heart.” Your teen’s challenge is to reach out to one person who seems lost or left out. Ask them what makes a heart go stony at their age, and what softens it.

📝 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?

🥢 Two Sticks, One Witness · 5 min

  1. Read Ezekiel 37:15–17. Explain that the Church teaches the stick of Judah is the Bible and the stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon.
  2. Pairs get two minutes. One finds a Bible verse about Jesus Christ. The other finds a Book of Mormon verse teaching the same truth, like John 10:11 and 3 Nephi 15:21.
  3. Each pair shares their match. Ask: “Why does the Lord give us two witnesses instead of one?”

🌊 How Deep Is the River? · 4 min

  1. Read Ezekiel 47:1–9. The water gets deeper: ankles, knees, waist, then a river to swim in.
  2. Everyone stands and touches their ankles, knees and waist as you read each depth.
  3. Ask what makes someone’s temple experience go from ankle-deep to swimming. Preparation, going often, family names and pondering all help.
  4. Invite youth with a recommend to take a family name to the temple this month.

🔭 The Watchman’s Dilemma · 5 min

  1. Read Ezekiel 33:6–9. A watchman who sees danger and says nothing shares the blame.
  2. Pose a dilemma. “Your friend is posting things that could really hurt them later. Do you say something? How, without being preachy?”
  3. Small groups write the exact text they’d send. Share them and vote on the kindest honest one.

🐑 Shepherd Scenarios · 4 min

  1. Put Ezekiel 34:16 on the screen. Seek the lost, bring back the driven away, bind up the broken, strengthen the sick.
  2. Read a scenario. Teams get twenty seconds to name the shepherd job and one thing they’d do. “A friend stopped coming after a fight.” “A new kid eats lunch alone.” “Someone got roasted in the group chat and went silent.”
  3. The other team gives thumbs up for the most real, doable answer. Point out that watchmen warn and shepherds go get people. The Lord needs both.

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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