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Plans, Rewritten

Zacharias, Elisabeth, Mary and Joseph all had their plans rewritten by God, and we practice trusting Him with ours

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 1
  • 📅 Sunday, January 3, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

With God nothing is impossible, so when He rewrites my plans or asks me to wait, I can trust His timing and answer like Mary: “Be it unto me according to thy word.”

I can trust the Lord’s promises and His timing when my plans change, and answer His will with faith like Mary did.

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

Matthew 1 and Luke 1 open the New Testament with four faithful people whose plans God rewrote. Zacharias was a priest who served in the temple. Luke 1:6 calls him and Elisabeth righteous and blameless. Yet they’d prayed for a child for years and were now old. When his rare turn came to burn incense in the temple, the angel Gabriel told him his prayer was heard. That’s Luke 1:13. Six months later Gabriel came to Mary, a young woman engaged to Joseph. His news made no earthly sense, in Luke 1:26–35. Joseph was a “just man.” He’d quietly planned to end the engagement. Then an angel in a dream changed his course. He “did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him,” in Matthew 1:19–24.

Compare the two questions. Zacharias asked, “Whereby shall I know this?” in Luke 1:18. He was asking for proof. Mary asked, “How shall this be?” in Luke 1:34. She believed and asked how it would happen. Both questions were honest, and the Lord was patient with both. Zacharias’s silence became its own sign. When he wrote “His name is John,” his mouth was opened and he praised God, in Luke 1:62–64. For 16- to 18-year-olds this is a real difference. Faith isn’t the absence of questions. It’s asking in a way that’s ready to act on the answer.

Your youth are at the age of big plans that can be rewritten. Think mission papers, college applications, first jobs and the endowment. Their patriarchal blessings have promises they can’t see fulfilled yet. Elisabeth’s words to Mary fit them perfectly: “blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” That’s Luke 1:45. The manual points to President Jeffrey R. Holland’s October 2020 talk “Waiting on the Lord.” It promises that sincere prayers are heard and answered in the Lord’s time and way. It also points to Elder Neil L. Andersen’s “The Triumph of Hope,” from October 2024. Either is excellent preparation.

The manual also invites us to notice how much Luke 1 looks like the restored Church. There’s a man in the office of priest. That’s the same Aaronic Priesthood office some of your young men hold now. There’s service in the temple, prayer, angels, a health code in Luke 1:15, and promised blessings. Articles of Faith 1:6 says the same organization that existed in the primitive Church exists today. Look for titles of Jesus Christ too. JESUS means He shall save His people, in Matthew 1:21. Emmanuel means God with us, in Matthew 1:23. And He’s the Son of the Highest, in Luke 1:32.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Luke 1:5–38 and Matthew 1:18–25. Run the Plan A hook out loud. Have four readers read Luke 1 from their seats while you narrate. Read Luke 1:37–38 together. Spend the rest on the “When the Promise Hasn’t Come Yet” discussion. Close with a short testimony of a time the Lord rewrote your plans for the better.

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. Read Luke 1 and Matthew 1 in one sitting. Mark Luke 1:18 and 1:34 side by side. They’re two questions to the same angel.
  2. On Saturday, text four class members to read Zacharias, Gabriel, Mary and Elisabeth. Warn Zacharias he gets a few lines, then goes silent.
  3. Think of one plan of yours that the Lord rewrote, and how it turned out. Keep it to a minute for the testimony.

If your class is wild

  • Older teens go quiet when they sense a lecture. Ask, then really wait ten seconds. Silence usually means thinking.
  • Zacharias’s silence is the funny part. He can’t talk, but he can point frantically at the writing table from his seat. Let it be funny.
  • Some youth may be waiting on painful things. It could be a parent’s health, a family that isn’t together or a delayed mission. Keep sharing optional. Nobody has to answer.
  • Someone may push back: “Why does God make good people wait so long?” Thank them. It’s the exact question Luke 1 is about. Share what you know and admit what you don’t.
  • New faces in January? Before the hook, have everyone say their name and one plan for this year.

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

Plan A

3 min

Anonymous “plan A” cards get honest laughs and set up the question: what happens when God rewrites the plan?

  1. SAY“Write down what ten-year-old you thought your life would look like at eighteen. Your job, where you’d live, anything. No names.”
  2. Hand out cards as you say it.
  3. Collect them and shuffle. Read four or five out loud with dramatic flair. Let them guess who wrote which.
  4. SAY“Plans change. Sometimes we change them. Sometimes God does. Today, meet four faithful people whose plans God completely rewrote.”
🌪️ If they’re too cool to share, read your own 10-year-old plan first. Nothing loosens a room like a teacher who wanted to be a rodeo clown.

Class screen: 📝 At 10, what did you think 18 would look like? · Write it. No names. · Plan A

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Index cards or slips of paper, one per person, and a few pens

  1. SAY“Think of what ten-year-old you thought life would look like at eighteen. Your job, where you’d live, anything.”
  2. Go around fast. Each person says theirs in five words or fewer. You go first, and the sillier the better.
  3. SAY“Plans change. Sometimes we change them. Sometimes God does. Today, meet four faithful people whose plans God completely rewrote.”
2. Story

Readers’ Theater: Plans, Rewritten

8 min

Four readers voice the real words of Zacharias, Gabriel, Mary and Elisabeth while you narrate, so the class hears how each one handled a plan God rewrote.

  1. SAY“I need four readers, from your seats. Zacharias, Gabriel, Mary and Elisabeth. I’ll narrate. Everyone else, watch whose plans get rewritten.”
  2. As each scene comes up on your phone or tablet, readers read their lines straight from Luke 1. Nobody stands or acts.
  3. Remind Zacharias. After scene 2, he says not one word until he writes on the writing table in the last scene.
  4. After the last scene, ask, “Whose plans got rewritten here?” Then ask, “Did any of them fight it?” Nobody did, even though it cost them.
🌪️ If a reader loses their place, point to the verse on your phone or tablet and keep going. Good reading beats perfect reading.

Class screen: 📖 Plans, Rewritten: Luke 1 and Matthew 1 · Four readers · straight from the scriptures

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A small whiteboard or a sheet of paper and a marker: Zacharias’s “writing table”

  1. SAY“I need four readers, from your seats. Zacharias, Gabriel, Mary and Elisabeth. I’ll narrate. Everyone else, watch whose plans get rewritten.”
  2. As each scene comes up on your phone or tablet, readers read their lines straight from Luke 1. Nobody stands or acts.
  3. In the last scene, Zacharias writes HIS NAME IS JOHN in huge letters in the air. The class calls out each letter.
  4. After the last scene, ask, “Whose plans got rewritten here?” Then ask, “Did any of them fight it?”
3. Scripture

Hand Over the Pen: Luke 1:37–38

4 min

Comparing two questions to the same angel shows why Mary could say yes: because of who God is.

  1. SAY“Zacharias and Mary both asked Gabriel a question. Listen for the difference.”
  2. Have the readers reread Luke 1:18 and 1:34.
  3. Ask, “One asks for proof. One asks how. Both are honest. So why was Mary’s question already ready to act?”
  4. Read Luke 1:37–38 together and teach the motions. Say it twice.
  5. SAY“Mary didn’t say yes because it made sense. She said yes because of who God is. That’s why verse 37 comes right before verse 38.”

Class screen: 🖊️ Hand Him the pen: “Be it unto me according to thy word.” · Luke 1:37–38

4. Talk it over

When the Promise Hasn’t Come Yet

5 min

An honest conversation about waiting on the Lord, patriarchal blessing promises and rewritten plans.

  1. SAY“Zacharias and Elisabeth were righteous, and they still waited years. Let’s be honest about waiting.”
  2. Ask one question at a time and wait ten seconds. Before the last one, read President Holland’s promise from “Waiting on the Lord” in the conference quotes.
  3. Share your own answer too. If a question needs more time than class allows, write it down. Promise to come back to it.
💬 Ask the class
  • Zacharias and Elisabeth were “righteous” and “blameless.” They still waited for years. What does that say about getting what we pray for, right away?
  • Luke 1:45 says the Lord will perform what He promised. Think of a promise in a patriarchal blessing you can’t see yet. How could this verse change the way you read it?
  • Joseph had a good, kind plan, and God still changed it. How can you tell a bad plan from a good plan that just isn’t God’s plan?
  • Think of a plan you’re making right now. School, a mission, work, family. Where could you say, “Be it unto me according to thy word”?

Class screen: ⏳ Faithful people still wait. What do you do meanwhile?

5. Testimony

Testimony & the Handed-Over Plan

3 min

End quiet, with a personal witness that God’s rewrites can be trusted.

  1. SAY“With God, nothing shall be impossible. That includes the thing you’re waiting on.”
  2. Lower your voice. In a minute or less, share one plan the Lord rewrote for you. What do you see now that you couldn’t see then?
  3. Introduce the challenge on the screen. Invite a youth to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🖊️ With God nothing shall be impossible · Luke 1:37

6. Wiggle break

Proof or How?

2 minBONUS

A quick move-to-a-side game helps youth see the difference between asking for proof and asking how, without shaming either.

  1. SAY“Everyone up. This side is PROOF, like Zacharias. That side is HOW, like Mary. Walk to the side each prayer sounds like.”
  2. Read these: “Show me a sign, then I’ll start my mission papers.” “I’ve decided to serve. How do I get ready?” “Make the money appear first.”
  3. Two more: “I feel I should forgive my friend. How do I start?” “Prove the Book of Mormon is true, then I’ll read it.” Ask someone to explain.
  4. SAY“Both kinds of questions are honest. And the Lord was patient with Zacharias too. But Mary’s question was already ready to act.”

Class screen: ↔️ Asking for proof or asking how? Pick a side. · PROOF: “Whereby shall I know this?” · HOW: “How shall this be?”

7. Game

Lightning Showdown

3 minBONUS

A fast team quiz locks in the people and promises of Luke 1 and Matthew 1.

  1. SAY“Two teams, pick captains. Five seconds to huddle. Only the captain answers.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Play as many questions as fit in about three minutes. On a miss, the other team can steal by naming the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: ⚡ Lightning Showdown: Luke 1 and Matthew 1 in three minutes

Readers’ theater

Plans, Rewritten

Luke 1:5–64; Matthew 1:18–25 ↗

Reading parts (volunteers, from their seats)

  • ZachariasReads Luke 1:18 from their seat. Then stays silent until the writing table in the last scene.
  • GabrielReads the angel’s words to Zacharias and to Mary from their seat: Luke 1:13, 19–20, 30–32 and 35–37.
  • MaryReads Mary’s question and answer from their seat: Luke 1:34 and 38.
  • ElisabethReads Elisabeth’s blessing on Mary and her son’s name from their seat: Luke 1:42, 45 and 60.

Scenes

  1. 🕯️🏛️ An old priest gets his turn in the temple

    Zacharias is a priest. He and Elisabeth have kept every commandment. They’ve prayed for a child for years. And now they’re old. Priests take turns in the temple. Today, maybe once in his lifetime, the lot falls on him. He’ll burn incense inside, while the people pray outside.

    🙌 You read the scene. Everyone bows their head for five seconds, like the people praying outside.

  2. 👼🤐 “Whereby shall I know this?” …and then silence

    An angel stands by the altar. Your prayer is heard, he says. Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John. Zacharias asks for proof. The angel says he is Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. And Zacharias won’t speak until it all comes true.

    🙌 Gabriel reads Luke 1:13. Zacharias reads 1:18. Gabriel reads 1:19–20. Zacharias is silent from now on.

  3. 🏡✨ Six months later, Gabriel visits a young woman

    In the small town of Nazareth, Mary is engaged to Joseph. She’s probably planning an ordinary life. Gabriel tells her she will bear the Son of the Highest. Mary has a question too. But hers is different. She isn’t asking for proof. She’s asking how.

    🙌 Gabriel reads Luke 1:30–32. Mary reads 1:34. Gabriel reads 1:35–37.

  4. 🙇‍♀️💗 “Be it unto me according to thy word”

    Saying yes could cost Mary her reputation. Her engagement. Maybe more. She says yes anyway. Her plans didn’t just shift. They were completely rewritten. And she handed the pen to God.

    🙌 Mary reads Luke 1:38 slowly. Hold five seconds of quiet.

  5. 🤝🏔️ Two rewritten women meet in the hill country

    Mary hurries to see her cousin Elisabeth. The moment Mary speaks, Elisabeth’s baby leaps. Elisabeth is filled with the Holy Ghost. She doesn’t need Mary to explain anything. She blesses Mary for believing.

    🙌 Elisabeth reads Luke 1:42 and 1:45. Everyone repeats, “Blessed is she that believed.”

  6. 💭🌙 Joseph plans a quiet exit, then dreams

    Joseph is a just man. He learns Mary is expecting. So he plans to end the engagement quietly, so she won’t be shamed. While he’s still thinking it over, an angel comes in a dream. Take Mary as your wife. This child is of the Holy Ghost. Joseph wakes up, and he does it.

    🙌 You read Matthew 1:20–21, then 1:24.

  7. ✍️👶 “His name is John,” and Zacharias speaks

    Elisabeth’s son is born. The neighbors want to name him after his dad. Elisabeth says no. His name is John. Everyone turns to Zacharias. He asks for a writing table, and he writes it. Instantly, he can speak. And the first thing he does is praise God.

    🙌 Elisabeth reads 1:60. Zacharias writes HIS NAME IS JOHN on the writing table and holds it up. You read 1:64.

Key verse

Luke 1:37–38 ↗
“For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”
In plain words: Nothing is impossible for God. Mary answered: I belong to the Lord; let it happen the way You said.
🙌 Keep it simple for teens: “nothing shall be impossible” = open both hands wide · “Behold the handmaid of the Lord” = hand on heart · “be it unto me according to thy word” = open palms up, as if handing something over. Say it twice together, then once with eyes closed.

More verses

Luke 1:45 ↗
“And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
In plain words: The one who believes is blessed, because every promise the Lord made to her will really happen.
Luke 1:18 ↗
“And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.”
In plain words: Zacharias asked: How can I be sure? I’m old and so is my wife.
Luke 1:34 ↗
“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
In plain words: Mary asked: How will this happen, since I’m not married yet?
Matthew 1:24 ↗
“Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:”
In plain words: Joseph woke up and did exactly what the angel told him, and he married Mary.

Forehead Guess words16 words

  • 🕯️ Zacharias
  • 🤰 Elisabeth
  • 👼 Gabriel
  • 🙇‍♀️ Mary
  • 🪚 Joseph
  • 👶 John the Baptist
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 💨 Incense
  • 🏡 Nazareth
  • ✍️ Writing Table
  • ✨ Emmanuel
  • 💭 Dream
  • 🙌 Priest
  • 📜 Patriarchal Blessing
  • 💗 Handmaid
  • 🚫 Impossible
Clues for each word
  • Zacharias: Priest who couldn’t talk for months
  • Elisabeth: Waited years for a son named John
  • Gabriel: Angel who stands in the presence of God
  • Mary: Said “Be it unto me according to thy word”
  • Joseph: Just man who obeyed a dream
  • John the Baptist: His dad wrote his name on a tablet
  • Temple: Where Zacharias served as a priest
  • Incense: Burned at the altar while the people prayed
  • Nazareth: Mary’s small town in Galilee
  • Writing Table: “His name is John”
  • Emmanuel: Means “God with us”
  • Dream: How the angel reached Joseph
  • Priest: Zacharias’s office, and maybe yours
  • Patriarchal Blessing: Promises the Lord will perform in His time
  • Handmaid: Mary called herself this of the Lord
  • Impossible: Nothing is, with God
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What office did Zacharias hold?
    • A. Priest
    • B. King
    • C. Prophet of the people
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Priest Luke 1:5, 8. Priests today hold the same Aaronic Priesthood office.

  2. What was Zacharias doing when the angel appeared?
    • A. Fishing on Galilee
    • B. Burning incense in the temple
    • C. Teaching in a synagogue
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Burning incense in the temple Luke 1:9–11: his lot was to burn incense while the people prayed outside.

  3. What did Zacharias ask the angel?
    • A. “What is your name?”
    • B. “Why me?”
    • C. “Whereby shall I know this?”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “Whereby shall I know this?” Luke 1:18. He asked for proof, and he couldn’t speak until the promise was fulfilled.

  4. What did Mary ask Gabriel?
    • A. “How shall this be?”
    • B. “Can you prove it?”
    • C. “When will it happen?”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “How shall this be?” Luke 1:34. She wasn’t asking for proof; she was asking how.

  5. Finish Luke 1:37: “For with God nothing shall be…”
    • A. “Hidden”
    • B. “Impossible”
    • C. “Delayed”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “Impossible” Gabriel said it right before Mary said yes.

  6. What happened when Mary greeted Elisabeth?
    • A. Elisabeth fainted
    • B. An angel appeared
    • C. Elisabeth’s baby leaped
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Elisabeth’s baby leaped Luke 1:41, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.

  7. How did the angel reach Joseph?
    • A. In a dream
    • B. At the temple
    • C. Through a letter
    Show answer

    ✅ A. In a dream Matthew 1:20. When he woke, he did as the angel had bidden him (1:24).

  8. What does “Emmanuel” mean?
    • A. Prince of peace
    • B. God with us
    • C. He shall save
    Show answer

    ✅ B. God with us Matthew 1:23. The name JESUS is tied to saving His people from their sins (1:21).

  9. What did Zacharias write on the writing table?
    • A. “Praise God”
    • B. “Call him Zacharias”
    • C. “His name is John”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “His name is John” Luke 1:63–64. His mouth was opened immediately, and he praised God.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

From general conference

“I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted.”

— President Jeffrey R. Holland, “Waiting on the Lord,” October 2020

Read in the “When the Promise Hasn’t Come Yet” discussion, before the last question.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    A hymn about trusting the Lord’s promises through hard changes, like Mary, Joseph and Elisabeth did. Find it ↗

  • Did You Think to Pray? Hymns, no. 140

    Zacharias’s prayer was heard, even after years of waiting. Find it ↗

  • Joy to the World Hymns, no. 201

    Still Christmastime, and the promised Savior is coming. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Promises in Pencil, Faith in Pen

Write down one plan for this year in pencil, or in a note you can edit. Pray about it and add, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” If you have your patriarchal blessing, reread it this week. List the promises about who you can become, not when or where. If you don’t have one yet, ask your bishop or a parent how to prepare.

Text the parents

Today in class we studied Luke 1 and Matthew 1. Zacharias, Elisabeth, Mary and Joseph all had their plans rewritten by God, and each trusted Him. We learned Luke 1:37–38: “For with God nothing shall be impossible… be it unto me according to thy word.” Ask your youth: “What’s one plan you’re making this year that you want to trust the Lord with?” Then share a time your own plans changed for the better.

📝 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?

🎶 Mary’s Song · 5 min

  1. Read Luke 1:46–55 together. List every phrase about what the Lord does, like scattering the proud, filling the hungry and remembering mercy.
  2. Ask, “What does it mean for your soul to ‘magnify the Lord’?”
  3. Invite each youth to name one “great thing” the Lord has done for them, from Luke 1:49. They can write it privately or share it.

🗣️ Zacharias Finds His Voice · 5 min

  1. Read Luke 1:67–79. Zacharias spoke this prophecy once his voice came back after months of silence.
  2. Ask, “What had he been thinking about while he couldn’t talk?” Look at verses 76–79 about what John would do.
  3. Ask how a hard season of waiting could make someone’s testimony stronger instead of weaker.

🔭 Before It Happened · 5 min

  1. Give 1 Nephi 11:13–20, Mosiah 3:8 and Isaiah 7:14 to three pairs. Each pair sums up what their prophet saw about Mary or the Savior’s birth, centuries early.
  2. Compare Isaiah 7:14 with Matthew 1:22–23, where Matthew quotes it.
  3. Ask, “Why would the Lord show these things to prophets so long before they happened? What does that say about His plans for you?”

🏛️ Then & Now: Restoration Hunt · 5 min

  1. Make two teams. Read Luke 1:5–17 slowly from your scriptures. Teams shout “Match!” when they hear something the restored Church has today.
  2. Give a point for each match they can explain. Look for the office of priest, ordinances, temple service, prayer, angels, promised blessings and a health code.
  3. Read Articles of Faith 1:6. Ask, “Zacharias held the office of priest. What does it mean to you that the same Church is back?”

🔍 Close Read: Luke 1:26–38 · 5 min

  1. In pairs, read Luke 1:26–38. Each pair hunts for three things. What does Gabriel say about God? What does he say about Jesus? What does Mary choose?
  2. After about 90 seconds, collect answers fast. Point out JESUS, Son of the Highest and Son of God in Luke 1:31–35, and Emmanuel in Matthew 1:23.

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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