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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 had 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 (Luke 1:13). Six months later Gabriel came to Mary, a young woman engaged to Joseph, with news that made no earthly sense (Luke 1:26–35). Joseph, a “just man,” had quietly planned to end the engagement until an angel in a dream changed his course, and he “did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him” (Matthew 1:19–24).

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

Your youth are at the age of big, rewritable plans: mission papers, college applications, first jobs, the endowment, and patriarchal blessings with 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” (Luke 1:45). The manual points to President Jeffrey R. Holland’s October 2020 talk “Waiting on the Lord,” which promises that sincere prayers are heard and answered in the Lord’s time and way, and to Elder Neil L. Andersen’s “The Triumph of Hope” (October 2024). Either is excellent preparation.

The manual also invites us to notice how much Luke 1 looks like the restored Church: a man in the office of priest (the same Aaronic Priesthood office some of your young men hold now), service in the temple, prayer, angels, a health code (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 (He shall save His people, Matthew 1:21), Emmanuel (God with us, Matthew 1:23) and Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32).

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Luke 1:5–38 and Matthew 1:18–25. Run the Plan A hook out loud, let Teach Mode run the reader’s theater with youth reading the parts, read Luke 1:37–38 together, then 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: two questions to the same angel.
  2. Think of one plan of yours that the Lord rewrote (a school, job, mission, move, family timing) and how it turned out. Keep it to a minute for the testimony.
  3. Text two class members on Saturday: one to read Zacharias (“you’ll only have a few lines, then you get to go silent”) and one to read Mary. Give Gabriel to a confident reader.
  4. Add names in the My Class tab so you can hand out roles with one tap.
  5. Optional: read President Holland’s “Waiting on the Lord” (October 2020); you’ll read one sentence from it in the discussion.

If your class is wild

  • Older teens go quiet when they sense a lecture. Ask, then really wait ten seconds. Silence usually means thinking.
  • Let Zacharias ham up his silence in the story: charades, frantic pointing, the whiteboard. The laughter buys you the serious moments later.
  • Some youth may be waiting on painful things: a parent’s health, a family that isn’t together, a mission delayed. Keep sharing invitational; nobody has to answer.
  • If someone pushes back (“Why does God make good people wait so long?”), thank them. It’s the exact question Luke 1 is about. Answer with what you know and admit what you don’t.
  • New faces in January: have everyone say their name and one plan for this year before the hook.

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

Plan A

3 min

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

  1. Hand out cards. Say: “Write what 10-year-old you thought your life would look like at 18. Job, where you’d live, anything. No names.”
  2. Collect them, shuffle, and read four or five out loud with dramatic flair. Let them guess who wrote which.
  3. SAY“Plans change. Sometimes we change them, and sometimes God does. Today we meet four people whose plans God completely rewrote, and they were all faithful people.”
  4. Ask for a quick show of hands: “Who has already had a big plan change?” Don’t make anyone explain.
🌪️ 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 10-year-old you thought life would look like at 18. Job, where you’d live, anything.”
  2. Go around fast: each person says theirs in five words or fewer. You go first with your own, the sillier the better.
  3. SAY“Plans change. Sometimes we change them, and sometimes God does. Today we meet four people whose plans God completely rewrote, and they were all faithful people.”
2. Story

Reader’s Theater: Plans, Rewritten

6 min

Youth read the real words of Zacharias, Gabriel, Mary, Elisabeth and Joseph, and see a modern parallel in a teen facing a rewritten plan.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Readers read their lines straight from Luke 1 and Matthew 1.
  2. Read or assign the narration for each scene and pause for the action cue.
  3. Remind Zacharias: after scene 3, not one word until he writes on the writing table in scene 8.
  4. After the last scene, ask: “Whose plans got rewritten here? And which of them fought it?” (Answer: nobody fought it, even though it cost them.)
🌪️ If it gets giggly, call “Temple!” and everyone freezes with heads bowed until you say “Heard.” (Luke 1:13: “thy prayer is heard.”)

Class screen: 🎭 Plans, Rewritten: Luke 1 and Matthew 1 · Readers: straight from the scriptures · Crowd: react on cue

No supplies? Do this instead

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

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Readers read their lines straight from Luke 1 and Matthew 1.
  2. Read or assign the narration for each scene and pause for the action cue.
  3. In scene 8, Zacharias writes HIS NAME IS JOHN in huge letters in the air, one letter at a time, while the Crowd calls out each letter.
  4. After the last scene, ask: “Whose plans got rewritten here? And which of them fought it?”
3. Wiggle break

Proof or How?

2 min

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

  1. Everyone stands. Point to two sides of the room: PROOF (Zacharias, Luke 1:18) and HOW (Mary, Luke 1:34).
  2. Read these prayers and have them walk to the side it sounds like: “Show me a sign and then I’ll start my mission papers.” · “I’ve decided to serve; how do I get ready?” · “If You want me to go to that school, make the money appear first.” · “I’ve felt I should forgive my friend. How do I even start?” · “Prove the Book of Mormon is true and then I’ll read it.”
  3. After one or two, ask someone to explain their side in one sentence.
  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?”

4. Scripture

Close Read: Luke 1:26–38

4 min

Youth practice a real study skill (reading for specific things) and find why Mary could say yes.

  1. In pairs, read Luke 1:26–38. Each pair hunts for three things: what Gabriel says about God, what Gabriel says about Jesus (titles!), and what Mary chooses.
  2. After 90 seconds, collect answers fast. Point out the titles: JESUS, Son of the Highest, Son of God (Luke 1:31–35), and Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).
  3. Read Luke 1:37–38 together and teach the motions. Say it twice.
  4. SAY“Mary didn’t say yes because it made sense. She said yes because of who God is. That’s what verse 37 is doing right before verse 38.”

Class screen: 🔍 Why could Mary say yes? Hunt for three things. · What Gabriel says about God · Titles of Jesus · What Mary chooses

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each pair (their own, a classroom set from the library, or Gospel Library on their phones)

  1. Read Luke 1:26–38 aloud from your scriptures (or theirs on Gospel Library). Assign three listening teams before you start: ABOUT GOD, TITLES OF JESUS, MARY’S CHOICE.
  2. Each team raises hands every time they hear something for their list. Collect answers fast; point out JESUS, Son of the Highest, Son of God, and Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23).
  3. Read Luke 1:37–38 together and teach the motions. Say it twice.
  4. SAY“Mary didn’t say yes because it made sense. She said yes because of who God is.”
5. Talk it over

When the Promise Hasn’t Come Yet

4 min

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

  1. Ask one question at a time. Wait ten seconds before anyone answers. Share your own answer too.
  2. Before the last question, read President Holland’s one-sentence promise from “Waiting on the Lord” (it’s in this lesson’s conference quote).
  3. If a question needs more time than class allows, write it down and promise to come back to it.
💬 Ask the class
  • Zacharias and Elisabeth were “righteous” and “blameless” and still waited for years. What does that tell you about the idea that good people always get what they pray for, right away?
  • Luke 1:45 says the Lord will perform what He promised. How could that change the way you read a patriarchal blessing with promises you can’t see yet?
  • Joseph had a good, kind plan, and God still changed it. How do you tell the difference between a bad plan and a good plan that just isn’t God’s plan?
  • What’s one plan you’re making right now (school, mission, work, family) where you could say, “Be it unto me according to thy word”? What would that look like this week?

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

6. Game

Lightning Showdown

3 min

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

  1. Split into two teams and pick captains. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Play as many questions as fit in three minutes. Huddle five seconds; only the captain answers.
  3. Steal rule: if a team misses, 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

7. Game

Then & Now: Restoration Hunt

5 minBONUS

A bonus study race: find how much Luke 1 looks like the restored Church.

  1. Two teams, scriptures open to Luke 1:5–17. Say: “Find everything in these verses that the restored Church has today. One point per match, with the verse.”
  2. Give them two minutes, then compare lists. Look for: the office of priest (v. 5, 8), ordinances (v. 6), temple service (v. 8–9), prayer (v. 10), angels (v. 11; the Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of angels), promised blessings (v. 13–14), a health code (v. 15).
  3. Ask the priests in the room: “Zacharias held the same office you do. What’s one thing you’d want to do in that office this year?” Then ask everyone: “What does it mean to you that the same Church is back?” (Articles of Faith 1:6).

Class screen: 🏛️ Luke 1, then and now: what’s the same today? · Luke 1:5–17 · One point per match, with the verse

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for each pair (their own, a classroom set from the library, or Gospel Library on their phones)

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

Forehead Guess: Luke 1

4 minBONUS

A fun bonus round if you have time.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One volunteer holds your phone or tablet to their forehead; the class gives clues without saying the word.
  2. Tilt down for got it, up to pass. 45-second turns; switch guessers.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Luke 1 edition

9. Testimony

Testimony & the Handed-Over Plan

2 min

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

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

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

Story drama

Plans, Rewritten

Luke 1:5–64; Matthew 1:18–25 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • NarratorReads the setup of each scene in a calm, documentary voice.
  • ZachariasReads Luke 1:18, then goes completely silent: gestures, pointing and the writing table only, until the last Bible scene.
  • GabrielReads the angel’s messages from Luke 1:13, 1:19–20 and 1:30–33, 35–37.
  • MaryReads Luke 1:34 and 1:38 straight from the scriptures.
  • ElisabethReads Luke 1:42 and 1:45 and speaks for her son’s name in scene 8.
  • JosephWrestles silently with his decision, then acts it out after the dream (scene 7).
  • MayaA 17-year-old in our own day with a plan of her own; speaks in scenes 1 and 9.
  • The CrowdEveryone else: worshippers outside the temple, curious neighbors, and a chorus that reacts on cue.

Scenes

  1. 📱📝 Maya, seventeen, has the whole plan mapped out

    Maya has it figured out: one school, one scholarship, a mission at nineteen, and a promise in her patriarchal blessing she’s sure will fit right in. Then the rejection email comes, and her family has news that changes everything else too.

    🎬 Maya reads her plan off her phone with confidence, then stares at the screen and says: “That wasn’t the plan.”

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

    Two thousand years earlier, Zacharias is a priest. He and Elisabeth have kept every commandment and prayed for a child for years, and now they’re old. Priests took turns, and today, maybe once in his lifetime, the lot falls on him to burn incense in the temple while the people pray outside.

    🎬 Zacharias walks slowly to the front. The Crowd bows heads and murmurs a prayer.

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

    An angel stands by the altar: his prayer is heard, and Elisabeth will have a son named John. Zacharias asks for proof. The angel says he is Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and Zacharias will not speak until it all comes true.

    🎬 Gabriel reads Luke 1:13. Zacharias reads Luke 1:18. Gabriel reads Luke 1:19–20. Zacharias covers his mouth and stays silent from now on.

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

    In the small town of Nazareth, Mary is engaged to Joseph and 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 Luke 1:34. Gabriel reads Luke 1:35–37. The Crowd whispers: “Nothing… impossible.”

  5. 🙇‍♀️💗 “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. Everyone stands for a moment of silence, then sits.

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

    Mary hurries to see her cousin Elisabeth. The moment Mary speaks, Elisabeth’s baby leaps and she 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. The Crowd repeats: “Blessed is she that believed.”

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

    Joseph is a just man. When he learns Mary is expecting, 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 does it.

    🎬 Joseph paces, sits, falls asleep. The Narrator reads Matthew 1:20–21. Joseph wakes, stands, and offers his arm to Mary (Matthew 1:24).

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

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

    🎬 The Crowd chants, “Zacharias! Zacharias!” Elisabeth says, “Not so; but he shall be called John.” Zacharias writes HIS NAME IS JOHN on the writing table, then shouts, “Praise God!”

  9. 🌅📖 Maya rereads her blessing and takes the next step

    Back to Maya. The school still said no. But she rereads her patriarchal blessing and notices it never named a school or a date; it promised who she could become. She prays, talks with her parents, applies somewhere new, and feels calm about it. Her plan got rewritten, and she decides to trust the Author.

    🎬 Maya says: “I don’t get to write every line. But I trust the One holding the pen.”

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 you’re making for this year in pencil (or 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 and list the promises it makes about who you can become, not when or where. If you don’t have one yet, ask your bishop or a parent what preparing for one looks like.

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 (scatters the proud, fills the hungry, remembers 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 (Luke 1:49). Privately written or shared, their choice.

🗣️ Zacharias Finds His Voice · 5 min

  1. Read Luke 1:67–79, the prophecy Zacharias spoke 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. Discuss: how could a hard season of waiting make someone’s testimony stronger instead of weaker?

🔭 Before It Happened · 5 min

  1. Assign 1 Nephi 11:13–20, Mosiah 3:8 and Isaiah 7:14 to three pairs. Each pair summarizes 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?”

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 16–18 lessons