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Mine Eyes Have Seen Thy Salvation

Simeon and Anna waited a lifetime for the promised Messiah; we trace His names and symbols through the Old Testament and choose one to carry into the New Testament year

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 52
  • 📅 Sunday, December 27, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Every promise of the Old Testament points to Jesus Christ; the faithful who waited for Him found Him, and I can rejoice in my Redeemer and come to know Him by His names.

I can rejoice in Jesus Christ, recognize Him in the symbols and names of the scriptures, and choose one of His names to come to know better this year.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Christmas)
Know the chapters

This week closes a year in the Old Testament, and the whole book has been pointing somewhere. Isaiah promised that a child would be born whose name would be Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. That’s Isaiah 9:6. Micah named Bethlehem, in Micah 5:2. Balaam saw a Star out of Jacob, in Numbers 24:17. Isaiah wrote that the people would one day say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him,” in Isaiah 25:9. The manual invites us to rejoice in our Redeemer. It asks us to notice the titles and symbols that teach who He is. Think star, shepherd, lamb, water, rock, branch and light.

Today’s story is Simeon and Anna, in Luke 2:22–38. It’s perfect for older youth because it’s about waiting faithfully for a promise. Simeon was just and devout. The Holy Ghost had told him he wouldn’t die before seeing the Lord’s Christ. Anna was a widow of great age who served in the temple night and day with fasting and prayer. Mary and Joseph brought the forty-day-old Jesus to the temple. They offered two birds, the offering the law allowed for families who couldn’t afford a lamb. See Luke 2:24 and Leviticus 12:8. The quiet irony is striking. They couldn’t afford a lamb, and they were carrying the Lamb of God. Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God that his eyes had seen His salvation, in Luke 2:29–32. Anna gave thanks and spoke of Him to everyone looking for redemption, in 2:38.

Some doctrine for your prep. Jesus Christ is called “The everlasting Father,” but He isn’t Heavenly Father. He has that title because He’s the Creator of heaven and earth. He becomes the Father of all who are spiritually born again through Him, in Mosiah 5:7. And He speaks with the Father’s authority. Your youth will meet these ideas in the New Testament starting next week. So today is a bridge. They can choose one name or title of Christ to focus on during 2027.

Holiday Sundays are unpredictable. With only two or three youth, do the story as a scripture reading with discussion and skip the games. With visitors, give them parts and include them warmly. Keep the tone joyful. This is a celebration, not a test.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Luke 2:22–38 and Isaiah 9:6. Do the 60 Names hook. Send pairs to search the five passages on your phone or tablet and report one insight each. Study the five names in Isaiah 9:6 together. Close by inviting everyone to choose one name of Christ for the new year.

What to bring3 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 2:22–38 slowly. Notice every mention of the Holy Ghost and of waiting.
  2. Choose the name of Jesus Christ you’ll focus on in 2027. You’ll share it at the end.
  3. On Saturday, text your class: “Christmas lesson Sunday. Friends and cousins welcome!”

If your class is wild

  • The Sunday after Christmas can feel sleepy. Start the 60 Names race right away. Energy first, reverence later.
  • Pair a strong reader with a quieter one for the search. Simeon and Anna are tender passages. They deserve good readers.
  • Visiting cousins or friends? Make them search partners or team captains. Nothing welcomes like a job.
  • With a tiny class, search the passages together as one group and skip the bonus steps. The search and the names are the core.

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

60 Names

3 min

A fast brainstorm race wakes up a post-Christmas class and shows how many ways the scriptures describe Jesus Christ.

  1. SAY“You’ve got sixty seconds. As a class, call out every name or title of Jesus Christ you can think of. I’ll count. Go!”
  2. Start the Big Timer. Count on your fingers out loud: Savior, Redeemer, Messiah, Lamb of God, Good Shepherd, Emmanuel, Light of the World…
  3. Announce the total.
  4. SAY“For centuries, faithful people waited for the One with all these names. Today you’ll find them in the scriptures yourselves.”
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ⏱️ 60 seconds: how many names of Jesus Christ can we name? · Call them out!

2. Story

Search: Waiting for the Consolation of Israel

9 min

Pairs search five passages about people who waited for the Savior and report what they find, so the Christmas story comes from their own reading.

  1. SAY“After Malachi, heaven was quiet for about four hundred years. Some people gave up. Some kept watching. Let’s find out who, and how.”
  2. Give each pair or small group one passage from your phone or tablet scenes. Start a three-minute Big Timer to read it and answer its question.
  3. Each group reports one insight in a sentence. Show their scene on your phone or tablet while they report.
  4. After the last report, ask, “Simeon and Anna waited decades. What kept them watching when so many others gave up?”
🌪️ Small class? Give each pair two passages, or search the last one together.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🔎 Search your passage: who waited, and how did they find Him? · Luke 2:22–38

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)

Listen: Waiting for the Consolation of Israel

  1. SAY“After Malachi, heaven was quiet for about four hundred years. Some people gave up. Some kept watching. Let’s find out who, and how.”
  2. Read each passage aloud from your scriptures, one scene at a time. Give each pair one scene’s question to listen for.
  3. Right after each reading, that pair gets about 30 seconds to agree on one insight. Then they say it in a sentence.
  4. After the last one, ask, “Simeon and Anna waited decades. What kept them watching when so many others gave up?”
3. Scripture

His Name Shall Be Called

4 min

The five names in Isaiah 9:6 show who the promised Child is and what He can be for a teenager this year.

  1. SAY“About seven hundred years before Simeon held Him, Isaiah gave the Child five names. Count them on your fingers as we read.”
  2. Read Isaiah 9:6 together with the five-finger motions. Say it twice. Then say just the names with eyes closed.
  3. Ask, “Which of the five names would someone your age need most this year?” Then ask, “Why?” Take three answers.
  4. Clarify The everlasting Father. Jesus isn’t Heavenly Father. He’s called Father as our Creator, and because the spiritually reborn become His children, in Mosiah 5:7.

Class screen: ✋ Wonderful · Counsellor · Mighty God · Everlasting Father · Prince of Peace · Isaiah 9:6

4. Talk it over

Rejoice in My Redeemer

5 min

An honest, joyful conversation about waiting on the Lord and finding Christ in our own lives.

  1. SAY“Let’s pull chairs into a circle for this. These questions are about you.”
  2. Ask one question at a time and let silence work. Share your own answers too, including a time you waited on the Lord.
💬 Ask the class
  • Simeon got a personal promise from the Holy Ghost. He waited years for it. What promises has the Lord made to you? Maybe in a patriarchal blessing, a priesthood blessing or a prompting.
  • Mary and Joseph couldn’t afford a lamb. Yet they carried the Lamb of God. What does that teach about how God works through people who feel they have little to offer?
  • Anna couldn’t keep the news to herself. Who in your life needs to hear what you know about Jesus Christ?
  • Life isn’t always easy. Why does knowing Jesus Christ came to save us make Christmas joyful anyway?
  • Next week we start the New Testament. What do you want to understand better about Jesus Christ this year?

Class screen: 💬 Rejoice in my Redeemer

5. Testimony

A Name for 2027

3 min

End quietly, with a personal focus for the New Testament year.

  1. SAY“Here’s the name of Jesus Christ I’ve chosen to focus on in 2027. And here’s why.”
  2. Share your name and why you chose it. Then bear your testimony of Him in a sentence or two.
  3. Hand out cards. Each youth writes one name or title of Christ they want to know better this year. They tuck it in their scriptures or phone case.
  4. Invite a youth to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🕯️ Choose one name of Jesus Christ to know better in 2027 · Write it · Keep it · Watch for Him

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: An index card for each person, and a few pens

  1. SAY“Here’s the name of Jesus Christ I’ve chosen to focus on in 2027. And here’s why.”
  2. Share your name and why you chose it. Then bear your testimony of Him in a sentence or two.
  3. Invite each youth to type one name or title of Christ into a phone note. Or they can choose one silently and remember it.
  4. Invite a youth to say the closing prayer.
6. Wiggle break

Hymn Title Clues

2 minBONUS

A quick, silly team race burns post-holiday energy and keeps the Christmas spirit.

  1. SAY“Two teams. I’ll whisper a Christmas hymn title to one player on each team. They give clues from their seat. But they can’t say any word in the title.”
  2. Use these titles: Joy to the World. Silent Night. Away in a Manger. O Little Town of Bethlehem. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.
  3. The first team to guess scores. Switch clue-givers each round.

Class screen: 🎶 Hymn Title Clues: no words from the title!

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

4 minBONUS

A team quiz to review the promises and their fulfillment.

  1. SAY“Two teams. Captains answer after a five-second huddle.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. If a team misses, the other team can steal by naming the verse.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown

Scripture search in pairs

Search: Waiting for the Consolation of Israel

Luke 2:22–38; Numbers 24:17; Matthew 2:1–2; 3 Nephi 1:12–21 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🧓 Luke 2:25–32: Simeon’s promise

    Simeon was a righteous man in Jerusalem. He was waiting for “the consolation of Israel.” The Holy Ghost had made him a personal promise. Watch how the Spirit leads him, step by step.

    🙌 What did the Holy Ghost do for Simeon? List every step.

  2. 👵 Luke 2:36–38: Anna in the temple

    Anna was a prophetess from the tribe of Asher. She was widowed young. She served in the temple night and day. And she arrived in that very same hour.

    🙌 What did Anna do while she waited? What did she do right after she saw Him?

  3. 🕊️ Luke 2:22–24 and Leviticus 12:8: two birds

    Forty days after the birth, Mary and Joseph came to the temple with an offering. The law of Moses said what to bring. It also said what a family could bring if they couldn’t afford a lamb.

    🙌 What does their offering say about them? Who were they carrying?

  4. ⭐ Numbers 24:17 and Matthew 2:1–2: a star

    Long before Bethlehem, a prophecy spoke of a Star coming out of Jacob. Centuries later, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. They were asking where the King had been born.

    🙌 How did the star point people to Him? What points you to Him?

  5. 🌎 3 Nephi 1:12–21: a world away

    Across the ocean, believers were threatened with death if the sign of Christ’s birth didn’t come. Nephi prayed all day for his people. And the Lord answered him.

    🙌 What did the Lord promise Nephi? How did He keep it?

Key verse

Isaiah 9:6 ↗
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
In plain words: A child is born for us, a Son is given to us. He will carry the weight of ruling on His shoulders, and His names tell who He is: Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
🙌 Count the five names on five fingers: Wonderful (thumb) · Counsellor (pointer) · The mighty God (middle) · The everlasting Father (ring) · The Prince of Peace (pinky). Say the verse together twice, then say just the names with eyes closed.

More verses

Luke 2:29–32 ↗
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
In plain words: Lord, You kept Your promise, so now I can die in peace. I’ve seen with my own eyes the Savior You prepared for everyone: a light for all nations and the glory of Israel.
Isaiah 25:9 ↗
“And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
In plain words: One day people will say: This is our God! We waited for Him and He will save us. We’ll be glad and celebrate His salvation.
Numbers 24:17 ↗
“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel”
In plain words: I will see Him, but not yet; He isn’t near yet. A Star will come out of Jacob and a King will rise from Israel.
John 8:12 ↗
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
In plain words: Jesus said: I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t walk in darkness; you’ll have the light of life.

Forehead Guess words17 words

  • 🧓 Simeon
  • 👵 Anna
  • 🕊️ Turtledoves
  • 🐑 Lamb of God
  • ⭐ Star
  • 🧑‍🌾 Good Shepherd
  • 💧 Living Water
  • 🪨 Rock
  • 🌿 Branch
  • 💡 Light of the World
  • 🕊️ Prince of Peace
  • 🧭 Counsellor
  • 🤝 Immanuel
  • 🏘️ Bethlehem
  • 🏛️ Temple
  • 💛 Redeemer
  • 👑 Messiah
Clues for each word
  • Simeon: Promised he’d see the Christ before he died
  • Anna: Prophetess who served in the temple night and day
  • Turtledoves: The offering of a family who couldn’t afford a lamb
  • Lamb of God: John the Baptist’s name for Jesus
  • Star: Balaam saw one come out of Jacob
  • Good Shepherd: He gives His life for the sheep
  • Living Water: What Jesus offered the woman at the well
  • Rock: A sure foundation to build on
  • Branch: Grows out of the root of Jesse
  • Light of the World: Follow Him and you won’t walk in darkness
  • Prince of Peace: The last of Isaiah’s five names
  • Counsellor: Isaiah 9:6: the one who guides you
  • Immanuel: Means “God with us”
  • Bethlehem: Micah named it 700 years early
  • Temple: Where Simeon held the baby
  • Redeemer: He buys us back from sin and death
  • Messiah: Means “the Anointed One,” like Christ
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What did the Holy Ghost promise Simeon?
    • A. He’d become high priest
    • B. He’d see the Lord’s Christ before he died
    • C. He’d find the wise men
    Show answer

    ✅ B. He’d see the Lord’s Christ before he died Luke 2:26. He waited years for that promise.

  2. What did Mary and Joseph offer at the temple?
    • A. Two turtledoves or pigeons
    • B. A spotless lamb
    • C. Gold, frankincense and myrrh
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Two turtledoves or pigeons Luke 2:24, the offering for families who couldn’t afford a lamb (Leviticus 12:8).

  3. Anna was a prophetess from which tribe?
    • A. Judah
    • B. Levi
    • C. Asher
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Asher Luke 2:36 spells it “Aser.” She served in the temple night and day.

  4. How many names of the Savior are in Isaiah 9:6?
    • A. Three
    • B. Five
    • C. Seven
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Five Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

  5. Why is Jesus Christ called “The everlasting Father”?
    • A. He is Heavenly Father
    • B. He was the oldest prophet
    • C. He is Creator and Father of the spiritually reborn
    Show answer

    ✅ C. He is Creator and Father of the spiritually reborn He is not Heavenly Father; see Mosiah 5:7 for how we become His children.

  6. Who prophesied “there shall come a Star out of Jacob”?
    • A. Balaam
    • B. Malachi
    • C. Daniel
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Balaam Numbers 24:17, centuries before the wise men followed a star.

  7. Simeon called the child “a light to lighten” whom?
    • A. The priests
    • B. The Gentiles
    • C. The shepherds
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The Gentiles Luke 2:32. Jesus came for all people, not just Israel.

  8. What sign of Jesus’s birth did the Nephites see?
    • A. An earthquake
    • B. A rainbow
    • C. A night with no darkness
    Show answer

    ✅ C. A night with no darkness 3 Nephi 1:15–21, just as Samuel the Lamanite had prophesied.

  9. What book does your class start studying next week?
    • A. The New Testament
    • B. The Book of Mormon
    • C. The Doctrine and Covenants
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The New Testament Come, Follow Me for 2027 covers the New Testament.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Hymns, no. 209

    It greets the newborn King with titles like Prince of Peace, echoing Isaiah 9:6. Find it ↗

  • Silent Night Hymns, no. 204

    A quiet, reverent close after the Simeon and Anna scenes. Find it ↗

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

    Rejoicing in our Redeemer, the manual’s theme for Christmas week. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

One Name for the New Year

Keep the name of Jesus Christ you chose where you’ll see it. As you start the New Testament next week, watch for that name or role in the Savior’s life. Write down each time you find it. Before New Year’s, be like Anna. Tell one person why you’re grateful He came.

Text the parents

Today in class we read about Simeon and Anna in Luke 2:22–38. They waited a lifetime to see the promised Messiah. They knew Him as a baby in the temple. We studied the five names of Christ in Isaiah 9:6 and the symbols that point to Him. Each youth chose one name of Jesus Christ to focus on during 2027 as we begin the New Testament. Ask your youth which name they chose, and share one of yours.

📝 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?

🎼 Titles in the Hymns · 5 min

  1. Open the Christmas section of the hymnbook or Gospel Library. In pairs, scan the titles and verses of three hymns for names or titles of Christ.
  2. Make a class list. Match as many as you can to an Old Testament verse, like Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Micah 5:2 or Zechariah 9:9.
  3. Ask, “Which title would you want to sing about if you wrote a new Christmas hymn?”

⏳ Waiting Well · 5 min

  1. Read Isaiah 40:31 and Luke 2:25, 37. List what Simeon and Anna did while they waited. They stayed righteous and near the temple, fasted, prayed and listened to the Spirit.
  2. Ask, “What are people your age waiting on? Mission calls, college letters, healing, a friend coming back? What does waiting well look like?”

🐑 The Lamb They Couldn’t Afford · 4 min

  1. Read Leviticus 12:6–8 and Luke 2:22–24. The two birds were the offering for families too poor for a lamb.
  2. Read John 1:29. Ask, “What does it mean that the Lamb of God came into a family that couldn’t afford a lamb?”

⭐ Symbols of Christ Hunt · 5 min

  1. Split into teams. Read one reference at a time, but don’t name the symbol. Use Numbers 24:17, John 10:11, Genesis 22:8, John 4:14, Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 11:1 and John 8:12.
  2. The first team to stand and name the symbol gets a point. They get another for finishing this sentence: “This symbol teaches that Jesus Christ…”
  3. Give a bonus point for naming a Christmas tradition that uses that symbol.
  4. Ask, “Which symbol means the most to you right now, and why?”

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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