An Angel Came to Joseph Smith

Objective: The Lord restored the fullness of the gospel through Joseph Smith.
Song: “An Angel Came to Joseph Smith” (CS pg. 86)

Verse One

Presidency Member: Apostasy/Restoration Object lesson: Use a plastic cup house to show how Jesus Christ built his church when he lived on earth. (1 min.)

1. Use one cup positioned at the front of the house to represent Jesus Christ.
2. Explain that the 12 cups on the bottom of the house represent Jesus Christ’s 12 apostles.
3. Explain that Jesus Christ and the apostles taught the people the gospel. Use the cups build on top to represent gospel principals like prayer, baptism, repentance, the sacrament, etc.

Knock down the cup house to show the Apostasy. (1 min.)

1. However, the apostles and Jesus Christ were killed (pull out and knock over the cups on the bottom). Ask what happened to the church when the apostles were killed.
2. Explain that there were some people who wanted to follow Jesus Christ still but they did not have the priesthood and they could only remember pieces of what Christ taught so they build churches that taught the things they could remember.
3. Build little pyramids or triangles with the fallen cups describing what some people remembered—use some of the same gospel topics you used on the first house.

Rebuild the cup house to show the Restoration of the church. (4 min.--whew!)

1. Briefly review the story of the First Vision (GAK 403). Emphasize that Joseph Smith wanted to know which church he should join and the answer from Heavenly Father was that he should not join any of them (JS-H 1:19).
2. Briefly tell what happened to Joseph Smith between the First Vision and the first visit from Moroni (JS-H 1:26)
3. and about Moroni’s visit (JS-H 1:30). Use JS-H 1:33, 34—Moroni told Joseph Smith that there was a great work Heavenly Father had for him to do and he needed a sacred record (use these words because they’re in the song), which would help him restore the fullness of the gospel—the Church of Jesus Christ
4. build the cup house back up as it was before only separate Jesus Christ’s cup and link it to the house with a straw or a pencil—explain that the straw or pencil represents the priesthood). As you rebuild the cup house ask what that precious holy book (again, words in the song) was that Joseph Smith needed to restore the gospel.

Music Leader: (4 min.) Sing acappella the first verse of “An Angel Came to Joseph Smith”. Separately ask the following questions singing the verse with the piano each time a question is asked to help the children answer the question:

• Who came to Joseph Smith?
• What did he find hidden?
• Where the book was hidden.

You could let the child who gets the answer come up to lead the song with you—notice the time signature is kinda wacky so they might not get it perfectly. Invite the children to sing when they think they can sing the words—otherwise invite them to hum.

Verse Two

Presidency Member: Stories about Book of Mormon Pioneers (3 min.): The Book of Mormon talks about two groups of people who were led by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to a promised land.

1. The Jaredites (Primary 4 pictures 4-52, 4-53 or GAK 318)
2. Nephi and Lehi crossing the ocean (GAK 304).

Explain that Joseph Smith learned about the fullness of the gospel through the stories that these people wrote down and through revelations from Heavenly Father.

Music Leader: (5 min.)Sing acappella the second verse of “An Angel Came to Joseph Smith.” Ask

• When these people lived
• Who led them
• What the Lord leaded them to do
• Where they went

Again sing the verse with the piano after each question to help the children get the answer—the child who answers (different children from last time) gets to come help lead. Then sing both the first and second verses.

Verse Three

Presidency Member: Obedience leads to peace discussion (5 min.)

• Ask and then explain the meaning of the word peace.
• Help the children know what peace feels like. You could tell the children to close there eyes and imagine their Moms holding and rocking them or rubbing their back. They could imagine when they serve someone else.
• Lead the children in doing an action to help them feel relaxed and at peace like sighing, relaxing their shoulders and hands, and smiling softly.
• Ask how long they think they could feel peace—how about one hundred and ten years feeling peace. That might feel like heaven.
• One of the things Joseph Smith and anyone else who reads the Book of Mormon learns is that when the people obeyed the Lord and lived the gospel, they lived in peace--do the action for peace again.
• One of those times when the people lived in peace was during one hundred and ten years after Jesus Christ visited them after He was resurrected. (4 Nephi 1:15-18)

Music Leader: (5 min.) Sing acappella the third verse of “An Angel Came to Joseph Smith.” Use the same plan as for the first and second verses but ask

• Who we are singing about?
• What they had to do to have peace?
• (tricky question) How do we know?

Sing all the verses together.

Verse Four

Presidency Member: The Promise of the Book of Mormon discussion (4 min.)

• Ask how they can know that Joseph Smith restored the gospel and that the Book of Mormon has gospel teachings in it?
• Briefly tell the story of Moroni (GAK 320) and share Moroni 10:3-5 emphasizing that Moroni could give this promise because he knew (as do I) that Heavenly Father loves them.
• Bear testimony of Joseph Smith’s mission.

Music Leader: (5 min.)Use the same techniques to teach the fourth verse of “An Angel Came to Joseph Smith” as was used for the first three verses however ask

• What will happen when I read the sacred book (the Book of Mormon)?
• Who does Heavenly Father love?
• Heavenly Father loves us all where?

Sing all the verses.