Come, Follow Me Companion

Doctrine and Covenants 125-128

“A Voice of Gladness for the Living and the Dead”

From Come, Follow Me:

In August 1840, a grieving Jane Neyman listened to the Prophet Joseph speak at the funeral of his friend Seymour Brunson. Jane’s own teenage son Cyrus had also recently passed away. Adding to her grief was the fact that Cyrus had never been baptized, and Jane worried what this would mean for his eternal soul. Joseph knew how she felt; he had wondered the same thing about his beloved brother Alvin, who also died before being baptized. So the Prophet decided to share with Jane, and everyone else at the funeral, what the Lord had revealed to him about those who had died without receiving the ordinances of the gospel—and what we can do to help them.

As a family, take turns telling about your baptismal day. Where were you baptized and by whom? Who was there to share your baptism? What do you remember about that day? How did you feel when you were baptized? Help younger children who have not yet been baptized express their feelings about how they feel about being baptized - why it will be a great day in their lives. You could write these experiences in your journal and let younger children draw their experiences.

Ask your family members to consider the feelings they shared in the activity above as it relates to performing baptisms for their ancestors. Find ancestors who need their baptisms and confirmations performed for them. How is your child related to this person? Can you find him or her on the family tree? How long have they waited to have their work completed? Discuss what feelings this ancestor must be experiencing as they contemplate your performing this work on his or her behalf.

In an 1844 discourse, Joseph Smith advised “all the Saints to go to with their might and gather together all their living relatives to [the temple], that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the whole Church should go to with all their might to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather their living friends, and spend none of their time in behalf of the world, they would hardly get through before night would come, when no man can work.” (Becoming Saviors on Mount Zion) 

"For we without [our ancestors] cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect." (D&C 128:18). Many of our deceased ancestors are being taught the gospel in the spirit world. They need our help and we need theirs! Find some names of your ancestors who need their temple work done using Ordinances Ready and do it. Read how to verify names and relationships here.

Doctrine and Covenants 126

The Lord wants me to care for my family.

From Come, Follow Me:

After returning home from the latest of several missions to England, Brigham Young received another important calling from the Lord—to “take especial care of [his] family” ...consider these words from Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson, former Young Women General President:

“Remember that some of the greatest needs may be those right in front of you. Begin your service in your own homes and within your own families. These are the relationships that can be eternal...Begin where you are, love them as they are, and prepare for the family you want to have in the future.” (The Needs before Us)

“Being one in a family carries a great responsibility of caring, loving, lifting, and strengthening each member of the family so that all can righteously endure to the end in mortality and dwell together throughout eternity. It is not enough just to save ourselves. It is equally important that parents, brothers, and sisters are saved in our families. If we return home alone to our Heavenly Father, we will be asked, “Where is the rest of the family?” This is why we teach that families are forever. The eternal nature of an individual becomes the eternal nature of the family.” (The Eternal Family) 

“From the beginning of their marriage, Ezra Taft and Flora Benson made their home and family their top priority. When their children were young, they began emphasizing that they wanted their family to have no ‘empty chairs’ in the eternities. President Benson emphasized this same message during his service as a Church leader. He said: ‘God intended the family to be eternal. With all my soul, I testify to the truth of that declaration. May He bless us to strengthen our homes and the lives of each family member so that in due time we can report to our Heavenly Father in His celestial home that we are all there—father, mother, sister, brother, all who hold each other dear. Each chair is filled. We are all back home.’" (Marriage and Family—Ordained of God) 

Play a game of hide and seek with your family. (As a variation, you may want to end the game before everyone is found and see what comments are made by family members.) Discuss as a family why you needed to keep searching until everyone was found? Why was that important? Compare that with your eternal family. You may also want to discuss the importance of finding everyone on your family tree so that you can be an eternal family. You may enjoy listening to the song "No Empty Chairs" by Janice Kapp Perry.

Doctrine and Covenants 128:15–18.

From Come, Follow Me:

What are some saving and perfecting blessings of family history work? You may find some ideas in the video “The Promised Blessings of Family History” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org) or in a song about family history, such as “Family History—I Am Doing It” (Children’s Songbook, 94).

Read Blessings for My Ancestors, Blessings for Me. Discuss as a family how your testimony of family history has grown. What experiences have you had? List some of the blessings that come through temple and family history work. How have these blessings strengthened your testimony? You may want to record these in an individual journal, a family journal, or an audio recording. A list of some of these blessings can be found in Elder Dale G. Renlund's talk, Family History and Temple Work: Sealing and Healing, if you need help getting started.

Review some of the past activities from prior weeks: Blessings of Temple and Family History Work (Week 3), Promised Blessings (Week 6), and Claim the Blessings (Week 29). What blessings did you see in your life earlier this year? How have those blessings increased in your life throughout the year? What additional blessings have you received as you have participated in temple and family history work?

Note: President Nelson encouraged us to do the following for six months, but it may be a wonderful opportunity to carry this invitation through your study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year: 

“As you study your scriptures for the next six months, I encourage you to make a list of all that the Lord has promised He will do for covenant Israel. I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life." (President Russell M. Nelson, Let God Prevail, October 2020 General Conference)

Suggestion for journaling this week: Find the promises in Doctrine and Covenants 125-128. Write or audio-record about their influence in your life, and share with your family.