Weekly Family History Activities

April 11–17 - Easter

“He Will Swallow Up Death in Victory”

Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ has power to help me overcome sin, death, trials, and weaknesses.

From Come, Follow Me

Throughout the scriptures, prophets have testified of Jesus Christ’s power to deliver us from sin and death and to help us overcome our trials and weaknesses. How has Christ made a difference in your life? Why is He important to you?

How do we assure that our children and grandchildren know how we feel about the gospel of Jesus Christ? Have we recorded our testimonies and those of other living relatives to give our posterity the strength of our conviction?

To create an opportunity for those you love to be influenced by your testimony now and in the future, you can preserve a hand-written document by uploading it as a photo, and you can record your personal witness of Jesus Christ on FamilySearch using the FamilySearch Memories Audio app or the Record My Story feature on FamilySearch Discovery. You can also share the document or audio recording with others via facebook, email, etc. by tapping the "Share" symbol. 

Recording can be done individually or in a family setting or with others. You may want to help young children write or record what they feel about Jesus. 

 Your testimonies may contain the very words that will help family members strengthen their own testimonies.

"'And we write according to our prophecies' [2 Nephi 25:26] suggests the wisdom of making a permanent record of our testimony of Christ. We understand that the testimonies we bear are 'recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over [us]' (D&C 62:3). Our own descendants and others may look upon and rejoice over our witness of Christ written or recorded for their benefit." Todd D. Christofferson Becoming a Witness of Christ

You and your family might enjoy creating a booklet or an one collection of any testimonies of the Savior that you possess from the records of your ancestors. Consider making a collection of the stories of the first converts in your family lines. See Ten Ways To Discover, Gather, and Share Ancestor Stories.

(Click to enlarge)

Print copies here. 

As a family, you may want to audio or video record members of your own family taking turns reading from The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles. You could also audio record it directly to FamilySearch using the FamilySearch Memories Audio app or the Record My Story feature on FamilySearch Discovery. You could record excerpts or read it all. 

I can find peace and joy through the Savior’s Atonement.

From Come, Follow Me

Throughout time, Jesus Christ, through His atoning sacrifice, has offered peace and joy to all who come unto Him (see Moses 5:9–12)

This activity is adaptable and can be experienced by groups or families. You could decide to dress up like the people of Jerusalem, or simply sit together and talk. You may want to prepare food that would have been eaten back then. The idea is to “re-enact” or “role-play” what it might have been like to live in Jerusalem during the last week of the Savior’s life, and to have heard of the events going on, or to have been a witness to them.

The “scene” is in a home at the end of the Holy week (Sunday) in which family (and perhaps friends and neighbors) are gathered to discuss the events they have been hearing about, or been part of. Share what you might have seen, heard, and felt. “Eyewitnesses” can help others understand so that they might believe.

Remember that you are discussing these events with only the perspective of the day (no modern revelation or scriptures). See the discussion points at the end of the activity, and the specific ways temple and family history work tie into this experience. 

Palm Sunday 

• Jesus of Nazareth came to Jerusalem and people “took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:12–13). See also Matthew 21:1–11 and Mark 11:1–11. 

The Cleansing of the Temple - Healing and Teaching

• “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. (Matthew 21:12–13, 23; Mark 11:17, 27; Luke 19:46–48; John 12:42–50)
• “And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them” (Matthew 21:14).

The Last Supper 

• “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19–20). 

Gethsemane 

• Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane “and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:41–44). 

• “And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” (Luke 22:45 - 48)
• And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him. (Luke 22:49 - 51)
• .And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

Betrayal, Judgment, and Abuse

• “And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him…” (Luke 22:63).

• “And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him with their hands” (John 19:2–3).

The Death of the Lamb of God By Crucifixion

• Jesus Christ begs His Father to “forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Even now, in His darkest moment, Jesus speaks of love and redemption. With His dying breath, Jesus addresses His Father. “It is finished” (John 19:30 and Matthew 27:54). 

The Empty Tomb and the Risen Lord

• After the Savior's Resurrection, others were resurrected and appeared to many (see Matthew 27:52–53; 3 Nephi 23:9). 
• After Christ was resurrected, He appeared to Mary Magdalene. “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).

So we who are invited to remember Him can feel a connection with those who looked forward to Him. For truly Jesus Christ has borne “the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6; italics added), and “in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22;  italics added). Come, Follow Me

Resources for after your role-play:

• This Easter
• Palm Sunday  
• The Savior's Last Week 
• The Good News 
• Emblems of the Sacrament 
• Because of Him
•  ComeUntoChrist.org 
• First Presidency Shares Easter Messages at General Conference 
• “The Last Week: Atonement and Resurrection” in Harmony of the Gospels 
• To This End Was I Born (see video clip here) 
• The Redemption of the Dead and the Testimony of Jesus

Discussion Points: Switch from the Role-play To The “Here And Now”

• The Savior's Last Week 
• For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent… Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19. 
• “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
• "The facts of Jesus' death and Resurrection are hailed by those of Christian denominations as fundamental tenets. [John 20:17]. However, what Jesus' immortal spirit did after His death and before His Resurrection is a mystery to all but the Latter-day Saints. And the significance of what He did during those hours provides the doctrinal foundation for building temples across the earth." Spencer J. Condie, The Savior's Visit to the Spirit World  
• "By which also he [Jesus Christ] went and preached unto the spirits in prison." While the gospel may be accepted by spirits in the spirit world, the ordinances of salvation must be performed for them by those who are living here on Earth (1 Peter 3:18 -19 and.D&C 138:16–19). Read more here.

This Easter, as the Management Team of The Family History Guide Association, we express our love of Jesus Christ and share our collective witness that He is our Redeemer, our Mediator with the Father, and our Savior. We know He is grateful for all you do to further the work of salvation for all of God's children on both sides of the veil.

We are grateful for the promises shared by Elder Renlund in his talk Family History and Temple Work: Healing and Sealing, and will continue to do all we can to help you in your efforts to receive them. 

May the message of Easter bless your lives and the lives of your loved ones always.

Find Research Clues in Photos - Some of your old photographs may be hiding valuable clues for your family history research, such as clothing styles and objects, or handwritten notations on the backs of the photos. Learn more in Project 4: Goal 7, Choice F.