Attention activity:
Give everyone paper to list trials they have experienced or situations where they aren’t sure of the best course. Assure them that their lists are private and they won’t need to share anything from the list unless they want to. Relate their lists to 2 Cor 4:8 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;”.
Main quest: reconciliation, empathy, atonement
Discuss context: Paul had been planning on visiting Corinth on the way to Macedonia, but plans changed so instead he wrote a letter that we now know as 2nd Corinthians. Last time he visited, it ended painfully. We don’t know what happened or who caused offense, but Paul had written a different letter to the Corinthians “with many tears” to let them know of his love.
Read 2 Cor 2:1-10 where Paul explains why he wrote his previous letter. Talk about how Paul handled a hard situation and ask “How should we treat someone who has offended us?” Read and discuss Matt 5: 43-48, which discusses loving your enemies. Loving your enemies can be hard! How do we do it while still keeping ourselves safe?
Read 2 Cor 5:18-21 together. Note that reconcile means “restore friendly relations between” and “make one account consistent with another”. How did Jesus reconcile us with God? Do we always have friendly relations with God? What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?
Read 2 Cor 1:4. God can comfort us and that can teach us to comfort others. Have the class think about the trials they listed at the beginning of class. Does anyone want to share about a time they felt God’s comfort, or a time someone comforted them? Note that the word empathy which means “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another” has only been used in English for about 100 years, but the concept was taught in this verse. Talk about how the atonement, being at one with God, is related to empathy.
Talk about the symbolism in partaking the sacrament. Read 2 Cor 4:10-11. Representations of Jesus blood and body enter your body and empower you to act. When you take the sacrament, Jesus lives in your actions, or as Paul puts it the “life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”
Side quests: These are passages that you could use if you have extra time. They all involve metaphor. You can discuss the symbols used, their meaning, and limits of the metaphor.
-Light Read 2 Cor 4:5-6. We don’t proclaim ourselves, we let light shine out of darkness.
-SavorIn other translations the word used is aroma, fragrance, or scent. Read 2 Cor 2:14-17. We should smell like Christ to God.
-Unveiled Read 2 Cor 3:12-18. Veils are used as a symbol of the old covenant. Unveiled means that you are transformed by God.
-Tent/tabernacle Read 2 Cor 5:1-10. A tent is impermanent like our bodies are impermanent.
Conclusion: Note that it feels really good to feel understood and heard. Encourage the class to talk to a friend, family member, mentor, or God about the challenges or trials they wrote down. Talk about how one of the kindest things we can do for another person is to take time to listen and try to understand them (even if we don’t agree with them). Share one or two of the quotes below and encourage the class to embody Christlike attributes.
“The greatest manifestation of charity is the Atonement of Jesus Christ, granted to us as a gift. Our diligent seeking for this gift requires that we not only are willing to receive it but are willing to share it as well. As we share this love with others, we emerge as ‘instruments in the hands of God to do this great work.’ We will be prepared to sit down with our sisters in heaven—together.”
Kathleen H. Hughes, First Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency
“That We May All Sit Down in Heaven Together,” October 2005 General Conference
“Benevolent is a lovely word that we don’t hear very often. Its roots are Latin, and it means ‘to wish someone well.’ To be benevolent is to be kind, well meaning, and charitable…Our Savior taught us about and lived a benevolent life. Jesus loved all and He served all. Centering our lives on Jesus Christ will help us acquire this attribute of benevolence. For us to develop these same Christlike attributes, we must learn about the Savior and ‘follow in His ways.’ ”
Mary N. Cook, First Counselor, Young Women General Presidency
“Remember This: Kindness Begins with Me,” April 2011 General Conference
“…in this ongoing process of growing up unto the Lord, we will be asked to do all we can, in some cases, even more than we know how to do. The challenges may be formidable and the route sometimes unknown. But inevitable wrong turns notwithstanding, those who strive to be truly Christlike—with steadfast determination to serve others and a willingness to press forward in faith—can come to echo this grand spiritual truth shared by Nephi as he continued his shipbuilding: ‘And I … did … pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.’ To be shown ‘great things’—what a gift, what a blessing to those who have chosen ‘to grow up unto the Lord.’ ”
Anne C. Pingree, Second Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency
“To Grow Up unto the Lord,” April 2006 General Conference
“When we take the sacrament each week, we commit to change our lives for the better. We should always be trying to become a new person who is more like our Savior Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul calls this ‘[walking] in newness of life.’ ”
Julie B. Beck, First Counselor, Young Women General Presidency
“You Have a Noble Birthright,” April 2006 General Conference
