R.S. Lesson – 2nd Great Commandment & The Needs Before Us

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February 10, 2020 at 1:49 pm #212827

AmyJ
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I taught a lesson combining President Nelson’s talk “The 2nd Great Commandment” with Sister Bonnie Oscarson’s talk “The Needs Before Us”.

~~https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/46nelson?lang=eng” class=”bbcode_url”>~~https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/46nelson?lang=eng

~~https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/the-needs-before-us?lang=eng” class=”bbcode_url”>~~https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/10/the-needs-before-us?lang=eng

We spent most of the time talking about the Good Samaritan, and some time talking about how to minister to others.

February 10, 2020 at 1:53 pm #338694
Anonymous
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Good Samaritan Re-Telling (Luke 10: 30-35)

“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.”
Point A to Point B / Thieves (Problem) / Thieves (Consequences) = Lost Clothing (Physical Goods), Physical Ailments

“And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.”

Priest = Community Member responsible (and set apart) for tending others.

“And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.”

Levite = Community Member sanctioned by blood to tend to others.

“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. “

Samaritan = Had no obligation to the man because he did not belong to the same community. Was a “First Responder” who took care of the immediate issues.

“And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”

Innkeeper = Responsible for the health and well-being of his guest. Even though he or she was paid for their services, it is their experiences with tending others and on-the-job training that make this work. Their task was the on-going ministry.

NOTE: There is nothing that says the Priest and/or the Levite wouldn’t be contacted and asked to escort the man back to his home. There is nothing that says the Priest and/or Levite didn’t donate somewhere to help alleviate things like this.

Key Take-Aways

• Serve from a place of Personal Strengths – the Samaritan didn’t give up his long-term duties to help the man. He provided on-site help and found someone who could help even better and followed up with the innkeeper.

• Connection – the Good Samaritan was willing to connect with the stranger.

• Be with The Person – the Samaritan stayed the night with the man.

• Tag-team responsibilities with others – the Samaritan left to take care of business.

Group Activity – Create own version of Story

Humanitarian Outreach/Internal Self-Reliance

Overview of church assistance provided to others as included in President Nelson’s talk.

• Food / Clothing / Temporary Shelter / Disaster Relief (Helping Hands) – Donations of Time & Money

• Wheelchairs / Medicines

• Clean Water

• Vision Care / Newborn Care / Refugee Care

• Bishops Storehouses / Food / Clothing / Donations of Time & Money

JustServe.Org

Are you being prompted to help in a specific way? What is the next step you need to take to act on this prompting?

Why?

Joy

QUOTE 1: “Giving help to others—making a conscientious effort to care about others as much as or more than we care about ourselves—is our joy. Especially, I might add, when it is not convenient and when it takes us out of our comfort zone. Living that second great commandment is the key to becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ.” – President Nelson

Personal Benefit

QUOTE 2: “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.” – Thomas S. Monson

Discipleship

QUOTE 3: “Latter-day Saints, as with other followers of Jesus Christ, are always looking for ways to help, to lift, and to love others. They who are willing to be called the Lord’s people “are willing to bear one another’s burdens, … to mourn with those that mourn; … and [to] comfort those that stand in need of comfort.” – President Nelson

QUOTE 4: “I believe that most members consider service to be at the heart of their covenants and discipleship. But I also think that sometimes it’s easy to miss some of the greatest opportunities to serve others because we are distracted or because we are looking for ambitious ways to change the world and we don’t see that some of the most significant needs we can meet are within our own families, among our friends, in our wards, and in our communities. We are touched when we see the suffering and great needs of those halfway around the world, but we may fail to see there is a person who needs our friendship sitting right next to us in class.” – Bonnie L. Oscarson, The Needs Before Us, October 2017.

Community Connection

QUOTE 5: “My young friends, I can guarantee that there will always be someone at every Church meeting you attend who is lonely, who is going through challenges and needs a friend, or who feels like he or she doesn’t belong. You have something important to contribute to every meeting or activity, and the Lord desires for you to look around at your peers and then minister as He would.” – Bonnie L. Oscarson, The Needs Before Us, October 2017.

Drawbacks/Things to Think About

Resentment – the person may have made unwise choices that got them into the situation.

Limited Personal Resources – not enough time/energy/funds/stuff.

Unmotivated – Disconnected from a service opportunity, narrower perception of value of service.

Personal Circumstances/Overextended – own problems might be a thing.

Scarred from Past Experiences – mistakes, bad blood between people, etc.

Underqualified – not everyone can solve every problem.

Not Sure What to Contribute – sometimes it requires stepping out of the comfort zone and offering specific strengths.

How?

Personalize to Own Circumstances

QUOTE 6: “In addition to serving your family and your ward members, look for opportunities to serve in your neighborhood and community. While at times we are called upon to help after a major disaster, on a day-to-day basis we are encouraged to look for opportunities in our own areas to lift and help those in need. I was recently instructed by an Area President, serving in a country which has many temporal challenges, that the best way to help those in need in other parts of the world is to pay a generous fast offering, contribute to the Church’s Humanitarian Aid Fund, and look for ways to serve those in your own community wherever you live. Just imagine how the world would be blessed if everyone followed this counsel!” – Bonnie L. Oscarson, The Needs Before Us, October 2017.