Preparation
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Read, ponder, and pray about the following scriptures:
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a. Luke 2:1–7. Jesus Christ is born.
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b. Luke 2:8–39. Angels and many others rejoice at Jesus’ birth.
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c. Matthew 2. Wise men from the east visit Jesus and give him gifts. Herod, feeling threatened by the birth of the King of the Jews, orders the death of all children two years old and younger who reside in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas. An angel of the Lord directs Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus and later to return to Israel with them.
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d. Luke 2:40–52. Guided by the Father, Jesus grows and prepares in his youth for his ministry.
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Additional reading: Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 3:24–26; 1 Nephi 11:1–23; Helaman 14:1–8; 3 Nephi 1:4–21; 27:13–16; Doctrine and Covenants 93:11–20.
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If the following materials are available, use some of them during the lesson:
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a. “Luke II,” a six-minute segment from New Testament Video Presentations (53914).
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b. The pictures No Room at the Inn (62115); The Birth of Jesus (62116; Gospel Art Picture Kit 200); The Nativity (62495; Gospel Art Picture Kit 201); The Announcement of Christ’s Birth to the Shepherds (62117; Gospel Art Picture Kit 202); The Wise Men (62120; Gospel Art Picture Kit 203); Flight into Egypt (62119; Gospel Art Picture Kit 204); Boy Jesus in the Temple (62500; Gospel Art Picture Kit 205); Childhood of Jesus Christ (62124; Gospel Art Picture Kit 206); and Jesus and His Mother (Gospel Art Picture Kit 242).
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Suggestion for teaching: Use appropriate pictures and video presentations to invite the Spirit, add variety to lessons, and help class members remember the scriptural accounts they discuss (see Teaching, No Greater Call [36123], pages 160, 176).