Gospel Sparks Join the beta

Nothing Is Impossible with God

Happy New Year, and welcome to the New Testament! This week an angel brings surprising news to Zacharias, Elisabeth and Mary, and each of them learns that with God nothing is impossible. It’s the perfect week to set family goals, talk about prayers Heavenly Father answers in His own time, and get ready for fast Sunday on January 3.

  • Week 1
  • 📅 Dec 28, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027
  • 📖 Matthew 1; Luke 1
Start with Monday
Read it togetherMatthew 1; Luke 1 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualNew Testament 2027, week 1

What your kids learn in class

Stories, verses and games for the week come from each child’s own Primary or youth lesson, so home matches Sunday.

⚡ Fast Sunday this week (Primary)

Daily sparks

Five to ten minutes a day, Monday to Sunday. Grown-ups lead; kids act, play and answer. Where a step says to tap something, that’s in the Gospel Sparks app; on the web, use the “Play along” links.

Monday · 8 min · Story

The Angel’s Big News

👼 An angel brings the most amazing news!Baby John is coming!Baby Jesus is coming!Can you act it out?

📖 Read together: Luke 1:11–13, 26–38 ↗

  1. Open the story scenes and let your kids swipe while you read each one in your best storyteller voice.
  2. Hand out parts: one child is Zacharias at the temple, one is Mary at home, and one is the angel Gabriel who swoops in with arms wide open.
  3. Read Luke 1:13 and have the “angel” deliver the news to Zacharias. Then read Luke 1:30–31 and deliver the news to Mary. Everyone else gasps!
  4. SAY“Elisabeth and Zacharias had prayed for a baby for years and years. Heavenly Father heard them the whole time, and He answered in His own perfect time.”

🎭 Play along: the story scenes (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • How do you think Mary felt when she saw the angel?
  • What is something our family has prayed about for a long time?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one be the angel, flapping their arms and shouting “Good news!” each time you pause.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to read Mary’s answer in Luke 1:38 out loud and explain in their own words what she was saying yes to.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Let your teen compare Zacharias’s question in Luke 1:18 with Mary’s in Luke 1:34. Both asked a question, but only one was struck silent (Luke 1:20). Ask them to explain the difference between a question that seeks faith and one that demands proof.
☕️ For grown-upsLuke 1:6 calls Zacharias and Elisabeth righteous, and they still waited many years (Luke 1:7). A long-unanswered prayer is not proof that God is displeased with you.

Sticker for today: 👼

Tuesday · 6 min · Verse

Impossible? Not for God!

💪 With God, nothing is impossible!Point up.Make a big zero.Flex those muscles!

📖 Read together: Luke 1:37 ↗

  1. Open the key verse screen and read it together three times: whisper, normal, then super loud.
  2. Add the same motions your kids learn in Primary: point up for “For with God,” make a big zero with your hands for “nothing,” shake your head for “shall be,” and flex both arms like a superhero for “impossible.”
  3. Take turns naming things that seem impossible (a baby for Elisabeth, walking on the moon, reading a whole book). After each one, the whole family shouts the verse with motions.
  4. SAY“When something feels too hard for you this year, remember: you’re not doing it alone.”

📖 Play along: the key verse (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What is something hard that Heavenly Father could help you with this year?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Hold your toddler’s hands and do the three motions together while you say the words.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Challenge your 10–13-year-old to say the verse from memory while balancing on one foot, then to teach it to a younger sibling.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Genesis 18:14 and Luke 1:37 side by side (Sarah and Elisabeth both faced the impossible), then share one thing they have watched the Lord change that once seemed impossible.
☕️ For grown-upsGabriel’s promise in Luke 1:37 came with evidence Mary could check: her cousin Elisabeth, “who was called barren,” was already expecting (Luke 1:36). Mary answered in the very next verse, “be it unto me according to thy word.” She trusted His word before she saw the result.

Sticker for today: 💪

Wednesday · 8 min · Activity

Zacharias Charades

🤐 Shhh! Act it out with no words!Pretend you’re Zacharias.Act out a prayer.Can they guess it?

📖 Read together: Luke 1:18–22, 59–64 ↗

  1. Read Luke 1:20 and explain that Zacharias could not talk until the baby was born. Then read Luke 1:63 to see how he finally wrote the baby’s name!
  2. Now everyone plays Zacharias: no talking allowed! Take turns acting out something you can pray about (a sick grandma, a test at school, a lost toy, saying thank you for snow).
  3. Start the timer for 30 seconds each turn. The family guesses what the prayer is about.
  4. At the end, grab paper and let each child write or draw “His name is John” like Zacharias did.
  5. SAY“Heavenly Father hears every prayer. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it is wait, and sometimes it is something better than we asked.”

⏱️ Big Timer (in the Gospel Sparks app)

Talk about it
  • What is something you can pray about tonight?
  • Has Heavenly Father ever answered a prayer in a way you didn’t expect?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Whisper an idea into your little one’s ear (like “say thank you for food”) and help them act it out.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your 10–13-year-old act out a harder one, like “help me be brave at a new school” or “help my friend who is sad.”
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Luke 1:64, 67–75 to see Zacharias’s first words after months of silence. Then ask: “If you couldn’t speak for months, what would you want your first words to be?”
☕️ For grown-upsZacharias’s silence became time to prepare, and when his voice returned, he used it for praise, not complaint. What might a quiet or waiting season in your life be preparing you to say?

Sticker for today: 🤐

Thursday · 10 min · Game

New Year’s Eve Game Night

🎉 Game night! Guess the word on your head!Give clues.No saying the word!Tilt down when you get it.
  1. Gather everyone on the couch for a New Year’s Eve Forehead Guess tournament with words from this week’s story.
  2. One player holds your phone or tablet on their forehead. Everyone else gives clues (no saying the word!). Tilt down for got it, tilt up to pass.
  3. Keep score with a pile of socks or spoons: one for each word guessed. Everyone plays at least one round.
  4. Before midnight (or bedtime!), say a short family prayer thanking Heavenly Father for this year.

🤔 Play along: Forehead Guess (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What was your favorite thing that happened to our family this year?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one hold the device on their forehead with a grown-up, and use acting and animal sounds for their clues.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Your 10–13-year-old can be the host: keep score, read the hints and pick who goes next.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Put your teen in charge of a family “year in review”: before the game, they collect one highlight from each person and read them out between rounds.
☕️ For grown-upsMary’s song in Luke 1:46–55 looks back at what God had already done before it looks ahead. Before you set resolutions, take a minute to name where you saw His hand this past year.

Sticker for today: 🎉

Friday · 10 min · Service

Goal Rocket Launch

🚀 3, 2, 1… launch your New Year goals!One goal to grow close to Jesus.One goal to help someone.Blast off!

📖 Read together: Luke 1:38 ↗

  1. Read Luke 1:38 together. Say: “Mary said yes to Heavenly Father’s plan. This year, what will you say yes to?”
  2. Give each person a paper to draw a big rocket. Inside, write or draw one goal to grow closer to Jesus and one goal to help someone else.
  3. Count down together from 10 and “launch” the rockets by sticking them on the fridge or a wall.
  4. Kneel for a family prayer and ask Heavenly Father to help with each goal. Nothing is impossible with Him!
Talk about it
  • Who is someone you want to help this year?
  • How can Heavenly Father help you keep your goal?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one pick one simple goal, like “I will give hugs” or “I will fold my arms for prayer,” and draw it for them.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your 10–13-year-old to break their goal into three small steps and to check in with a parent on the first Sunday of every month.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Invite your teen to write one goal that would genuinely stretch them and the first step they will take before Sunday. Let them decide whether to share it or keep it between them and Heavenly Father.
☕️ For grown-upsMary’s “be it unto me” wasn’t a goal she had planned; it was a yes to God’s plan. As you set your own goals, ask: what might He be asking me to say yes to this year that isn’t on my list?

Sticker for today: 🚀

Saturday · 7 min · Talk

Getting Ready for Fast Sunday

🙏 Tomorrow we pray for something special!What should our family pray for?Then take the quiz!

📖 Read together: Luke 1:39–45 ↗

  1. Read Luke 1:41–42 and explain that Elisabeth felt the Holy Ghost when Mary came to visit. Mary and Elisabeth helped each other.
  2. SAY“Tomorrow is fast Sunday. Grown-ups and older kids who are ready may skip two meals and give the money they would have spent to help people who need food. Kids don’t have to fast. Everyone can join by praying for something special.”
  3. Decide together on one thing your family will pray about tomorrow, like someone who is sick or a family goal.
  4. Play the quiz to see what everyone remembers from this week, then lay out Sunday clothes.

🏆 Play along: Scripture Showdown (from the CTR 8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Who could our family pray for tomorrow?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one fold their arms and pick a person to pray for from a family photo.
📚 Big kids (10–13)If your 10–13-year-old wants to try fasting, help them choose a simple goal, like skipping one meal with a purpose, and plan it together.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to read Isaiah 58:6–7 and help the family choose a purpose for tomorrow’s fast that fits what the Lord describes there. If they are ready, invite them to fast with you.
☕️ For grown-upsWhen the young, unexpectedly pregnant Mary arrived, the older Elisabeth greeted her with a blessing, not questions, and Mary stayed about three months (Luke 1:41–45, 56). Who in your life might need an Elisabeth this year?

Sticker for today: 🙏

Sunday · 6 min · Sabbath

Great Things He Has Done

🌅 What did you learn in Primary today?Teach your family one thing.Name one great thing God did for you.

📖 Read together: Luke 1:46–49 ↗

  1. After church, ask: “What did you learn in Primary today?” Let each child teach you one thing.
  2. Read Luke 1:49 together. Mary said God had done great things for her.
  3. Sit close and take turns naming one great thing Heavenly Father did for our family last year.
  4. End with a quiet moment: a parent shares a short testimony of Jesus Christ, and if your family fasted, close the fast with a prayer.
Talk about it
  • What great thing did Heavenly Father do for you this year?
  • How do you feel when you think about Jesus?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one say one simple thank-you, like “Thank you for my family.”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Invite your 10–13-year-old to share one sentence of testimony or a way they felt God’s help this year.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Mary’s song in Luke 1:46–55, notice how often God lifts the humble and fills the hungry (verses 52–53), and write a short list of their own “great things” to share.
☕️ For grown-upsMary’s song echoes Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1–10. Mary knew the scriptures well enough to worship with them in the biggest moment of her life, which is a quiet case for daily study.

Sticker for today: 🌅

Family challenge

Nothing-Is-Impossible Goals

Every night this week, check your Goal Rockets on the fridge and say one thing you did for your goal. When someone says “This is too hard!”, the whole family answers with Luke 1:37.

Parent Corner

Luke opens his Gospel with two announcements set side by side. One comes to an aged priest chosen by lot to burn incense in the temple while the people pray outside (Luke 1:8–10); the other comes to a young woman in an ordinary home in Nazareth. Zacharias and Elisabeth had done everything right and still carried an empty place in their home for years, which should forever settle the idea that delayed blessings are a verdict on our worthiness. Mary, facing a future she could not have explained to her neighbors, answered with trust rather than a plan. Both stories point to the same truth: God keeps His word in His own time, and what looks impossible from where we stand is simply not yet finished.

  • Ponder: Where is our family waiting on a blessing right now, and what does faithful waiting look like for us this year?
  • Try this: Read Luke 1:46–55 on your own this week and write your own list of great things the Lord has done for you. Share one with your spouse or a friend before Sunday.

From general conference

“In times of difficulty, we choose to trust the Lord in faith. We quietly pray, “Not my will but thine be done.” We feel the Lord’s approval for our meek willingness, and we await the promised peace the Lord will send in His chosen timing.”

— Elder Neil L. Andersen, “The Triumph of Hope,” October 2024

For parents: read with Elisabeth and Zacharias’s long wait and Mary’s answer in Luke 1:38.

Read the talk ↗

Dinner-table questions

  • If an angel visited you, what do you think you would do?
  • What’s something that seemed impossible but you did it anyway?
  • Why do you think Heavenly Father sometimes says “wait” to our prayers?
  • Mary said yes to God. What’s one yes you can say this week?
  • What’s one goal you’re excited about for the new year?

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

All family weeks