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Arise and Shine!

A flashlight in the dark, a taped-up heart, and the day Jesus read Isaiah in His hometown

  • 🛡️ CTR 4–7
  • Week 42
  • 📅 Sunday, October 18, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Jesus Christ is the Light who came to heal and help everyone, and I can shine His light by helping others.

I can shine like Jesus by helping people who are sad or hungry and by making Sunday a happy day for Him.

Study it yourself firstRead Isaiah 58–66 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Isaiah 58–66)
Know the chapters

Isaiah 58–66 closes the book of Isaiah with bright, hopeful chapters. Isaiah 61:1–3 describes what the promised Savior would come to do: bring good news to humble people, heal broken hearts, set captives free, and give “beauty for ashes” to people who are grieving. In Isaiah’s day, deeply sad people put ashes on their heads; the Lord promises to trade those ashes for something beautiful. About 700 years later, Jesus stood up in the synagogue in Nazareth, read this very passage, and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:16–21). That true story is today’s drama. (Luke 4:28–30 tells how some neighbors turned against Him; the drama ends before that part.)

Isaiah 58 teaches about fasting. The Lord says the fast He wants is one that shares bread with the hungry and helps people in need (58:6–7), and He promises that our light will “break forth as the morning” (58:8). One Sunday each month, members who are able go without food and drink for two meals, pray, and give a fast offering that the bishop uses to help people in need. Children are never forced to fast; they can start small when they and their parents feel ready, and anyone whose health would be harmed should not fast. Even little ones can pray with their family and help give the offering. The same chapter invites us to “call the sabbath a delight” (58:13).

Isaiah 60:1 is a wonderful verse for young children: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come.” Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. When we follow Him, His light shines through us and helps others find their way. Isaiah 65:17–25 looks forward to when Jesus comes again: a new earth where the wolf and the lamb will eat together and nobody will hurt or be afraid.

For ages 4–7, keep one idea: Jesus came to help and heal, and we can shine His light by helping too. In the story drama, the teacher reads Jesus’s words; no child plays Jesus. Kids play the Scroll Helper, the people in the synagogue, and the people Isaiah said Jesus would help. Tie it to baptism: when we are baptized we promise to help people who are sad and in need (Mosiah 18:8–9), which is exactly the work Jesus announced in Nazareth.

Only have 5 minutes?

Bring a flashlight. Open with Lights Out!, let your phone or tablet run the story drama, teach “Arise, shine” with motions, and play Forehead Guess. Skip the paper heart if you’re short on time. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing” and the flashlight becomes an Eyes Open, Eyes Closed game, and the paper heart becomes a hand heart.

What to bring4 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Cut a big heart from paper and tear it in two. Keep the tape handy.
  2. Check where the light switch is. If your classroom has a window, test how dark it gets with the lights off.
  3. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out story roles with one tap.
  4. Pick a 6- or 7-year-old reader as the Scroll Helper. Give the Man Who Couldn’t See and the Chains to little ones who love big moments.

If your class is wild

  • Turn off the lights only while you are standing by the switch, and count down out loud so nobody is startled.
  • The flashlight is yours. Kids hold their hands up like little lights instead, and the light lands on whoever is sitting the stillest.
  • Scene 5 (“Every eye was on Him”) is a built-in quiet moment. Challenge the class to freeze longer than your device’s Noise Meter can catch a sound.
  • If energy spikes, jump to the Sabbath Week Dash, then come back to where you were.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Lights Out!

2 min

A flashlight in a dark room shows in one second what light does, and sets up “Arise, shine.”

  1. Stand by the light switch. Say: “When I count to three, it’s going to get dark. Stay on your spot! 1, 2, 3…” Turn off the lights.
  2. Ask: “Can you see very well? Could you find the door?” Then click on the flashlight and sweep it slowly around the room.
  3. SAY“Light helps us see where to go! Isaiah said, ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come.’ Jesus is the Light of the World.”
  4. Turn the lights back on. Say: “Today we’ll hear about the day Jesus told everyone who He was.”
🌪️ The light lands on whoever is sitting the stillest, and they get to say, “Arise, shine!” Stillness spreads fast.

Class screen: 🔦 Lights out! Can you see? · Stay on your spot · Then… light!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A flashlight (or a phone flashlight)

Eyes Open, Eyes Closed

  1. SAY“Close your eyes. It’s dark! When you hear me say LIGHT, open your eyes. When you hear DARK, close them.”
  2. Tell a quick, silly sentence full of the words: “It was so DARK… then the sun came up and there was LIGHT! Then a cloud came… DARK! Then LIGHT!” Speed up as they get it.
  3. SAY“Light helps us see where to go! Isaiah said, ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come.’ Jesus is the Light of the World.”
  4. SAY“Today we’ll hear about the day Jesus told everyone who He was.”

Class screen: 👀 Light = eyes open. Dark = eyes closed! · Listen carefully!

2. Story

Story Drama: Jesus Reads Isaiah in Nazareth

6 min

Acting out Jesus reading Isaiah shows that He is the One Isaiah promised, who came to heal and help.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode to assign them from your class list). Everyone left over is the People in the Synagogue.
  2. SAY“I will read what Jesus says. You get to be the people He came to help!”
  3. Big-kid readers: let a 6- or 7-year-old read the caption on each screen before you read the scene.
  4. Read each scene and pause for the action. Make scene 5 as quiet as you can; tap Noise Meter if you like.
  5. At the end ask: “Who did Isaiah write about?” (Jesus!)
🌪️ Give every leftover child a move to do with the People: they get to be extra “eyes” in scene 5. Kids who have a job don’t wander.

Class screen: 🎭 Story Drama time! · Everyone gets a part

3. Wiggle break

Sabbath Week Dash

2 min

Kids move through the days of the week and learn to call Sunday “a delight” (Isaiah 58:13).

  1. Everyone stands. Call out the days with an action: Monday = march! Tuesday = tiptoe! Wednesday = wiggle! Thursday = jump! Friday = fly! Saturday = spin (slowly)!
  2. Then say “SUNDAY!” Everyone stops, folds their arms, smiles big, and whisper-shouts, “A delight!”
  3. SAY“Isaiah said to call the Sabbath a delight. That means a happy, special day with Heavenly Father and Jesus.”
  4. Go through the week again, faster. Last time, ask: “What’s one happy Sunday thing you can do?” (Go to church, take the sacrament, visit Grandma, read a scripture story.)

Class screen: 📅 March, tiptoe, wiggle… SUNDAY is a delight! · Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat · Sunday 😊

4. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Isaiah 60:1

3 min

Seven words with big motions give every child a verse they can say by heart.

  1. Show the verse on your phone or tablet. Ask a big-kid Reading Helper to read it out loud.
  2. SAY“Arise means stand up. Shine means let your light show. Jesus is the Light, and when we follow Him, we shine too.”
  3. Teach the motions. Say it three ways: sitting down in a whisper, kneeling up in a normal voice, then jumping up with a big, bright voice.
  4. Ask: “How can you shine Jesus’s light at home this week?” (Share, help, smile, say something kind.)

Class screen: ☀️ “Arise, shine; for thy light is come” · Isaiah 60:1

5. Object lesson

The Taped-Up Heart

4 min

A torn paper heart that gets taped back together shows Isaiah 61:1: Jesus came to heal broken hearts, and we can help Him.

  1. Hold up the two pieces of the paper heart. Ask: “What things make our hearts feel broken or sad?” (A friend moved away. My pet died. Someone laughed at me.)
  2. Read Isaiah 61:1 from your phone or tablet: Jesus was sent “to bind up the brokenhearted.” Say: “Bind up means wrap it up, like a bandage.”
  3. Ask: “How does Jesus help sad hearts?” For each answer (prayer, a hug from family, the Holy Ghost comforting us, a kind friend), let a child add a piece of tape.
  4. Hold up the taped heart. Say: “It still has marks, but it’s together again. Jesus heals hearts, and He lets us help. When you are kind to a sad friend, you are one of His pieces of tape!”
🌪️ Each child gets exactly one piece of tape. Hand it to them sticky side out on your fingertip so it doesn’t turn into a tape ball.

Class screen: ❤️‍🩹 Jesus came to heal broken hearts · You can help!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A paper heart torn into two pieces, plus a roll of clear tape

Hand-Heart Healing

  1. Everyone makes a heart with their hands. Ask: “What things make our hearts feel broken or sad?” (A friend moved away. My pet died. Someone laughed at me.) For each answer, everyone pulls their hands a little farther apart.
  2. Read Isaiah 61:1 from your phone or tablet: Jesus was sent “to bind up the brokenhearted.” Say: “Bind up means wrap it up, like a bandage.”
  3. Ask: “How does Jesus help sad hearts?” For each answer (prayer, a hug from family, the Holy Ghost comforting us, a kind friend), everyone moves their hands a little closer until the heart is whole again.
  4. Everyone hugs their heart to their chest. Say: “Jesus heals hearts, and He lets us help. When you are kind to a sad friend, you’re helping Him!”

Class screen: 🫶 Make a hand heart. Now heal it! · Jesus heals hearts

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Arise and Shine Edition

4 min

A picture guessing game reviews the lesson, and the pictures let non-readers give clues too.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. A guesser holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class.
  2. Everyone else looks at the picture and gives clues without saying the word. Little ones can act it out: put on a crown, howl like a wolf, roll a scroll.
  3. Big kids can read the hint under the picture if the class gets stuck.
  4. Tilt down for “got it,” up to pass. Give each guesser about 30 seconds. Pair a little one with a big-kid buddy when it’s their turn.
🌪️ Clue-givers stay on their bottoms and raise a hand. Shouting the word means you act out the next clue with no sound at all.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Act it out or give a clue · Don’t say the word!

7. Talk it over

Talk It Over

2 min

Connect Jesus’s work to ways they can help this week.

  1. Sit close in a circle. Ask one question at a time. Let two or three kids answer each, and share your own answer too.
  2. For fast Sunday, say: “Once a month, grown-ups fast, which means skipping two meals, and give money to the bishop to help people who are hungry. You can pray with your family and help give the offering, and start fasting a little when you and your parents are ready.”
💬 Ask the class
  • Who is someone you know who might be sad? How could you help them?
  • How can we help people who are hungry?
  • What’s your favorite happy thing to do on Sunday?

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk!

8. Testimony

Shine Your Light

2 min

End calm and reverent, with a simple way to shine this week.

  1. Lower your voice. Everyone holds their hands up by their faces like little lights.
  2. Share one or two sentences about how Jesus has been a light for you, or a time someone helped you when you were sad.
  3. SAY“When you help someone, Jesus’s light shines through you.” Introduce the Shine Like Jesus challenge on the screen.
  4. Ask a child to say the closing prayer. Little ones can repeat a prayer after you, a few words at a time.

Class screen: ✨ Arise and shine this week! · Help · Share · Be kind

9. Game

Share Your Bread Relay

4 minBONUS

Passing “bread” to the bishop’s basket shows how fast offerings help people in need (Isaiah 58:7).

  1. Put the paper-ball “bread” in a pile at one end and the “Bishop” basket at the other.
  2. Read Isaiah 58:7: “deal thy bread to the hungry.” Say: “When families fast, they give money to the bishop, and he uses it to help people who need food.”
  3. Kids stand in a line and pass the bread hand to hand, one piece at a time, into the basket. Time it with the Big Timer, then try to beat it.
  4. SAY“Look how much we shared when everyone helped! That’s what fast offerings do.”
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🍞 Pass the bread! Fill the basket! · Hand to hand · No throwing!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: 8–10 balls of scrap paper (the “bread”) and a basket or box labeled “Bishop” for the bonus relay

  1. Read Isaiah 58:7: “deal thy bread to the hungry.” Say: “When families fast, they give money to the bishop, and he uses it to help people who need food.”
  2. Kids stand in a line. The first child “bakes” an invisible loaf of bread and passes it down the line, hand to hand, to the last child, who puts it in an invisible basket: “Plop!”
  3. Pass five loaves, then time how fast the class can pass five more with the Big Timer.
  4. SAY“Look how much we shared when everyone helped! That’s what fast offerings do.”
10. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A team picture quiz reviews the lesson.

  1. Split into two teams, each with big kids and little kids mixed.
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. A big kid on each team reads the question out loud; the whole team whispers and points to an answer.
  3. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point. Cheer for both teams.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

Story drama

Jesus Reads Isaiah in Nazareth

Luke 4:16–22; Isaiah 61:1–3 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • Scroll HelperCarries the scroll to the front, unrolls it high for everyone to see, and carries it back. A good part for a big kid.
  • Man Who Couldn’t SeeCovers his eyes, then opens them wide and says, “I can see!”
  • Someone in ChainsCrosses wrists like they’re stuck, then bursts them apart: “Free!”
  • Broken HeartMakes a heart with both hands, pulls it apart sadly, then puts it back together with a smile.
  • Sad Person with AshesPats pretend ashes on their head, then puts on a pretend crown.
  • People in the SynagogueEveryone else: walk to church, sit reverently, freeze and stare, then gasp in surprise.

Scenes

  1. 📜✍️ Isaiah writes a promise

    Long before Jesus was born, Isaiah wrote down words that the Savior would say one day: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me.” People kept those words safe on a long scroll for hundreds of years.

    🎬 Everyone pretends to roll up a long, long scroll: “Roll… roll… roll!”

  2. 🏡🕍 Jesus comes home to Nazareth

    When Jesus was grown up, He came back to Nazareth, the little town where He grew up. On the Sabbath day, He went to the synagogue, a place where people met to worship God, just like we come to church.

    🎬 The People walk in place to church, then sit down reverently with arms folded.

  3. 📜🙌 The scroll of Isaiah

    Jesus stood up to read. A helper brought Him the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus unrolled it, and unrolled it, until He found just the right place.

    🎬 The Scroll Helper carries the scroll to the front and unrolls it slowly. Everyone: “Unroll… unroll… unroll!”

  4. 💔➡️❤️ Good news for sad hearts

    Jesus read Isaiah’s words out loud. God had sent Him to bring good news, to heal broken hearts, to set people free, and to help blind people see.

    🎬 Broken Heart puts the heart back together. Chains bursts free: “Free!” The Man Who Couldn’t See opens his eyes: “I can see!”

  5. 👀🤫 Every eye was on Him

    Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back, and sat down. Nobody moved. Nobody made a sound. Everyone was looking at Him.

    🎬 Everyone freezes like a statue and stares, perfectly silent, while you count to five.

  6. ✨🗣️ “Today it came true!”

    Then Jesus said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” That meant, “Isaiah was writing about Me! I am the One God sent.”

    🎬 Everyone gasps, points up, and says, “It’s Jesus!”

  7. 🩹🙌 Jesus did what Isaiah said

    And that’s just what Jesus did. He helped blind people see. He healed people who were sick. He comforted people who were sad. He forgave people and helped them start over.

    🎬 Everyone does all the moves together: open your eyes wide, fix your hand heart, and burst your wrists free.

  8. 👑☀️ Beauty for ashes

    In Isaiah’s time, very sad people put ashes on their heads. But Isaiah promised Jesus would give them “beauty for ashes,” like trading dusty ashes for a beautiful crown. Jesus turns sad into glad, and He asks us to help Him.

    🎬 The Sad Person pats ashes on their head, then everyone puts on a pretend crown and shines a big smile.

Key verse

Isaiah 60:1 ↗
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come”
In kid words: Stand up and shine! Jesus, the Light, has come.
🙌 “Arise” = stand up fast · “shine” = open your hands wide by your face like sunbeams · “for thy light” = point up · “is come” = bring your hands down to your heart.

More verses

Isaiah 61:1 ↗
“he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted”
In kid words: Jesus came to fix broken hearts.
Isaiah 61:3 ↗
“to give unto them beauty for ashes”
In kid words: Jesus trades sad for glad, like trading dusty ashes for a crown.
Isaiah 58:7 ↗
“Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry”
In kid words: Share your bread with people who are hungry.
Isaiah 58:13 ↗
“call the sabbath a delight”
In kid words: Sunday can be a happy, special day with Heavenly Father and Jesus.

Forehead Guess words17 words

  • ☀️ Sun
  • 🔦 Flashlight
  • 🕯️ Candle
  • 📜 Scroll
  • 👑 Crown
  • ❤️ Heart
  • 🩹 Bandage
  • ⛓️ Chains
  • 👀 Eyes
  • 🍞 Bread
  • 🧺 Basket
  • 📅 Calendar
  • 🐺 Wolf
  • 🐑 Lamb
  • 🦁 Lion
  • 🌻 Garden
  • 🍽️ Plate
Clues for each word
  • Sun: It shines in the sky every morning
  • Flashlight: Click! Light in the dark
  • Candle: A little flame that gives light
  • Scroll: Jesus unrolled one and read Isaiah
  • Crown: Beauty for ashes! Wear it on your head
  • Heart: Jesus heals broken ones
  • Bandage: Put it on an owie
  • Chains: Jesus sets people free from these
  • Eyes: Jesus helped blind people use theirs
  • Bread: Share it with people who are hungry
  • Basket: Carry food in it
  • Calendar: Shows the days of the week
  • Wolf: Howls “Awoooo!” Someday it will eat with a lamb
  • Lamb: A baby sheep that says “baa”
  • Lion: Roars! Someday it will eat straw
  • Garden: Where flowers grow when you water them
  • Plate: Put food on it and share it
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Where did Jesus grow up?
    • A. Nazareth 🏡
    • B. Babylon
    • C. The North Pole ❄️
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Nazareth 🏡 Jesus came home to Nazareth and read Isaiah in the synagogue.

  2. What did the helper give Jesus to read?
    • A. A newspaper 📰
    • B. The scroll of Isaiah 📜
    • C. A menu
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The scroll of Isaiah 📜 Jesus unrolled it until He found just the right place.

  3. Isaiah said Jesus would heal broken…
    • A. Toys 🧸
    • B. Bikes 🚲
    • C. Hearts ❤️
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Hearts ❤️ Isaiah 61:1. Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted.

  4. What did Jesus say about Isaiah’s words?
    • A. “They came true today!”
    • B. “They’re too old.”
    • C. “I don’t know.”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “They came true today!” Luke 4:21. Isaiah was writing about Jesus!

  5. Instead of ashes, what does Jesus give?
    • A. Mud
    • B. Beauty, like a crown 👑
    • C. More ashes
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Beauty, like a crown 👑 Isaiah 61:3. Jesus turns sad into glad.

  6. Isaiah 60:1 says: “Arise, …”
    • A. Sneeze 🤧
    • B. Sleep 😴
    • C. Shine ☀️
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Shine ☀️ “Arise, shine; for thy light is come.” Jesus is the Light!

  7. Isaiah said to call the Sabbath a…
    • A. Chore
    • B. Delight 😊
    • C. Race 🏁
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Delight 😊 Isaiah 58:13. Sunday is a happy, special day with Heavenly Father and Jesus.

  8. When Jesus comes again, the wolf and the lamb will…
    • A. Eat together 🐺🐑
    • B. Fight
    • C. Hide
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Eat together 🐺🐑 Isaiah 65:25. Nobody will hurt or be afraid.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I’m Trying to Be like Jesus Children’s Songbook, p. 78

    Jesus came to help and heal. When we help too, we’re trying to be like Him. Find it ↗

  • Give, Said the Little Stream Children’s Songbook, p. 236

    Pairs with the Share Your Bread Relay: even little ones can give. Find it ↗

  • When He Comes Again Children’s Songbook, p. 82

    Isaiah 65 looks forward to the peaceful earth when Jesus comes again. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Shine Like Jesus

Every day this week, do one thing that helps someone: share a snack, help a sad friend, or help your family get ready for church. On Sunday, tell your family how you shined.

Text the parents

This week we learned that Jesus is the Light Isaiah promised. We acted out the day Jesus read Isaiah in Nazareth and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled,” and we taped a broken paper heart back together to show that Jesus heals sad hearts and lets us help. Our verse was Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come.” Ask your child: how can you shine Jesus’s light this week? On fast Sunday, invite your child to pray with you and help give your fast offering.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

📦 Box of Sabbath Delights · 5 min

  1. Give each child a small piece of paper. Big kids write, little ones draw, one happy thing to do on Sunday.
  2. Fold them up and put them in a box or envelope labeled “Sabbath Delights.”
  3. Each week, let one child pull out an idea and read or show it to the class.

🐺 Wolf and Lamb Freeze · 3 min

  1. Read Isaiah 65:25: “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together.”
  2. Call out an animal (wolf, lamb, lion, bear) and kids act it out. Call “Jesus comes again!” and every animal freezes, then sits down peacefully next to a friend.
  3. SAY“When Jesus comes again, no one will hurt or be afraid.”

🟤 Soft Clay Hearts · 4 min

  1. Read Isaiah 64:8: “we are the clay, and thou our potter.”
  2. Give each child a small ball of play dough to shape into a heart.
  3. SAY“Soft clay can be shaped. When our hearts are soft and ready to listen, Heavenly Father can help us become more like Jesus.”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All CTR 4–7 lessons