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I Will Send You Elijah

Malachi’s windows of heaven, lightning-round tithing math, and a living timeline from Elijah’s whirlwind to your first trip to the temple

  • ⭐ Valiant 9–11
  • Week 51
  • 📅 Sunday, December 20, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The Lord loves me: He opens the windows of heaven when I give Him my best, and He sent Elijah so families can be sealed forever and I can help my ancestors in the temple.

I can pay an honest tithing, turn my heart to my ancestors, and get ready to be baptized for them in the temple.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Malachi)
Know the chapters

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, written about 430 B.C. The temple Haggai and Zechariah helped rebuild was standing, but many hearts had drifted. The book reads like a conversation: the Lord says something, and the people push back with “Wherein?” (“How?”) again and again (Malachi 1:2, 6–7; 2:17; 3:7–8). The Lord’s very first words are “I have loved you” (1:2), and His invitation is “Return unto me, and I will return unto you” (3:7). Priests had been offering blind, lame and sick animals, the leftovers nobody wanted (1:8). The Lord wanted their best, because He wanted their hearts.

Malachi 3:8–12 is the Old Testament’s great tithing passage: “Will a man rob God?… In tithes and offerings.” The Lord invites us to “prove me now herewith” and promises to “open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.” Today tithing is one-tenth of our increase (Doctrine and Covenants 119:4). It helps build temples and meetinghouses and share the gospel around the world. Children pay tithing on money they receive by filling out a donation slip and giving it to a member of the bishopric, or online with a parent’s help. Nine- to eleven-year-olds can handle the math and the “why”: blessings are often quiet ones like peace, gratitude, stronger faith and help when it’s needed, not a promise of riches. Some children don’t receive money yet, and some families are going through hard times: never ask who pays. Keep it joyful; tithing is a way to say thank you and to trust the Lord.

Malachi also looked ahead to Jesus Christ. A messenger would prepare His way (3:1), fulfilled by John the Baptist (Matthew 11:10). The Savior would be like a refiner’s fire and fullers’ soap, purifying His people (3:2–3), and those who love Him are written in “a book of remembrance” and called His “jewels” (3:16–17). When the resurrected Savior visited the Nephites, He gave them Malachi 3–4, because their families had left Jerusalem before Malachi wrote (3 Nephi 24–25; 26:2).

Malachi ends with a promise: “I will send you Elijah the prophet” to turn the hearts of the fathers and the children to each other (4:5–6). When the angel Moroni quoted it to Joseph Smith in 1823, he worded it differently: Elijah would reveal priesthood power, and the promises made to the fathers would be planted in the hearts of the children (Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39). On April 3, 1836, Easter Sunday and one week after the Kirtland Temple was dedicated, the Savior appeared there to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, followed by Moses, Elias and Elijah. Elijah gave them the sealing keys (Doctrine and Covenants 110). Because of those keys, families can be sealed forever and ordinances like baptism can be done for people who died without them. Paul mentioned baptism for the dead too (1 Corinthians 15:29). Youth can receive a limited-use temple recommend starting in January of the year they turn 12. Be sensitive: some children’s families aren’t sealed, some are adopted or blended, and some are going through hard things. Every child belongs to Heavenly Father’s family, and every child can learn about and help their ancestors.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Malachi 1:2, 3:8–12 and 4:5–6, and skim Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16. Do the Robbing God hook, let Teach Mode run the Living Timeline drama, do the tithing math race with your fingers (tap “I brought nothing” and the app switches to the no-supplies version), teach the Malachi 4:5–6 motions and play Forehead Guess. The Four Grandparents challenge is the take-home.

What to bring7 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. Make 6 timeline signs in big letters: ABOUT 900 B.C. · ABOUT 430 B.C. · A.D. 34 · 1823 · 1836 · TODAY. Stack them in that order for the Timekeeper.
  2. Pick a long wall for the living timeline. The oldest date goes on the left, TODAY on the right.
  3. Test the overflowing cup over the bowl so you know how fast to pour.
  4. Bookmark Malachi 1:8, 3:10, 4:5–6 and 1 Corinthians 15:29 for your readers.
  5. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out story parts with one tap. Think ahead about any child whose family situation is tender, and plan an inclusive word for them.

If your class is wild

  • Make “Wherein?” your attention call: you say “Malachi!”, they answer “Wherein?” and freeze.
  • Give the Timekeeper job to a kid who likes to be in charge. Running the timeline keeps them busy and proud.
  • In the tithing math race, only the team whose turn it is may answer. Blurting gives the point to the other team.
  • Only the pourer touches the water. Everyone else keeps hands in their laps and counts blessings out loud.
  • If energy spikes, jump straight to Turn Your Hearts!, then come back.

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

Breaking News: Nation Robs God!

2 min

A shocking headline makes them curious about Malachi’s strangest question.

  1. In your best news-anchor voice, say: “BREAKING NEWS! An entire nation has been accused of robbing God!”
  2. Ask: “How could anyone rob God? He owns everything.” Take two or three quick guesses.
  3. Hand your scriptures to a kid to read Malachi 3:8 dramatically. Reveal: “In tithes and offerings.”
  4. SAY“But before any of that, Malachi’s book starts with the Lord saying, ‘I have loved you.’ Everything today, tithing and Elijah too, comes from His love.”
🌪️ Tap drumroll before the reveal. Anyone who blurts the answer before the reader finishes has to say it in a news-anchor voice.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🚨 BREAKING: Whole nation accused of robbing God! · How is that even possible? · Malachi 3:8

2. Story

Story Drama: The Promise of Elijah

6 min

A living timeline shows how one Old Testament promise reaches all the way to their own temple trips.

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Give the Timekeeper the stack of year signs.
  2. Everyone else is the Ancestors & Sound Crew.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue. Malachi reads his verses from the scriptures.
  4. As each sign is handed out, that character stands at the right spot along the wall. Watch Elijah go to the far left, before Malachi!
  5. At scene 8, slow down and lower your voice. At the end, ask: “Why do you think the Lord put this promise at the very end of the Old Testament?”
🌪️ Characters stay frozen in their timeline spot once they’re placed, like statues in a museum.

Class screen: ⏳ A living timeline: from Elijah to YOU · 900 B.C. → 430 B.C. → A.D. 34 → 1823 → 1836 → Today

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: 6 half sheets of paper and a marker for timeline signs (see prep)

  1. Hand out roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). The Timekeeper announces each year in a big voice instead of holding signs.
  2. Everyone else is the Ancestors & Sound Crew.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue. Pass your scriptures to Malachi for his verses.
  4. When the Timekeeper calls a year, that character walks to their spot along the wall and holds up that many fingers (9 for 900 B.C., 4 for 430 B.C., and so on). Watch Elijah go to the far left!
  5. At scene 8, slow down and lower your voice. At the end, ask: “Why do you think the Lord put this promise at the very end of the Old Testament?”
3. Wiggle break

Turn Your Hearts!

2 min

A quick partner reaction game gets them moving and repeats the key ideas.

  1. Pair up and stand back to back.
  2. Calls: “Elijah!” = turn around, face your partner and high-five · “Whirlwind!” = spin once · “Windows!” = push open windows overhead · “Jewels!” = sparkle fingers · “Malachi!” = answer “Wherein?” and freeze.
  3. Start slow, then speed up and mix them up. Swap partners once.
  4. Let a kid call the last round.
🌪️ Spins are one slow turn only. Anyone who crashes into a neighbor sits out one call, then rejoins.

Class screen: 🔄 Back to back… Elijah! Turn your hearts! · Elijah · Whirlwind · Windows · Jewels · Malachi

4. Object lesson

Tithing Math & the Overflowing Cup

4 min

Real math and a real overflow show what tithing is and what the Lord promises.

  1. Lay out the 10 coins. A volunteer moves one aside. Say: “Tithing is one-tenth of what we receive” (Doctrine and Covenants 119:4).
  2. Lightning round in two teams; first hand up answers: $10 birthday money · $25 from Grandma · $40 for mowing lawns · $7.50 allowance · $5 you found and returned to its owner (trick: $0, it wasn’t yours!).
  3. SAY“Kids pay by filling out a donation slip and giving it to a member of the bishopric, or online with a parent.” Show the slip if you brought one.
  4. Set the cup in the bowl. A kid reads Malachi 3:10 while another slowly pours. The class calls out blessings as the cup fills: peace, answers, temples built, missionaries, gratitude, help at school.
  5. When it overflows, ask: “Were most of those blessings money? What kind of person do we become when we pay tithing, even when it’s hard?”
🌪️ Only the pourer touches the water. Everyone else sits on their hands and shouts blessings.

Class screen: 🪙 One-tenth to the Lord, and watch the windows open! · $10 → $1 · “Not room enough to receive it”

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: 10 coins (or 10 dried beans, buttons or paper clips), A clear cup, a bowl or baking dish to catch the overflow, a bottle or pitcher of water, and a towel

Ten Fingers & the Invisible Bucket

  1. Everyone holds up ten fingers and folds one down. Say: “Tithing is one-tenth of what we receive” (Doctrine and Covenants 119:4).
  2. Lightning round in two teams; first hand up answers: $10 birthday money · $25 from Grandma · $40 for mowing lawns · $7.50 allowance · $5 you found and returned to its owner (trick: $0, it wasn’t yours!).
  3. SAY“Kids pay by filling out a donation slip and giving it to a member of the bishopric, or online with a parent.”
  4. Everyone holds a giant invisible bucket. A kid reads Malachi 3:10. Tap rain on the Sound Board while the class calls out blessings and the buckets get heavier and heavier. At the end, everyone staggers and shouts, “Not room enough!”
  5. Ask: “Were most of those blessings money? What kind of person do we become when we pay tithing, even when it’s hard?”

Class screen: 🪣 One-tenth to the Lord, and watch the blessings pour! · $10 → $1 · “Not room enough to receive it”

5. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Malachi 4:5–6

3 min

The key verse, Moroni’s wording and a New Testament cross-reference show why Elijah’s coming matters.

  1. Have a kid read Malachi 4:5–6. Teach the motions and say it together twice.
  2. SAY“When Moroni quoted this to Joseph Smith, he added that Elijah would reveal priesthood power, and that the promises made to our ancestors would be planted in children’s hearts” (Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39).
  3. Ask: “Who are ‘the fathers’?” (Our ancestors, all the way back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who received covenant promises.)
  4. Have another kid read 1 Corinthians 15:29. Say: “Even in Paul’s day, people were baptized for the dead. Elijah’s keys make that work count forever.”

Class screen: ❤️ Elijah turns hearts: children to fathers, fathers to children · Malachi 4:5–6 · Fulfilled: Doctrine and Covenants 110

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Windows of Heaven Edition

3 min

A Heads Up–style game with harder words reviews Malachi, tithing and temple work.

  1. Split into two teams. Tap Forehead Guess. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing their team.
  2. Teammates give clues without saying the word. Tilt down for “got it,” up to pass. 45-second turns.
  3. Bonus point if the clue-giver names the scripture where the word appears.
🌪️ Choose guessers with the Name Spinner; the other team keeps score.
▶ Play Forehead Guess on the web

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess: Windows of Heaven Edition · No saying the word!

7. Game

Timeline Scramble

3 minBONUS

A race against the clock to put Elijah’s promise in order.

  1. Give six kids an event each: Elijah’s whirlwind · Malachi writes · Jesus is born · Jesus visits the Nephites · Moroni visits Joseph · Elijah in the Kirtland Temple. Everyone else is the judge panel.
  2. Start the Big Timer. The six line up in the right order without talking; they may only point and nod.
  3. The judges check the order. Scramble and try to beat your time with new kids.
⏱️ Big Timer (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ⏱️ Line up in order, no talking! · Beat the clock

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews the whole lesson.

  1. Split into two teams and pick a captain for each. Tap Scripture Showdown.
  2. Read each question aloud. Teams huddle for 10 seconds; only the captain may answer.
  3. Bonus point if the team can name the verse where the answer is found.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

9. Talk it over

Hearts & Windows

3 min

Deeper questions help them own tithing and temple work for themselves.

  1. Sit in a circle. Toss the soft ball to whoever answers next.
  2. Ask one question at a time. Pick the two or three that fit your class best, and share your own answer too. If families come up, remind everyone that every child belongs to Heavenly Father’s family.
💬 Ask the class
  • The Lord owns everything. So why do you think He asks us to pay tithing? What does paying it change in us?
  • What quiet blessings might come through the “windows of heaven” that aren’t money?
  • Malachi’s people kept asking “Wherein?” When have you seen proof that the Lord loves you?
  • Why would it matter so much to your ancestors that someone is baptized for them?
  • What’s one thing you could learn about an ancestor this week? How could that help you get ready for the temple?

Class screen: 💬 Hearts & windows: let’s talk

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A soft ball or a rolled-up pair of socks

  1. Sit in a circle. Pass a pair of invisible temple keys to whoever answers next; they “unlock” the answer with a turn of the wrist before speaking.
  2. Ask one question at a time. Pick the two or three that fit your class best, and share your own answer too. If families come up, remind everyone that every child belongs to Heavenly Father’s family.
10. Testimony

Testimony & the Four Grandparents Card

2 min

End reverently with a concrete step toward turning their hearts to their families.

  1. Lower your voice. Share one or two sentences about how you know Elijah really came, or what the temple or tithing means to you.
  2. Hand out cards. Each child writes “My four grandparents” and as many names as they know. Say: “Leave blanks for the ones you’ll find out this week.” If a child doesn’t know their grandparents, the name of any older relative or someone who raises them is a great start.
  3. Introduce the challenge on the screen.
  4. Ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 🌳 Turn your heart: learn your grandparents’ names and stories · Four names · One story · One step toward the temple

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: One index card or half sheet of paper per child, and a few pencils

  1. Lower your voice. Share one or two sentences about how you know Elijah really came, or what the temple or tithing means to you.
  2. Have everyone hold up four fingers. Say: “Those are your four grandparents. Tonight, write down as many of their names as you know, and ask a parent for the rest.” If you don’t know your grandparents, any older relative or someone who raises you counts.
  3. Introduce the challenge on the screen.
  4. Ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Story drama

The Promise of Elijah: A Living Timeline

Malachi 1; 3–4; 2 Kings 2:11; 3 Nephi 24–26; Joseph Smith—History 1:36–39; Doctrine and Covenants 110 ↗

Parts to hand out

  • MalachiThe last Old Testament prophet: reads Malachi 1:8 and 3:10.
  • Priests with LeftoversOne or two kids who proudly offer the Lord a limping, sickly pretend lamb.
  • ElijahSpins up in a whirlwind, then returns in 1836 with the sealing keys.
  • MoroniThe angel who visits Joseph Smith in 1823 and repeats Malachi’s promise.
  • Joseph SmithReceives Moroni, then kneels in the Kirtland Temple.
  • Oliver CowderyKneels with Joseph in the Kirtland Temple.
  • TimekeeperHands out the year signs and builds the timeline along the wall.
  • Ancestors & Sound CrewEveryone else: grumble “Wherein?”, pour rain, sparkle like jewels, and cheer at the end.

Scenes

  1. 🐑🚫 Leftovers for the Lord

    About 430 years before Jesus was born, some priests at the temple had gotten lazy. Instead of offering the Lord their best animals, they brought the blind ones, the limping ones and the sick ones. The prophet Malachi asked, “Would your governor be happy with a gift like that?”

    🎬 Priests limp in proudly with a pretend sickly lamb. Malachi reads the end of Malachi 1:8. The Timekeeper hands Malachi the ABOUT 430 B.C. sign.

  2. 💗❓ “I have loved you.” “Wherein?”

    Malachi’s book begins with the Lord saying, “I have loved you.” But the people crossed their arms and asked, “Wherein? How have You loved us?” Over and over, the Lord spoke and the people argued back. Still, He kept inviting them: “Return unto me, and I will return unto you.”

    🎬 Crew crosses arms and grumbles, “Wherein?” Then everyone uncrosses their arms and turns toward Malachi.

  3. 🪟🌧️ Will a man rob God?

    “Will a man rob God?” the Lord asked. “Yet you have robbed Me.” “Wherein?” they asked. “In tithes and offerings.” Then came a promise: bring your tithes, prove Me, and I will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing so big there won’t be room for it.

    🎬 Malachi reads Malachi 3:10. Crew pushes open giant windows overhead and wiggles their fingers down like pouring rain.

  4. 📖💎 A book of remembrance

    Some people did love the Lord, and they talked with each other about Him. The Lord listened, and their names were written in a book of remembrance. “They shall be mine,” He said. He called them His jewels.

    🎬 Crew pairs whisper one thing they love about the Lord, then sparkle their fingers like jewels.

  5. 🔥🌪️ Malachi’s last promise: Elijah!

    At the very end of the Old Testament, Malachi gave one last promise: the Lord would send Elijah the prophet. Elijah had lived more than 400 years before Malachi. He held the power to seal on earth and in heaven, and he was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind, with a chariot of fire!

    🎬 Elijah spins once like a whirlwind. The Timekeeper hands Elijah the ABOUT 900 B.C. sign and sends him to the far left, before Malachi.

  6. 🌎📜 Jesus gives Malachi’s words to the Nephites

    After He rose from the dead, Jesus Christ visited the people in the Americas. Their families had left Jerusalem before Malachi was born, so they didn’t have his words. Jesus taught them Malachi’s promises, including Elijah, and had them write it all down.

    🎬 Crew writes fast on pretend scrolls. The Timekeeper holds the A.D. 34 sign in place on the timeline. No one plays Jesus.

  7. 🌙👼 Moroni quotes Malachi to Joseph Smith

    In 1823, the angel Moroni appeared to 17-year-old Joseph Smith at night. He quoted Malachi’s promise a little differently: Elijah would reveal priesthood power, and the promises God made to our ancestors would be planted in children’s hearts.

    🎬 Joseph “sleeps” on the floor, sits up amazed as Moroni appears. Moroni says, “Elijah will come and reveal the priesthood!” Timekeeper gives Joseph the 1823 sign.

  8. 🏛️🗝️ Kirtland Temple, April 3, 1836

    One week after the Kirtland Temple was dedicated, on Easter Sunday, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery knelt in prayer. Jesus Christ Himself appeared to them! Then Moses, Elias and Elijah came. Elijah said the time Malachi spoke of had fully come, and gave them the keys to seal families together forever.

    🎬 Joseph and Oliver kneel. When you say “Jesus Christ Himself appeared,” everyone looks up reverently. Elijah walks over and places pretend keys in their hands. Timekeeper adds the 1836 sign.

  9. 🔗❤️ Hearts turning today

    Because Elijah came, families can be sealed forever in temples all over the world. Ancestors who died without being baptized can accept that gift when someone is baptized for them. That someone could be you, starting in January of the year you turn 12!

    🎬 The Timekeeper holds TODAY at the right end. Everyone links arms in one long chain from Elijah to TODAY, and the Ancestors cheer.

Key verse

Malachi 4:5–6 ↗
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers”
In kid words: Before Jesus comes again, the Lord will send Elijah. He will help parents and ancestors love their children, and help children love and help their ancestors.
🙌 “Behold, I will send you” = sweep one arm forward like sending someone off · “Elijah the prophet” = spin a finger like a whirlwind · “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” = point up, then tap your wrist like a clock · “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children” = hand on your heart, turn to the right · “and the heart of the children to their fathers” = hand on your heart, turn to the left

More verses

Malachi 1:2 ↗
“I have loved you, saith the LORD.”
In kid words: The Lord says, “I love you.” That’s how Malachi’s whole book begins.
Malachi 3:10 ↗
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
In kid words: Bring your whole tithing to the Lord, and test Him. See if He won’t open the windows of heaven and pour out more blessings than you can hold.
Malachi 3:16 ↗
“a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”
In kid words: The Lord keeps a record of the people who love Him and think about Him.
1 Corinthians 15:29 ↗
“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”
In kid words: The Apostle Paul talked about people being baptized for the dead, so early Christians knew about it too.

Forehead Guess words19 words

  • 📜 Malachi
  • 🌪️ Elijah
  • 🪙 Tithing
  • 🪟 Windows of Heaven
  • 🏚️ Storehouse
  • 🧾 Donation Slip
  • 📖 Book of Remembrance
  • 💎 Jewels
  • 🔥 Refiner’s Fire
  • 🧼 Fullers’ Soap
  • 🐎 Chariot of Fire
  • 👼 Moroni
  • 🏛️ Kirtland Temple
  • 🗝️ Sealing Keys
  • 👵 Ancestors
  • 🌳 Family Tree
  • 💧 Baptism for the Dead
  • 🎟️ Temple Recommend
  • ☀️ Sun of Righteousness
Clues for each word
  • Malachi: Wrote the last book of the Old Testament
  • Elijah: Went up in a whirlwind; came back in 1836 with keys
  • Tithing: One-tenth of what we receive, given to the Lord
  • Windows of Heaven: What the Lord opens to pour out blessings
  • Storehouse: Where Malachi said to bring all the tithes
  • Donation Slip: The form you fill out to pay tithing
  • Book of Remembrance: Names of people who thought on the Lord’s name
  • Jewels: What the Lord calls the people who love Him
  • Refiner’s Fire: Malachi compared the Savior to it: it purifies silver
  • Fullers’ Soap: Strong soap for scrubbing wool clean
  • Chariot of Fire: Appeared when Elijah was taken up to heaven
  • Moroni: Angel who quoted Malachi to Joseph Smith in 1823
  • Kirtland Temple: Where Elijah came on April 3, 1836
  • Sealing Keys: Power Elijah gave to bind families forever
  • Ancestors: Grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond
  • Family Tree: A chart of your family going back generations
  • Baptism for the Dead: Ordinance youth can do for ancestors in the temple
  • Temple Recommend: Card you receive after an interview with a bishopric member
  • Sun of Righteousness: Malachi’s title for the Savior, “with healing in his wings”
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. What are the Lord’s very first words in Malachi?
    • A. “I have loved you”
    • B. “Consider your ways”
    • C. “Arise and build”
    Show answer

    ✅ A. “I have loved you” Malachi 1:2. Everything else in the book flows from His love.

  2. Malachi said priests were offering animals that were…
    • A. too big to carry
    • B. blind, lame and sick
    • C. covered in gold
    Show answer

    ✅ B. blind, lame and sick Malachi 1:8. The Lord wanted their best, not their leftovers.

  3. According to Malachi 3:8, how were people robbing God?
    • A. Stealing from the temple
    • B. Skipping the Sabbath
    • C. In tithes and offerings
    Show answer

    ✅ C. In tithes and offerings Holding back what belongs to the Lord was the “robbery.”

  4. Tithing today is what part of our increase?
    • A. One-tenth
    • B. One-half
    • C. One-third
    Show answer

    ✅ A. One-tenth Doctrine and Covenants 119:4. On $20 of birthday money, that’s $2.

  5. What does the Lord promise to open for those who pay tithing?
    • A. The gates of the city
    • B. The windows of heaven
    • C. The doors of the ark
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The windows of heaven Malachi 3:10: blessings so big there isn’t room enough to receive them.

  6. What did the Lord call the people written in His book of remembrance?
    • A. His soldiers
    • B. His servants
    • C. His jewels
    Show answer

    ✅ C. His jewels Malachi 3:17. The people who love Him are precious to Him.

  7. Moroni told Joseph Smith that Elijah would reveal what?
    • A. The gold plates
    • B. The Urim and Thummim
    • C. The priesthood
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The priesthood Joseph Smith—History 1:38: the priesthood power to seal families forever.

  8. In what year did Elijah come to the Kirtland Temple?
    • A. 1823
    • B. 1836
    • C. 1844
    Show answer

    ✅ B. 1836 April 3, 1836, Easter Sunday (Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16).

  9. Which New Testament verse mentions baptism for the dead?
    • A. 1 Corinthians 15:29
    • B. John 3:16
    • C. Matthew 5:14
    Show answer

    ✅ A. 1 Corinthians 15:29 Paul asked why people would be baptized for the dead if the dead won’t rise.

  10. Who did the resurrected Savior give Malachi’s words to?
    • A. The Babylonians
    • B. The Nephites
    • C. The Egyptians
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The Nephites 3 Nephi 24–25. Their families left Jerusalem before Malachi wrote.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • I Want to Give the Lord My Tenth Children’s Songbook, p. 150

    Sing it right after the tithing math race. Find it ↗

  • Family History—I Am Doing It Children’s Songbook, p. 94

    Turning our hearts to our ancestors, exactly what Elijah came to make possible. Find it ↗

  • Families Can Be Together Forever Children’s Songbook, p. 188

    The sealing keys Elijah brought in 1836 make this song possible. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Four Grandparents Mission

Fill in the names of your four grandparents (ask a parent for help), and learn one story about one of them this week. Call or visit a grandparent or older relative, or explore FamilySearch with a parent. If you receive any money, set aside your tithing first. Eleven-year-olds: ask a parent to help you find an ancestor’s name you could take to the temple in January.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned that the Lord’s first words in Malachi are “I have loved you” (Malachi 1:2), practiced tithing math and read His promise to “open you the windows of heaven” (3:10), and built a living timeline showing how Malachi’s promise that Elijah would come was fulfilled in the Kirtland Temple in 1836 (Malachi 4:5–6; Doctrine and Covenants 110). Your child has a “Four Grandparents” card to finish. Ask them: whose story do you want to learn this week? If your child is 11, this is a great week to talk about getting ready to do baptisms for the dead.

📝 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?

❓ Wherein? Wherein? · 5 min

  1. In pairs, race to find every time the people answer the Lord with “Wherein?” in Malachi (1:2, 1:6, 1:7, 2:17, 3:7, 3:8).
  2. For each one, write what the Lord said and what the people asked back.
  3. Ask: “Which of these questions could you ask yourself? How have I felt the Lord’s love? In what ways do I need to return to Him?”

🔥 Refiner’s Fire and Fullers’ Soap · 4 min

  1. Read Malachi 3:2–3. Explain: a refiner heats silver until the impurities separate from it, and a fuller scrubs new wool with strong soap to make it clean and white.
  2. Ask: “How is the Savior like a refiner or a fuller? What does He want to take out of our lives, and what does He want to leave?”
  3. Connect it to repentance and the sacrament: He makes us clean and pure, not all at once, but steadily.

📣 The Messenger · 3 min

  1. Read Malachi 3:1, then Matthew 11:10. Ask: “Who was the messenger who prepared the way for the Savior?” (John the Baptist.)
  2. Mention that John the Baptist later restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829 (Doctrine and Covenants 13), the priesthood 11-year-old boys will receive soon.
  3. Ask: “How can you prepare the way for the Savior in your family or school?”

🎙️ Family Story Share · 5 min

  1. Share a short story about one of your own ancestors: a hard trip, a brave choice or a funny moment.
  2. Invite kids to share any family story they know. It’s fine if it’s about a parent or grandparent who is still living.
  3. Ask: “How does knowing their stories change how you feel about them? About yourself?”

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 Valiant 9–11 lessons