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John 9 • Read John 9:1-3 as a class; now have the students work with partner/group, studying the rest of the chapter, looking for possible meanings for the Savior’s statement that the man was born blind “that the works of God should be made manifest”. Hint: How did the man’s blindness and healing affect these five groups of people? • Jesus (3-5, 29-33) • Blind Man (17, 24-38) • Neighbors (8-12) • Pharisees (13-41) • Parents (18-23)
John 9 • Read John 9:1-3 as a class; now have the students work with partner/group, studying the rest of the chapter, looking for possible meanings for the Savior’s statement that the man was born blind “that the works of God should be made manifest”. Hint: How did the man’s blindness and healing affect these five groups of people? • Christ’s power made known (3-5, 29-33) • Man’s testimony grown(17, 24-38) • Neighbors’ minds blown (8-12) • Pharisees get owned(13-41) • Parents’ weakness shown (18-23)
The Essence of the Gospel of Christ “With a prayer in my heart for understanding, and with some timidity, I speak today concerning parents and children with special problems. I do so because I am persuaded that these extraordinary challenges are, as the Savior himself said, that “the works of God should be made manifest.” (John 9:3.) How these challenges are met can often be the expression of the very essence of the gospel of Christ” (James E. Faust, “The Works of God,” Ensign, Nov 1984, 54).
That the Works of God Should be Made Manifest “In Mendoza, Argentina, we attended a seminary graduation. In the class was a young man who had great difficulty climbing ordinary steps. As the class marched in, two strong young classmates gracefully lifted him up the steps. We watched during and after the proceedings, and it became apparent that the whole class was afflicted with a marvelous kind of blindness. They could not see that he was different. They saw a classmate, a friend. In them the works of God were being manifest. While there was no physical transformation in the boy or in his classmates, they were serving like angels, soothing a spirit locked in a deformed body awaiting that time when it would be everlastingly made perfect… You parents and you families whose lives must be reordered because of a handicapped one, whose resources and time must be devoted to them, are special heroes. You are manifesting the works of God with every thought, with every gesture of tenderness and care you extend to the handicapped loved one. Never mind the tears nor the hours of regret and discouragement; never mind the times when you feel you cannot stand another day of what is required. You are living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in exceptional purity. And you perfect yourselves in the process” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Moving of the Water,” Ensign, May 1991, 7).
Danny Somsen& Supermom • That the works of God might be made manifest in my life—camping, priesthood blessing, dances—I love them Caribou County women—just wants companionship and love.
A Successful Parent “A successful parent is one who has loved, one who has sacrificed, and one who has cared for, taught, and ministered to the needs of a child. If you have done all of these and your child is still wayward or troublesome or worldly, it could well be that you are, nevertheless, a successful parent. Perhaps there are children who have come into the world that would challenge any set of parents under any set of circumstances. Likewise, perhaps there are others who would bless the lives of, and be a joy to, almost any father or mother.” (Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Nov. 1983, p. 65.)
