5 Quotes Plus Discussion-Promoting Questions

See also Teaching Helps

Elder Christofferson’s General Conference talk, “Worship,” was sublime and dynamic. He accessed the powers of heaven and called them down right in front of us.

You can find his full talk here. Unless you opt to spend a lot of time on a particular quote, try to pick around 2 questions per quote. Choose the questions that resonate the most with you and make a meaningful discussion for your group of personalities. These highlights and questions fit with Lesson Template 1 or Template 2. You can also check out several other General Conference Talks with 5 Highlights.

All blue quotes by D. Todd Christofferson, April 2025 General Conference talk (unless otherwise noted).

Lesson Prep

• You can arrange the quotes in any order that makes sense to you. I suggest starting with the most important ones and working your way down. Don’t worry about covering all the quotes.
• If you want the discussion to be more meaningful, hand out reading assignments ahead of time and ask the reader to answer one question about them (pick one of the questions below and give it to them, along with the assigned quote). The sooner you do this, the better, but if possible, at least show it to them before the Sacrament meeting. You can also text or email it.
• Ask various people to read and participate – especially those who aren’t asked as much.

Lesson Delivery

• Ensure every class member has the conference talk and scriptures in front of them or on their phone. Always invite the class to read along—hearing and seeing the words together increases comprehension and engagement.
• Avoid videos – they shut down discussion. Save them for personal study.
• If the discussion gets too non-spiritual, pull it back by going to the next quote or question.
• Make sure you assign others to read the quotes. You’re talking enough already, and letting others read allows more people to participate.
• Encourage discussion by accepting all reasonable answers. Validate people for participating, and be thankful they spoke up. Engage with the answer in a conversational way whenever it feels natural. Never say, “That’s not the right answer,” or “We haven’t got to that part of the lesson yet.”
• Remember, spiritual discussion is golden. We want people to talk about the gospel together.
• If the discussion takes a different turn than your planned lesson, roll with it. The Spirit intends for you to be successful.

Quote #1 (whom)

Teacher’s Note – This quote and these concepts will push back at oral traditions that are false doctrine but quite prevalent in our Church culture. Only teach this quote if you are well prepared to do so and have a firm testimony of what Elder Christofferson teaches. Otherwise, you will get contention in class. (I’ve been there several times.) I’ve pulled the hymn and the scripture references to help you fortify Elder Christofferson’s potent and timely message. (He who has ears, let him hear.)

Possible engagement tool: Elder Christofferson teaches us powerful concepts about worshipping. See what stands out to you from these quotes.

Note: Can be divided among three different readers.

Quote A

When we think of worship, our thoughts typically turn to the ways we show religious devotion both privately and in Church services. As I have considered the matter of worshipping our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, our Savior, four concepts have come to mind: first, the actions that constitute our worship; second, the attitudes and feelings that figure into our worship; third, the exclusivity of our worship; and fourth, the need to emulate the Holy Beings that we worship.

Quote B

The object of our worship is exclusively “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] hast sent.”

Quote C

May we, as the ancient Nephites and Lamanites, “fall down at the feet of Jesus, and … worship him.” May we, as commanded by Jesus, “fall down and worship the Father in [the] name [of the Son].”

Define worship: (Have someone read) “Worship” refers to the act of reverencing, honoring, and devoting oneself to God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, through faith, obedience, and love. It is a deeply personal and communal expression of gratitude, submission, and commitment to divine will.

Possible discussion questions: What stood out for you from these quotes today? Why does Elder Christofferson mention worshiping both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ several times? What does the word worship mean to you? (Accept all reasonable answers)

Possible Activity: Read D&C 25:12 (Jesus Christ is speaking.)

12 For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.

Then sing the hymn, “Jesus the Very Thought of Thee” (pg. 141) with your group.

Verse 1

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

Verse 2

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than Thy blest Name,
O Savior of mankind!

Verse 3

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

Verse 4

But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Verse 5

Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
Jesus, be Thou our glory now,
And through eternity.

Optional – Deepen the Understanding

Also available as an optional PDF below.

Select one or all verses to share with the class.

And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out. (2 Nephi 25:29)

1 Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I Am, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins; 2 Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer. (D&C 29:1-2)

Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am; 2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; (D&C 93:1-2)

62 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends [Christ speaking], I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near— 63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (D&C 88:62-63)

“Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.” (3 Nephi 11:17)

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:12-13)

“And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. … And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.” Matthew 28:9,11)

“And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” (Luke 24:52)

“And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.” (John 9:38)

“And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.” (3 Nephi 17:10)

Possible discussion question: How do these verses help us understand how to worship Jesus Christ as well as Heavenly Father?

For printable copies of this lesson – click here.

Quote #2 (sabbath)

Possible engagement tool: Have your class think about this question while we read these quotes: “How can we make the Sabbath Day matter more”?

Note: Can be divided between two readers.

At the most recent general conference, Elder Patrick Kearon reminded us that “we do not gather on the Sabbath simply to attend sacrament meeting and check it off the list. We come together to worship. There is a significant difference between the two. To attend means to be present at. But to worship is to intentionally praise and adore our God in a way that transforms us!”

Devoting our Sabbaths to the Lord and His purposes is itself an act of worship. Some years ago, then-Elder Russell M. Nelson observed: “How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, ‘What sign do I want to give to God?’”

Possible discussion questions: How can we individually make Sabbath Day meetings more transformational for ourselves? How can we make it a better experience for others? Why is keeping the Sabbath Day holy so essential? What signs can we give to God on the Sabbath Day? What do you think the Lord wants most from us on the Sabbath Day?

Quote #3 (daily)

Possible engagement tool: Have your class members think about what they can do daily to worship God and the Savior?

Even so, we cannot forget the daily acts of worship that we engage in individually and at home. The Savior reminds us, “Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times.”

Possible discussion questions: What individual acts of worship can you do daily? What is your favorite way to worship the Savior and Heavenly Father? Can meaningful prayers help us be worshipful? What enables you to remember to pray regularly?

Quote #4 (loyalty)

Possible engagement tool: Write on the board, Priority = Your True Loyalty

Note: Can be divided between two readers.

Elder Uchtdorf gave a wonderful definition of how to tell what we value most:

“In reality, we are all travelers—even explorers of mortality. We do not have the luxury of spending our energy on anything that does not lead us and our families to Christ. Our time is one of our most precious resources. Where we invest it reveals what we value most.”

Elder Christofferson

Whatever takes precedence over worship of the Father and the Son becomes an idol. Those who reject God as the source of truth, or disavow any accountability to Him, in effect substitute themselves as their god. One who places loyalty to a party or cause ahead of divine direction worships a false god. Even those who purport to worship God but do not keep His commandments are walking in their own way: “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” The object of our worship is exclusively “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] hast sent.”

Possible discussion questions: If someone else were to assess how you spend your days, what would they say you are most loyal to? What kind of temptations and distractions does life throw at us? What are some practical ways to increase the amount of devotion we give to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father?

Quote #5 (holiness)

Ultimately, how we live may be the best, most genuine form of worship. Showing our devotion means emulating the Father and the Son—cultivating Their attributes and character in ourselves. If, as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then we might say with respect to Deity, emulation is the sincerest form of veneration. This suggests an active, sustained effort on our part to seek holiness. But becoming more Christlike is also the natural outcome of our acts of worship. Elder Kearon’s phrase cited earlier about worshipping “in a way that transforms us” is significant. True worship is transformative.

Possible discussion question: By show of hands, who thinks they need to adjust some things in their lives to be closer to God and Christ? What specific attributes or characteristics of the Father and the Son do we want to have? Does anyone mind sharing what particular changes you could make to align more closely with their character? (Be ready to share one of your own in case no one wants to volunteer initially.) What does it mean to live a life of devotion?

Summary

Summarize class discussion highlights and/or share your testimony and feelings about Elder Christofferson’s talk. Thank your class for their excellent contributions and insights.

Final Comment

Please teach the quotes in any order that makes sense to you.

Teach with confidence, and if you would like some tips on how to feel more confident while teaching – try “9 Tips for More Class Participation.” May the Spirit bless and guide your efforts.