Sunday on Monday: 2024 Book of Mormon (2024)

The theme for Sunday on Monday all year has been to anticipate Jesus. We look forward to His Second Coming the way the Nephites were looking forward to His arrival, and we have finally reached those chapters. 3 Nephi 8–11 has been written about and studied for generations, but today, we are giving special attention to how these chapters have been expressed in art—musically and visually.

President Ezra Taft Benson once said that “the record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior’s visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior’s second coming.” Our theme all year for the Book of Mormon has been to anticipate Jesus. 3 Nephi 1–7 has the final chapters before His coming, and we will take President Benson’s council and apply those times to our day.

Primary children sing “Hosanna” when they learn about Samuel the Lamanite. In Hebrew Hosanna means “save now,” which brings added enthusiasm to the refrain “Oh, let us gladly sing. How blessed that our Lord was born; Let earth receive her King!” Samuel did tell of baby Jesus and today we will study his prophecy and how the people reacted in Helaman 13–16.

The following quote from Sheri Dew’s book Prophets See Around Corners gives insight into this week’s discussion on prophets: “Prophets are an extraordinary gift to those who believe. But those of us who have sung and talked about prophets throughout our lives may be at risk of becoming numb to how remarkable this blessing actually is.” This check-in is especially important for those who have lived their whole lives knowing about prophets. And Helaman 7–12 offers additional guidance on their importance in our lives.

The book of Helaman is considered an “annalistic” or annual writing because almost every year is mentioned starting in the 40th year of the reign of the judges and ending in the 90th year. A lot can happen in 50 years, and there is a lot to learn from Helaman 1–6. It is filled with both triumphs and tragedies—political intrigue, bands of robbers, rejection of the prophets, and pride and disbelief throughout the land. So “remember, remember” this account of the Nephites when you look back on the world 50 years ago or look forward to what the world will someday look like.

Alma 53–63 tells the story of the sons of Helaman and the people of Moroni. These warriors and people of God had some advantages over their enemy, which surprisingly had nothing to do with numbers or military skill. In some ways, their situation feels familiar to those of us who sometimes feel outnumbered and overwhelmed in our latter-day battles against Satan and the forces of evil in the world. Let’s look carefully at those advantages and explore how they can help us in the battles we all face today.

Moroni called the official meeting in Alma 52 the “council of war.” This week, we’ll dive into those war chapters as we study Alma 43–52. Have you ever wondered how to apply these accounts of war to your daily struggles? We’ll discuss some of the best tactics we can learn and use against the ultimate enemy of our souls.

This week, we’re going to celebrate a little Christmas in August. In Alma 39–42, we hear a familiar chorus from the song “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” What can we learn about “glad tidings” from Alma’s words to his sons? And how can we lean on this good news when times get hard?

The story behind Clara McMaster writing the Primary song “Teach Me to Walk in the Light” is a lesson in persistence and faith. And the song we sing now reminds us to ask about what we are teaching and how it is being taught. Alma 36–38 is about what Alma the Younger taught his sons and then asked his sons to teach the people. Whoever you teach this week, remind them to walk in the light of God’s love.

Alma 32–35 are the quintessential chapters on faith in the Book of Mormon, and however you have studied this topic before, we will approach it differently today. Cherie Call has borne testimony of faith through her life in song. So, sit back as you listen to and study this soundtrack of faith.

We can learn a lot about the ways believers are deceived even today through the study of Korihor in the Book of Mormon. This week in just two chapters, Alma 30–31 we see examples of his counterfeit and find ways to identify true doctrine that can never change. And by the end of the scripture block Korihor will meet his end, reminding us that God will always prevail.

President Russell M. Nelson in the October 2011 General Conference said that “One of the most important concepts of revealed religion is that of a sacred covenant.” Today as we study Alma 23–29 we are going to dig into the doctrine of covenants and learn about a group of people who were willing to sacrifice everything in order to keep the covenant they had made.

Alma 17–22 is full of great missionary stories. Abish, Ammon, his brothers, and those they taught all learned about the nature of God through the power of the Holy Ghost. They were examples of belief, service, and most of all an example of being an instrument in the hands of the Lord to share His message.

Read this powerful request from Alma: “I wish from the inmost part of my heart, and with great anxiety even unto pain, that you would hearken unto my words…” (Alma 13:27). He said this while preaching with Amulek to the people of Ammonihah, but what would follow applies just as much to us today. This week’s Come, Follow Me reading in Alma 13–16 tells us what these important words are and how they can lead us to our ultimate goal of God’s rest.

When speaking about Alma 8–12, Elder D. Todd Christofferson once shared, “Our day is a replay of Book of Mormon history in which charismatic figures pursue unrighteous dominion over others, celebrate sexual license, and promote accumulating wealth as the object of our existence. Their philosophies ‘justify in committing a little sin’ [2 Nephi 28:28] or even a lot of sin, but none can offer redemption. That comes only through the blood of the Lamb” (“The Love of God,” October 2021). Thankfully, these scriptures teach that we can find hope in Christ’s redemption and a reason to rejoice—for everyone.

Who out there likes to bake or cook? Is there a recipe that you are known for, and do you have to follow it to a T? Today’s study of Alma 5-7 contains a recipe for testimony that all of us can be known for and there is a guarantee of success which thankfully has nothing to do with actual culinary skills.

What is the foundation of a testimony? In Mosiah 29 through Alma 4 there are many reasons for the people to question what they believe–they have temporal trials, popular figures mixing lies with doctrine, and many of their friends and family leave the fold of God. Nevertheless the Nephites were strengthened by the Lord. And we can strengthen our testimonies through their stories of perseverance.

Have you been born again? A concept brought up to Nicodemus is still relevant today, and was especially relevant to Alma and the sons of Mosiah in this week’s Come, Follow Me reading Mosiah 25–28. It was also on the mind of President James E. Faust when he taught that “we cannot be fully converted until we ‘walk in newness of life’ and are at heart a new person, ‘purged from [our] old sins.’”

Mosiah 18-24 covers many groups of people and their interactions with each other. Despite contentions, the goal of the righteous is always unity. Elder Cook taught this in the April 2024 General Conference when he said “Oneness with Christ and our Heavenly Father can be obtained through the Savior’s atonement.” So this week we will be studying how the atonement of Christ will help us knit our hearts together in unity and love.

The Book of Mormon Art Catalog’s mission includes furthering scholarship on Book of Mormon art and increasing the ability for everyone to use a wide variety of images in our worship and study. We will look at several pieces depicting the events of this week’s Come, Follow Me study of Mosiah 11–17. Let the visuals bring the stories alive in new, detailed ways!

It’s been a month since the last general conference. The messages are available to go back and read, and we’ve had an opportunity to let their words soak in. The last two weeks in Come, Follow Me also cover a conference of sorts when King Benjamin spoke to his people. Now, along with our study of Mosiah 7–10, we’ll relate this message on the power of prophets to the most recent words from our living prophets and general authorities today.

There is a familiar refrain in King Benjamin’s address. It comes up like the chorus in a great hymn multiple times during this week’s Come, Follow Me lesson of Mosiah 4–6. He asks his people, and us, to believe. Believe on the name of Christ and all the things He can do. And hopefully, our reaction can mirror his people’s when they rejoiced and said, “Yea, we believe” (Mosiah 5:2).

The people of King Benjamin gathered, with tents pointed to the temple, to hear the words in this week’s reading of Mosiah 1–3. It was a time to give offerings, crown a new king, and hear the word of God from his mouthpiece. And that message starts with the Plan of Salvation, centered on the Atonement of Christ.

There are formative moments in all of our lives. Some can be funny stories to share at parties, while others are intensely personal—reserved for telling only those closest to you. The succession of prophets we will read about in Enos through Words of Mormon carried on the tradition of recording stories, even if these leaders had to distill their whole lives into just a few sentences. We can learn from their examples how writing and testifying can change the lives of generations.

This year’s theme on Sunday on Monday is to anticipate Jesus. In Jacob 5–7, we find one of the most poetic ways prophets have looked forward to His coming and return—the allegory of the olive tree. We will look for Christ in this parable, discussing where we are in the story and what we can do to anticipate Him in our lives every day.

The prophet Jacob in the Book of Mormon felt the weight of his calling, and the pains of his people. He uses a word that many of us can relate to today in describing his state of mind—anxiety. In reading Jacob 1–4 we’ll see if we can find out what is causing Jacob’s anxiety, how we can relate, and the advice he has for everyone who has felt like he has.

What do you think of when you hear the word cover? There are blankets that cover you when you’re cold, you can cover a friend’s tab when going out to eat, or law enforcement or military cover their partners when lives are on the line. The Come, Follow Me lesson this week gives more context to covering, and how that term connects to the ancient translation of atonement. Today we have a special Easter episode with multiple guests sharing their experiences of Jesus Christ covering them.

Nephi knows what it’s like to feel deeply discouraged and alone. He even wrote that he “watered [his] pillow by night” because of his fears for his people (see 2 Nephi 33:3). But as he trusted in the Lord, he found true joy, peace, and belonging. In this week’s readings from 2 Nephi 31–33, we’ll study this faithful prophet’s final words about how we can partake of God’s goodness.

God will do whatever He says He is going to do. This is a promise we can trust. Keep that in mind as we read through the prophecies of the last days contained in this week’s Come, Follow Me reading from 2 Nephi 26–30. There are marvelous miracles in store as we come unto Him “line upon line” (see 2 Nephi 28:30).

The September 2021 publication of the Friend magazine included the song “Peace in Christ” by Nik Day. The first verse reads: “There is peace in Christ / When we learn of Him. / Feel the love He felt for us / When He bore our sins. / Listen to His words. / Let them come alive. / If we know Him as He is, / There is peace in Christ.” Keep this song in mind while studying 2 Nephi 20–25 because the words of Isaiah about Christ can bring us peace in a world of division, captivity, sorrow, and destruction. And if there’s one thing we could all use a little bit more of now in the world, it’s peace.