Lesson Prepration Guide for "Jesus Lives to Lift"

Elder Patrick Kearon uses his experiences flying gliders to illustrate how Jesus Christ lifts us spiritually. Just as a glider pilot learns to find rising air and avoid sinking air, we can learn to recognize the Holy Spirit’s influence, turn away from spiritual decline, and draw closer to the Saviour. This study guide invites you to consider how you experience spiritual lift, sustain communion with God, and help others rise in the love of Jesus Christ.

Ideas for Opening the Lesson

Show a picture of a glider and ask how an aircraft without an engine stays aloft. Explain Elder Kearon’s description of rising air, or “lift,” and sinking air, or “sink.” Invite class members to consider what this comparison teaches about turning toward Jesus Christ.
Write “Jesus Christ loves to lift” where everyone can see it. Invite class members to name scriptural accounts in which the Savior lifts someone physically or spiritually. Ask what these accounts reveal about His character and His desire to help us personally.
Invite class members to quietly reflect on Elder Kearon’s questions: “Can you identify moments when you have felt undeniable spiritual lift? Where were you? How did it feel?” Allow a brief pause, then invite volunteers to share experiences they feel comfortable discussing.
Write “Find lift,” “Stay in lift,” and “Help others find lift” on the board. Ask class members to consider which invitation most closely matches their current spiritual needs. Explain that the lesson explores how the Savior helps us respond to all three invitations.
Read Elder Kearon’s observation that a glider’s descent can be so gradual that the pilot may not notice it without watching the altitude. Ask what helps us notice the direction of our spiritual lives. Keep the discussion focused on hopeful course corrections rather than judging ourselves or others.

Topics

Turn to Jesus Christ for Spiritual Lift

Elder Kearon places an adoring Heavenly Father and a lifting Savior at the heart of our faith. Scriptural accounts show Jesus Christ reaching people in danger, despair, and death. Through His grace, He offers spiritual lift and welcomes us as we turn to Him.

We can learn to live in spiritual lift. And when we sink, our gentle Saviour is there to lift us up as we turn to Him. Jesus Christ loves to lift!

What does the phrase “our gentle Saviour” teach you about how Jesus Christ responds when we struggle?
Which scriptural account of the Savior lifting someone strengthens your confidence in Him, and why?
When do you recognize the Savior’s lifting influence in your own life?
How does knowing that Heavenly Father adores His children affect your willingness to seek His help?
What does turning to Jesus Christ look like in a difficulty you face right now?

Recognize and Follow the Holy Spirit’s Impressions

Spiritual lift is invisible, yet we can learn to recognize it through the sensitive impressions of the Holy Spirit. Elder Kearon invites us to notice the sweet, peaceful feelings that draw us toward the Savior and to act on those impressions. Like a glider pilot turning toward rising air, we learn to respond to the direction we receive.

Spiritual lift cannot be seen, but as we learn to discern and act upon the sensitive impressions of the Holy Spirit, we can feel it—as surely as I felt the rising air lift a wing beneath me.

How do you recognize the Holy Spirit’s influence in ways that draw you toward Jesus Christ?
What settings or practices help you become more attentive to spiritual impressions?
What does Elder Kearon’s emphasis on both discerning and acting teach us about receiving guidance?
What experience can you share in which responding to a quiet prompting brings spiritual lift?
What change can you make this week to give greater attention to the Holy Spirit?

Turn Decisively Away from Spiritual Sink

Elder Kearon compares influences that lead us away from the Redeemer to sinking air that threatens a glider’s progress. He encourages us to recognize spiritual sink and turn away decisively. His invitation focuses on noticing our direction and choosing the Savior’s light.

Watch closely for the subtle signs of sink in your own life, and turn away decisively.

What subtle signs help you recognize that a habit or influence is drawing you away from the Savior?
How can we examine our own spiritual direction without becoming judgmental toward others?
What makes it difficult to turn away from something we recognize as spiritual sink?
What experience can you share in which a deliberate course correction helps you feel closer to Jesus Christ?
What boundary or change can help you turn away from spiritual sink this week?

Maintain Communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit

A glider descends when it is not actively climbing in lift, and that descent can be difficult to notice. Elder Kearon uses this comparison to warn against neglecting the practices that sustain spiritual growth. He invites us to maintain vital communion with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit rather than drift through neglect.

We want lift—its joy and blessings—but we may not recognise the quiet cost of neglecting vital communion with our Father, Saviour, and the Holy Spirit.

Which practices most help you maintain communion with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
Why can spiritual neglect be difficult to recognize in a busy life?
How can we make prayer, scripture study, and worship opportunities for communion rather than merely tasks to complete?
What helps you renew a spiritually sustaining practice when it becomes inconsistent?
What simple, realistic adjustment can help you keep choosing spiritual lift each day?

Rejoice in the Savior’s Redeeming Love

Elder Kearon uses Ammon’s praise to illustrate the profound lift that comes through redemption. Ammon describes a movement from darkness and destruction into light and the matchless bounty of God’s love. This spiritual joy inspires gratitude that words cannot fully express.

Ammon cannot begin to describe this profound transition from devastating sink to the most glorious lift. And I haven’t met anyone who can. The language of the Spirit of God is not a language of words.

What does Ammon’s description of being encircled by God’s love teach you about redemption?
Why might an experience of spiritual lift be difficult to express in words?
When do you feel gratitude for the Savior that seems greater than your ability to describe it?
How can remembering experiences of the Savior’s love strengthen us during times of struggle?
How can you express gratitude for Jesus Christ through your choices this week?

Learn from Faithful Guides and Lift Others

Elder Kearon encourages us to find faithful guides and join people who are rising toward the Savior. He also describes helping others find Christ’s lift as a joyful covenant responsibility. As we receive spiritual help, we can show others where and how to rise.

As children of the covenant, we are privileged with the responsibility of assisting the Lord in fulfilling His promises to all His children. Helping others turn from sink and into the lift of Jesus Christ is our glorious opportunity and brings joy beyond compare.

Who helps you recognize and seek spiritual lift, and what do you learn from that person?
What qualities make someone a faithful guide toward Jesus Christ?
How can our quorum or Relief Society help people feel welcomed and supported as they turn toward the Savior?
What experience shows you the joy of helping someone else draw closer to Jesus Christ?
Who can you support this week, and how can you offer help with respect for that person’s needs and choices?

Additional Discussion Questions

How does Elder Kearon’s gliding comparison deepen your understanding of dependence on Jesus Christ?
What difference does it make to see spiritual growth as turning toward the Savior rather than relying only on personal effort?
How do recognizing the Spirit, maintaining communion, and helping others reinforce one another?
How can we respond with faith when we seek the Savior but do not immediately feel the spiritual lift we hope for?
How can remembering that Jesus Christ loves to lift help us respond to setbacks without giving up?
What does “keep choosing to rise into the light” look like in your home, work, or relationships?
How can we help someone turn toward Christ without suggesting that faithful people never experience sorrow or difficulty?
What does the Savior’s being lifted up upon the cross teach you about His desire to draw us into His loving embrace?
What can our quorum or Relief Society do together to help members find faithful companionship and spiritual encouragement?
Which invitation in this talk do you feel drawn to act on, and what specific first step can you take?