Primary Singing Time: Deborah Was a Prophet

I’ve been in the Primary presidency for about four years now.  During that time, I have tried to figure out a place for my feminist ideals.  I think I’ve come to a pretty good place.  While I don’t think I should do a lesson on the three waves of feminism, I do try to bring in examples of underrepresented groups of people whenever I can.  Every sharing time I present has a story with a strong woman or girl in it.  With a little research, it hasn’t been too tricky.

But, I sometimes struggle with the songs.  The tune to “Follow the Prophet” is so catchy and educational, but it makes me sad that every person we’re singing about is a man.  So, I loved Mary Ann’s guest post on FMH for new verses to “Follow the Prophet” posted in 2007. 

It took me about a year and a Primary Singing Time emergency to get up the courage to teach Mary Ann’s verse about Deborah:
Deborah was a prophet—
she judged Israel.
Led them into battle,
triumphed with Jael.
God will guide our leaders,
women can lead too.
They will show the way to
God for me and you.

Our Singing Time leader called in sick about 2 hours before Church, and I was in charge of music time that day.  I’m not particularly clever when it comes to teaching kids songs, so  I had no idea what to do.  After a prayer for inspiration, I felt like I should go over “Follow the Prophet” with the kids and teach them Deborah’s verse.  I was nervous.  I asked my husband how I should do it.

His response: “Don’t act like it’s a big deal.  Just teach the verse like you would teach all the other verses of the song.”

So, I did…I brought costumes for Noah, Daniel, and Deborah and picked kids to dress up for each one.  Then, I walked into Primary.  It was the middle of the summer, and I knew there wouldn’t be a lot of people.  Of course, when I got there, I see a few outside substitutes and a member of the bishopric.  That unnerved me a bit, but I felt like I had done the necessary preparations to make this a successful singing time.

I took my husband’s advice to heart and talked about each verse, telling the story of the prophet and why he/she was important to sing about.

The kids loved it.  I’d like to think I saw a glimmer in a few girls’ eyes when I told the story of Deborah and had one put on the costume.  I didn’t sense (or hear) of any concerns that I taught this Deborah verse.  In fact, people wanted to know where I found such a gem.

This experience made me wonder how often I hold back just because I fear how I’ll be perceived.  In my ward, I’m not secretive about my feminist ideals, but I do try not to force them on others, just as I hope they will be respectful of my interpretations of the Gospel.  Still, sometimes, I think it is necessary for me to get out of my comfort zone.  This experience taught me that with the aid of prayer and a pure intent, we can often be guided to the best ways to make Primary (and other classes) more inclusive.

Comments

  1. I have not read everything you have written, only this article, I think it is important to recognize there is an order that things are to be done. We have been given hymns and primary songs that have already been approved by the Priesthood for use. If you want to teach a song, that is fine with me and I think that is great, but make sure you approve it first. God, is a God of order and things need to be done that way. Without order, there is chaos.
    May you be blessed as you continue to seek guidance from Priesthood leaders and from the Spirit.

    • Hi Becca, you make an excellent point here. We do need to get approval for much of what we teach, but many of us (myself included) think we need to ask for permission to do even the smallest things, like teach an unapproved verse for 5 minutes one Sunday. I believe in these cases, we are given authority when we are set apart in our callings to call on the Spirit to help us lead and that is what I called on that morning as I prepared.

      Should I get permission to have the Primary kids perform that verse? Absolutely! Should I get permission to teach for one week? I think it depends on the guidance of the Spirit and the inspiration I recieve, but that’s just my opinion.

      I’m so glad you shared your’s!

  2. Yay for Deborah! :)

  3. I’ve never even heard the story of Deborah! How lame am I? Every primary girl AND boy should learn this new verse!

    • Hi Cristina, it’s not an official verse, but one we enjoy singing in our family home evenings. And, totally read the story–it’s pretty cool: Judges 4-5.

  4. I love this. Thank you. I too often hold back out of fear. I know that I would be so much happier if I just lived my religion as I felt it. But the fear of what others think, that they are judging me or that they think I’m crazy always limits my actions. This story will hopefully give me the courage to live more accurately! Thank you.

  5. I’m sad that I didn’t teach this song to my youth Sunday school class. Maybe I can find away to squeeze it in at the end of the year.

Trackbacks

  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by K Millecam, WAVE. WAVE said: Every hear the "Deborah was a Prophet" verse? Dare to teach it in Primary? http://bit.ly/c63eE2 #lds […]

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