Jonah 1:1-3:10
Jonah was a prophet of God. One day, God told Jonah, “Go to the big city of Nineveh. Tell them to stop doing bad things.” But Jonah ran away. He did not want to go to Nineveh. Instead he got on a boat to sail across the sea.God sent a big storm to stop Jonah. The sailors on the boat were afraid. They thought the boat was going to sink!Jonah told the sailors, “My God has sent this storm. If you throw me into the water, the sea will become calm again.”So the sailors threw Jonah into the raging sea.Instantly, the sea became calm.Just then, Jonah saw a big fish coming! Gulp! The fish swallowed Jonah. For three days and nights, Jonah was inside the fish. He prayed to God, “Please forgive me.”Then God told the fish to spit Jonah onto dry land. God told Jonah a second time, “Go and tell the people of Nineveh to stop doing bad things.”This time, Jonah obeyed God. The people of Nineveh were sorry for doing bad things, so God forgave them.Discussion Questions
What did God ask Jonah to do? Tell the people of Nineveh to stop doing bad things.Did Jonah obey God? NoWhat did Jonah do? He got on a boat to sail across the sea.God was not happy. What did He do? He sent a big storm to stop JonahThe sailors thought they would sink. What did Jonah tell them to do? Throw him in the sea.What happened next? A big fish swallowed himHow long was Jonah inside the fish? 3 days and nights
Jonah asked God to forgive him. Did God forgive him? Yes, and Jonah went to Nineveh like God asked him.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for this story and teaching us that we should always obey you even when it is hard. Amen
Memory Verses
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love is forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34
Song: Jonah Goes Out
Sing to the tune of "I'm a little Teapot"One day God told Jonah, to go out
he began to pout,
and took another route.
When he got on a ship they, threw him out,
he hit the water,
and swam about.
Along came a big fish, maybe a trout,
he swallowed him whole,
there is no doubt.
Then after three days, in that trout,
It took a big burp,
and spit him out.
Craft Activity:
How to make a paper plate whale
• Paint the whole paper plate blue, and leave it to dry.
• Once dry, cut a piece from the bottom of the paper plate – about one quarter of the plate as you can see in the pictures here
• Draw out and cut the shapes for the water coming out of the whale, and the piece of paper for the tale. Use your blue paper for this and stick them together as shown
• Add the googley eye
• Add a smile or extra details using your black marker pen
