Jonah 1-2 Kids Talk. God's Grace and Kindness is Available to All Quiz Worx

Transcription

1 Jonah 1-2 Kids Talk God's Grace and Kindness is Available to All 2014 Quiz Worx

2 BEFORE THE TALK What you will need to prepare 9 cardboard signs (see below). 2 performers to control the cardboard signs and say the characters' lines. A puppet theatre or a table on its side for the helpers to hide behind. A blue sheet to represent water when the boat is sailing. Blue cellophane to represent water when Jonah is sinking. 2 other helpers to hold up the blue sheet and cellophane. A very easy job! 3 random items. These are thrown out of the ship, and could be anything at all! This photo shows the fish sign being held up from the puppet theatre. The two helpers are holding up the cellophane to represent the water. The cardboard signs You will need to prepare 9 cardboard signs. Each one is a drawing of a character or object from the story. The drawings can be very simple. Cut them out and tape rulers or sticks to the back of them so they can be held up. This photo shows an example of the back of a sign. Following are example images for each drawing you will need: 2

3 Jonah "Go" sign "The Other Way" sign 3

4 Outline of Nineveh Jonah preaching Angry Ninevties 4

5 Boat 2 sailors Large fish 5

6 TALK SCRIPT Hi everyone, my name's... Today I am going to be telling us a true story from the Bible. This is a story from Jonah chapters 1-2. I have asked some helpers to help me tell this story. But I am actually going to need everyone's help. While I tell this story, some of the time I'll say, "he knew" or "Jonah knew" or "they knew" or "we know" or something like that. And when I do, I want everyone to join in saying this: God's (point up) a God of GRACE (thumbs up). And God's (point up) a God of kindness (arms around someone). He's slow to anger (move hands back and lean backwards, as if pulling back from a fight). And abounding in love (hands over heart). Lets practice that... (do it again). (Walk to side and open script folder. You can read the following from the script). This is the story of Jonah - Act 1. Jonah was a prophet from God. (JONAH SIGN is held up). Hello. I'm Jonah, and I'm a prophet from God. One day God said to Jonah, "Jonah, Get up and go... (GO SIGN held up).... to the great city of Nineveh... (NINEVEH SIGN held up).... and preach against it... (JONAH PREACHING SIGN held up).... because its wickedness has come up before me." 6

7 Now Jonah had heard lots of things about Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital city of a country called Assyria. And the Ninevites and the Assyrians were mean and nasty people. Ninevites: GROWL! They would hurt others, they would kill others, and they would take over other people's land. Ninevites: Hurt, hurt, hurt! Kill, kill, kill! Take, take, take! And Jonah was an Israelite. And the Israelites and the Assyrians they were enemies. Ninevites and GRRRR! So you might think that Jonah would have been pretty happy if God had told him to go and preach against Nineveh. Woohoo! He'd tell them that they were going to get busted and be destroyed! You're going to be busted! But Jonah was not happy with this job. Because Jonah knew... everyone: God's a God of grace and God's a God of kindness. He's slow to anger and abounding in love. So Jonah knew that if he went and told the Ninevites that God was angry with them, maybe they'd change, and then, well... God might forgive them. But these were Jonah's enemies - he didn't want that! And so, when Jonah heard God say "Get up and go to Nineveh", Jonah got up and went... the other way. (OTHER WAY SIGN held up). (Then all signs taken down). In fact, Jonah went and got on a boat that was going way, way away from Nineveh. (BLUE SHEET held up for water. BOAT SIGN held up with JONAH and SAILORS on it). Well, as they sailed out over the calm waters, Jonah told the sailors, with a laugh in his voice: Sailor: Haha, I'm running away from God! Are you sure that's a good idea? 7

8 Sailor: Yeah He'll never find me out here! Ok, cool. Well, for quite a while, everything was going along fine. So eventually Jonah went downstairs for a rest. Sailor: Sailor: Hey fellas, I'm really tired out. I'm gonna go downstairs and have a rest. Sleep tight. Don t let the beg bugs bite. So Jonah went peacefully to sleep. But Jonah should have known that... everyone: God's a God of grace and God's a God of kindness. He's slow to anger and abounding in love. And God wanted the Ninevites to hear his message. So he was not going to let Jonah get away that easily. And while Jonah was asleep, (snoring) God sent a strong wind upon the sea, and the waves started to get bigger and bigger. (BLUE SHEET starts waving - this continues to get bigger as the story continues). All hands on deck! The storm got bigger and bigger, and it looked like the boat might fall apart. The sailors were terrified... ARRGGHH!!!... and they all called out to their own false gods. Help us! But it didn't work. The storm got bigger and bigger! So they started throwing out their cargo, thinking that would make the boat lighter. (3 RANDOM ITEMS thrown from behind boat). 8

9 But the storm just got bigger and bigger! We're all going to die!!! The captain of the ship looked around and saw that Jonah was not above board helping. So he ran downstairs and woke Jonah up (1 SAILOR SIGN goes down). Captain: WAKE UP! WAKE UP! Get up and call on your God. Maybe he will save us! So Jonah woke up and came above board, but still the storm raged on and on. (SAILOR AND JONAH SIGNS back up on the boat). Eventually the sailors decided they would have to find out why this was all happening, and they discovered that it was Jonah's fault. He told them: My God is the one who made the heaven and earth and the sea! When the sailors heard this, they were terrified! And you're RUNNING AWAY from him? Are you crazy?! So they asked What should we do to make this storm stop?! Jonah knew that this storm was all his fault. So Jonah said: If you want to be saved, you'll have to throw me overboard. The sailors thought this was a terrible idea. That's a terrible idea. But the storm kept getting bigger, so eventually they grabbed Jonah and threw him into the sea. Oh God, forgive us! One, two, three..! (JONAH SIGN flies out of boat and goes down). And as soon as Jonah was thrown overboard, the storm stopped. (BLUE SHEET stops shaking). 9

10 The sailors were now learning that: God's a God of grace and God's a God of kindness. He's slow to anger and abounding in love. Meanwhile... (BLUE SHEET is put down and the BLUE CELLOPHANE is now held up). Jonah was sinking, sinking, sinking. (JONAH SIGN up and it keeps moving around behind the cellophane). As he sank the water swirled around him, he was tossed back and forth by the currents, he felt that death was upon him. And at last he cried out: Oh God, my God! I know you can save me! PLEASE HELP! And then, suddenly, God provided a way for Jonah to be saved. A great big fish came and swallowed Jonah whole. (FISH SIGN up and it "swallows" Jonah). It would have been stinky and yucky, but Jonah realised that God had saved him. And so from inside the fish Jonah prayed. (JONAH SIGN up - stick Jonah's head out from behind the fish): I praise you God, my God, that you have rescued me. You are the God of salvation to all who will call to you. Then, after three days and nights, God commanded the fish and it vomited him out onto shore. (FISH SIGN "vomits" out Jonah. Then FISH SIGN and CELLOPHANE down). See, Jonah was having to learn what he already knew, that: God's a God of grace and God's a God of kindness. He's slow to anger and abounding in love. And that's the end of this first act of our Jonah story! Let's give our helpers a big clap! (Stop reading script, and walk to front). 10

11 See, Jonah did not deserve God to be kind and loving to him. After all, he was disobeying God. But Jonah was learning that God is a God of grace and kindness to him. But God's grace, God's kindness, God's love is not just towards Jonah. It was also towards Jonah's enemies. And Jonah had to learn that the hard way. But we know even more than Jonah. We know that God's grace, God's kindness, God's love has been shown to us through Jesus. (Stretch your arms out like a cross). And now we have been given a command like Jonah had. We are to tell all people - even the people who we don't like, and who don't like us - about God. And why do we do this. Because we know: God's a God of grace and God's a God of kindness. He's slow to anger and abounding in love. Next week we'll see whether Jonah learns that lesson too. Created by Quiz Worx 2014 Quiz Worx exists to evangelise and disciple children through: Fun, dynamic, live puppet shows in schools and churches Resources created for use in children's ministry We are reliant on the prayers and finances of those who see value in our ministry. See for further details. 11