God wants us to obey him.

Transcription

1 Jonah Obeys God and Goes to Nineveh Lesson 13 Bible Point Bible Verse We must obey God (Acts 5:29b). God wants us to obey him. Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n learn that obeying God involves following God s directions, n hear how Jonah obeyed God and went to Nineveh, n teach Whiskers how he can obey God, and n thank God for helping them obey him. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n Jonah obeys God and goes to Nineveh. Jonah 3:1-5 Jonah had learned his lesson. When God asked him again to go to Nineveh, the prophet immediately obeyed. Jonah didn t expect the wicked Ninevites to take his message seriously, but they did. Everyone from the king on down fasted and prayed in sincere repentance. Much to Jonah s chagrin, God was pleased with what he saw and forgave the people of Nineveh. Jonah selfishly felt that the salvation of the Ninevites would not be good for his own people. He didn t want Assyria to cut in on Israel s special relationship with God. We don t know why the people of Nineveh responded so positively to Jonah s message. Perhaps God had prepared their hearts. Or maybe Jonah looked really odd after having spent three days in the digestive juices of a whale, and his story shook them up. At any rate, God spared the people when they repented. We don t know exactly how long they remained repentant, but about 150 years later God exacted judgment on them again, and that time he didn t spare them. Prayer Read Romans 2:4. How have you seen this verse demonstrated in your own life? Pray: Dear God, thank you for your patience with me. Help me to turn away from sin and embrace you in this area of my life Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed on the chart. n Make photocopies of the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for the children in your class and for God s direction as you teach the lesson. 175

2 Lesson 13 This Lesson at a Glance Welcome Time Let s Get Started Direct children to one or more of the optional activities until everyone arrives. What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome! Receive name tags, and be greeted by the teacher. Option 1: City Towers Build a model of a city with blocks, and hear how Jonah traveled to the city of Nineveh. Option 2: More Fish-Box Fun Play in the fish made from a box in Lesson 11. Option 3: Follower Footprints Make footprint paths, and follow them around the room. Praying Hands Name Tags (p. 23), scissors, marker, safety pins or tape Blocks Fish box from Lesson 11 Construction paper, crayons, scissors Bible Story Time Pick-Up Time Sing a song as they pick up toys and gather for Bible Story Time. Setting the Stage Play a game to practice listening and following directions. CD player Colored construction paper, scissors, CD player Bible Song and Prayer Time Sing a song, bring out the Bible, and pray together. Bible, CD player Bible Skills Closing Hear and Tell the Bible Story Answer Whiskers questions about the Bible Big Book: Jonah. Do the Bible Story Place a Jonah figure on a poster, and learn about obeying God. Nineveh or Bust Teach Whiskers that he doesn t have to go to Nineveh to obey God. Bible Tape, blindfold, poster tack, scissors, Jonah figure (p. 134) God Will Help Us Sing a song, and ask God to help them obey. CD player *See the end of this lesson for extra-time ideas and supplies. 176

3 Jonah Obeys God and Goes to Nineveh Welcome Time Supplies: Praying Hands Name Tags (p. 23), scissors, marker, safety pins or tape Bend down and make eye contact with children as they arrive. Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them how they put last week s lesson into practice. Use questions such as What did you pray about this week? and How has God answered your prayers this week? Say: Today we re going to learn that God wants us to obey him. Hand out the praying hands name tags children made during Lesson 1, and help children attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged or if children weren t in class that week, have children make new name tags using the photocopiable name tag patterns. Direct children to the Let s Get Started activities you ve set up. Let s Get Started Set up one or more of the following activities for children to do as they arrive. After you greet each child, invite him or her to choose an activity. Circulate among the children to offer help as needed and direct children s conversation toward today s lesson. Ask questions such as Tell me about a time when you went on a long walk or What are some ways you can obey God? It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point again and again will help children remember it and apply it to their lives. n Option 1: City Towers Supplies: blocks Set out blocks, and let children build the city of Nineveh. Tell them that the Bible says it took three days to walk across Nineveh. Ask them what kinds of buildings they might find in a big city, and then encourage them to build those buildings with blocks. If children need help thinking of ideas, suggest buildings such as stores, hotels, homes, and stables. As children work, explain that God sent Jonah to Nineveh to tell the people there to obey God. n Option 2: More Fish-Box Fun Supplies: fish box from Lesson 11 Bring out the fish box children worked on in Lessons 11 and 12. Let children climb in and out of the fish and pretend to be Jonah. Ask children to tell you how Jonah got into the fish, what he did inside the fish, and how he got out of the fish. Remind children of Jonah s prayer inside the fish and that God wants us to obey him. Explain that today you ll learn what Jonah did when he got out of the fish. 177

4 Lesson 13 n Option 3: Follower Footprints SupplieS: construction paper, crayons, scissors Help children trace each other s footprints on colored construction paper and cut them out. Let them stamp the footprints with the fish stamp from the Learning Lab. Let children use the footprints to create paths around the room for each other to follow. Encourage them to wind their paths under tables and around other furniture in your room. As they re following the paths, explain that today they ll learn how Jonah obeyed God and followed the path to Nineveh. Remind them that God wants us to obey him. When everyone has arrived and you re ready to move on to Bible Story Time, encourage the children to finish what they re doing and get ready to clean up. n pick-up Time SupplieS: CD player Lead children in singing Come Along With Me with the track 2 CD (track 2) to the tune of Come and Go With Me. Encourage children to sing along as they help clean up the room. Come along with me and pick up all our things, Pick up all our things, Pick up all our things. Come along with me and pick up all our things So our room will be clean. (Repeat 2x.) Bible Story Time n Setting the Stage SupplieS: colored construction paper, scissors, CD player Before class, cut an equal number of green, yellow, blue, and red track 20 construction paper squares. (If you don t have these colors handy, use four colors of your choice.) You ll need one square for each child in your class. For example, if you have eight children in your class, you d cut two squares of each color. If you have fewer than eight children, you may want to eliminate one or more colors so that you have at least two children in each color group. Tell children that when they hear you clap your hands two times, they re to stop what they re doing and clap their hands two times. Practice this signal a few times. Encourage children to respond quickly so you ll have time for all the fun activities you ve planned. 178

5 Ask: What did you make or do when you came to our class today? (Built a city; played inside a fish; followed footprints.) Say: Some of you built the city of Nineveh with blocks, some of you played inside a fish made from a box, and some of you followed footprints around the room. You were all learning important things about our Bible story. After the big fish spit Jonah out, God told Jonah one more time to go to Nineveh. This time Jonah listened to God s directions and obeyed God. God wants us to obey him, too. Let s practice listening and following directions now. Give each child a colored construction paper square. Have children with the same color squares stand together; then have all the children form a circle. Say: If you re holding a blue square, raise your hand. Pause. You ll be the Blue group. Blue group, you may put your hands down now. If you re holding a red square, raise your hand. Pause. You ll be the Red group. Red group, you may put your hands down now. If you re holding a green square, raise your hand. Pause. You ll be the Green group. Green group, you may put your hands down now. If you re holding a yellow square, raise your hand. Pause. You ll be the Yellow group. Yellow group, you may put your hands down now. In a minute, I m going to play some music. When you hear the music, march around the circle. When the music stops, I ll give directions to each group. For example, I might say, Blue group, clap your hands or Red group, stomp your feet. You ll have to listen carefully to hear the directions for your group. Play the Marching Music segment from the CD (track 20), and have the children march around in the circle to the music. After a few seconds, pause the music and read the following directions. Don t pause very long between directions. Say: Yellows, sit down. Blues, sit down. Greens and Reds, sit down. Yellows, stand up. Blues, Greens, and Reds, wave your paper squares at me. Everyone stand up. Begin the music again, and have children resume their marching. After a few seconds, pause the music and wait for children to stop. Read the following directions. Don t pause very long between directions. Say: Reds, spin around. Blues, spin around. Greens, spin around. Yellows, spin around. Reds, lie on your tummies. Blues, lie on your backs. Greens, lie on your tummies. Yellows, lie on your backs. Everyone sit up and join me in our story area. Wait until everyone is seated, and then collect the paper squares. Say: You all worked so hard to follow directions. What was it like listening to those directions? (It was hard because you said them fast; sometimes I couldn t remember what color I was; it was fun because I got to move around.) You had to remember which color you were, didn t you? And the instructions came kind of fast. That was hard work, but you did a good job. Pat your neighbor gently on the back and say, Good job. Let children pat one another. Then say: It wasn t easy following those directions. Sometimes it s not easy to follow God s directions either. But God wants us to obey him. God will help us follow his directions, just as he helped Jonah. Let s bring out our Bible and review Jonah s story one more time. Jonah Obeys God and Goes to Nineveh 179

6 Lesson 13 n Bible Song and prayer Time SupplieS: Bible, CD player tracks 3 & 4 Say: Now it s time to choose a Bible person to bring me the Bible marked with today s Bible story. As we sing our Bible song, we ll pass around our special Bible. The person who s holding the Bible when the music stops will be our Bible person today. Lead children in singing I m So Glad for the Bible with the CD (track 3) to the tune of Give Me Oil in My Lamp. As you sing, pass around the special Bible. You can also choose children to be the Bible-Replacer (to put the Bible away) and the Cheerleader. Just be sure to keep track of who fills your roles each week, so each child gets a chance to feel special. I m so glad for the Bible, Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin. I m so glad for God s book today. I m so glad for the Bible, Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin Keep me learnin all about his way. Let me hear bout God s love Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin. Let me hear bout God s love for me. Let me hear bout God s love Keep me learnin, learnin, learnin. Let s shine the light for all to see. (Repeat first verse.) When the music stops, invite the child who s holding the Bible to bring it to you. Stamp the child s hand with the fish stamp, and thank the child for bringing you the Bible. Then stamp the other children s hands. Return the fish stamp and ink pad to the Learning Lab. Say: I m thankful for [name of child who brought the Bible], and I m thankful for everyone in our class today. Let s thank God together for all our friends in this class. Lead children in singing I m So Glad We re Together with the CD (track 4) to the tune of Give Me Oil in My Lamp. I m so glad we re together. Keep us prayin, prayin, prayin. I m so glad we re all here today. I m so glad we re together. Keep us prayin, prayin, prayin Prayin for each other every day. Lead children in folding their hands and bowing their heads as you continue to sing. Thank you, Lord, for each one. Keep me thankful, thankful, thankful. Thank you for everyone who s here. Thank you, Lord, for each one. Keep me thankful, thankful, thankful Thankful for our friends both far and near. 180

7 n Hear and Tell the Bible Story SupplieS: Bible Open the Bible to Jonah 3, and show it to the children. Say: Our Bible story comes from the book of Jonah in the Bible. Our Bible Big Book shows us pictures of our Bible story. Bring out Whiskers the Mouse and the Bible Big Book: Jonah. Say: Children, do you remember how excited Whiskers was about Jonah? Well, I asked Whiskers to come here early today. I thought maybe we could tell him the whole story of Jonah. Can you help me do that? I ll hold up our Bible Big Book, and you can take turns telling the story. Use the puppet script below to guide you as you help children review Jonah s story. You may want to have Whiskers ask additional questions to help children remember specific details from the story. Jonah Obeys God and Goes to Nineveh Whiskers: Hi, everybody! Is it true you re going to tell me all about Jonah? (Let children respond.) Oh, I m so excited. Let s look at the first page. Uh-oh, I see someone running on this page. Who can tell me what s happening? (Help children tell Whiskers why Jonah is running away. Then have one or two children help you turn the page.) Now let s look at the next page. I see ropes and boxes, and Oh my! I see a mouse that s about to get eaten by a cat. I hope he escapes. Who s sleeping on top of the ropes? What s he doing down there? (Help children explain to Whiskers that Jonah is trying to hide from God by running away and sleeping in the bottom of the boat. Then move on to page 3.) Oh boy. This page looks scary. Who wants to tell me about it? (Help children tell Whiskers how Jonah was thrown overboard to make the storm stop. Then have one or two children help you turn the page.) (Looks closely at picture.) Hmm. Now what could be happening here? (Looks at the picture upside down and then sideways.) If that s Jonah s house, it sure has a funny roof. And what are all those creepy-crawly things on the floor? Jonah needs to clean up his room. (Help children explain to Whiskers that Jonah is inside the big fish. You may want to turn back to page 3 and point out the fish. Then have one or two children help you turn the page.) Jonah looks very quiet in this picture. What s he doing? (Help children tell Whiskers about how Jonah prayed inside the fish. Then move on to page 7.) 181

8 Lesson 13 Whiskers: Now what s going on? First Jonah was inside the fish, now he s outside the fish. How did he get out? Teacher: (Help children tell Whiskers how God caused the fish to spit Jonah out on dry land. Then have one or two children help you turn to the last page.) Wow! Look at all those people! Can we count them? What s Jonah talking about? (Help children explain to Whiskers that Jonah is telling the people of Nineveh about God s love. Point out that Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh.) Jonah finally learned to obey God. When God asked him to go to Nineveh, this time he got up and went right away. God wants us to obey him, just as Jonah did. Whiskers: I like that story. Thank you for telling me about your super-duper big Bible book. That story about Jonah gave me an idea (scratches head). I ll be back in a few minutes. See you then! (Runs off.) Permission to photocopy this script from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO HandsOnBible.com Set Whiskers aside until the Nineveh or Bust activity. Bible Skills n Do the Bible Story SupplieS: tape, blindfold, poster tack, scissors, Jonah figure (p. 134) Before children arrive, place the Jonah s Journey poster on the wall at a level easily reached by the children. Photocopy the Jonah figure from Lesson 9, and cut it out. Put a small amount of poster tack on the back of the Jonah figure. Say: I wonder where Whiskers went. Hmm well, while he s gone, let s play a game! Have children gather and sit near the Jonah s Journey poster. Say: The Bible tells us that God wants us to obey him. When God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh the second time, Jonah obeyed. Let s play a game to help Jonah (hold up the Jonah figure) get to Nineveh (point to Nineveh on the poster). We ll take turns trying to get Jonah to Nineveh. I ll blindfold you, and then I ll give you a Jonah figure. You ll try to stick him on Nineveh. The rest of us will help you. Whenever you re going the wrong way we ll say, No, no, Jonah! Let s practice saying that together. Lead children in repeating this phrase a couple of times. Whenever you get close to Nineveh, we ll say Yes, yes, obey! Let s practice saying that together. Lead children in repeating this phrase a couple of times. 182

9 Jonah Obeys God and Goes to Nineveh Choose a child to begin the game, and blindfold the child. Give the child a Jonah figure, and let the class help the child place Jonah on the poster. Remind the class what to say to help get Jonah in the right place. Then let the child remove the blindfold and see where Jonah has landed. Praise all efforts, and encourage children to cheer for one another. Repeat until every child who wants to try has had a turn. Ask: How did the friends help you find Nineveh? (By shouting yes or no; by telling me when I was close.) How can friends help us obey God? (By telling us to do the right things; by reminding us to obey our parents.) Say: Jesus is a friend who can help us obey. When we need help to remember to obey, we can ask our friend Jesus to help us do what s right. Let s thank God for giving us a friend like Jesus. Pray: Dear God, thank you for loving us enough to give us Jesus. Thank you that we can talk to Jesus anytime. In Jesus name, amen. Some children are afraid of being blindfolded. Using a brightly colored scarf or fabric with cartoon characters on it may help ease their fears. If a child is unwilling to be blindfolded, let that child close his or her eyes while playing the game. Say: God wants us to obey him. When we forget to obey God, we can tell God we re sorry and try to obey him next time. When the people of Nineveh obeyed God, God forgave them for all the wrong things they d done. They were glad to hear about God s love. Hmm it s about time for our friend Whiskers to come back. Maybe he s so excited about his idea, he forgot to come. We better call him. Lead children in calling for Whiskers. Closing n Nineveh or Bust Supplies: none Bring out Whiskers the Mouse, and go through the following puppet script. When you finish the script, put Whiskers away and out of sight. 183

10 Lesson 13 Whiskers: Hello again! Does anyone here have a suitcase I can borrow? Teacher: A suitcase? What do you need a suitcase for? Whiskers: I m so excited about the story of Jonah you told me today. Teacher: What does that have to do with suitcases? Whiskers: Well, you see, I ve been learning that God wants us to obey him. So as soon as I find a suitcase, I m going to Nineveh. Teacher: But Whiskers, Nineveh is a city from a long, long time ago. It s not there anymore. Whiskers: (Disappointed) It s not? But I want to obey God like Jonah! How am I going to be like Jonah if I can t go to Nineveh? Teacher: Whiskers, we can obey God in other ways. Whiskers: Like what? Teacher: That s a good question. Let s ask your friends if they can help you. Children, can you help Whiskers think of other ways he can obey God? (Help children name other ways to obey God, such as obeying parents and teachers, sharing, or being kind. Point out that these are things the Bible, God s Word, tells us to do.) Whiskers: Boy, I m really glad to know about those things! I wasn t even sure how I was going to get to Nineveh, but I really wanted to please God. Teacher: We please God when we obey him. When we obey God, we show God that we love him. Whiskers: I m going to go home right now and obey God by doing something nice for my brother. Even though I can t go to Nineveh, I can still obey God the way Jonah did. Goodbye, friends! Permission to photocopy this script from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO HandsOnBible.com n God Will Help us SupplieS: CD player track 16 Say: Our Bible verse says, We must obey God (Acts 5:29b). But when we forget and disobey, God still loves us. We can tell God we re sorry and ask him to help us do better next time. Let s sing a song to help us remember this verse and that God wants us to obey him. Lead the children in singing Obey God with the CD (track 16) to the tune of Do Lord. 184

11 Jonah Obeys God and Goes to Nineveh We must obey God in everything we do. We must obey God in everything it s true. We must obey God in everything we do. God wants us to obey. When God says, Obey me, We answer, Yes, I will! When God says, Obey me, We answer, Yes, I will! When God says, Obey me, We answer, Yes, I will! God wants us to obey. God wants us to obey. After the song, lead children in the following prayer: Dear God, we want to obey you. Please help us do that. In Jesus name, amen. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Today I Learned handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with the children. Encourage parents to use the handout to plan meaningful family activities to reinforce this week s topic. Want even more activity ideas for this lesson? Check out HandsOnBible.com/tips. 185

12 Lesson 13 n lively learning: Spread love track 17 For Extra Time If you have a long class time or want to add additional elements to your lesson, try one of the following activities. Lead children in playing Swimming Fish, as described in Lesson 11 (p. 161). Sing Jonah Ran Away with the CD (track 17) to the tune of London Bridge, and then add the following verse, without the CD. Jonah went to Nineveh, Nineveh, Nineveh. Jonah went to Nineveh To spread God s love. After you sing, To spread God s love, call out a number. Have children spread God s love by gently hugging the number of people you specify. Remind them that God wants us to obey him. Encourage them to show their love for God by obeying him this week. n Make to Take: Fish in a Net n Treat to eat: edible Jonah Before class, photocopy the Fish in a Net patterns (p. 187), and cut out the fish. You ll need two or three fish for each child. Hang the paper fish net on a wall or between two chairs where children can easily reach it. Pass out the paper fish, and let children color or decorate them using art supplies you have on hand. When children finish decorating their fish, let them tuck their fish into the paper fish net as if someone fishing has caught the fish. As children work on their fish, talk with children about the big fish that swallowed Jonah. Then ask them to tell you what Jonah did when he got out of the fish. Remind them that God wants us to obey him. Have children clean their hands with baby wipes or at a nearby sink. Set out crackers, cookie sticks, banana slices, and paper plates. Let each child use the food items to create an edible Jonah figure using a cracker for the body, cookie sticks for arms and legs, and a banana slice for the head. As they eat their Jonah figures, have them tell you things they remember about the story of Jonah. n Story picture: Jonah Goes to Nineveh Give each child a copy of the Today I Learned handout. Let children color their pictures, and then help them use glue sticks to glue pieces of fine sandpaper to the road in the picture. As they work, point out that Jonah finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh. Remind children that God wants us to obey him, too. 186

13 Fish in a Net Cut around the fish, and then cut the tails apart. Permission to photocopy these patterns from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO HandsOnBible.com 187

14 God wants us Help me learn this: We must obey God (Acts 5:29b). Ask me: to obey him. n What did the people of Nineveh do when Jonah told them to obey God? n Tell me one way you can obey God. n How can our family help each other obey God? Family Fun Lesson 13 Today your child learned that GOD WANTS US TO OBEY HIM. Children heard how Jonah finally obeyed God and preached to the people in Nineveh. They talked with their puppet friend about ways they can obey God. n Cut colored sponges into fish shapes. Have your child tell you the story of Jonah while playing with the fish shapes during bath time. n Sing Jonah Ran Away to the tune of London Bridge. Jonah ran away from God, Away from God, Away from God. Jonah ran away from God. A big fish got him! Three days inside that fish, Inside that fish, Inside that fish. Three days inside that fish, Then out came Jonah! Jonah went to Ninevah, Ninevah, Ninevah. Jonah went to Nineveh To spread God s love. Jonah Obeys God and Talks to the People of Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-5) 188 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Preschool granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO HandsOnBible.com

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