FAITH QUEST

Jonah

April 17 – May 15, 2005

Creation Station

Scripture: Book of Jonah

Key Scripture Verse: Jonah 4:2 “…You are a kind and merciful God, and you are very patient. You always show love, and you don’t like to punish anyone, not even foreigners.” (Contemporary English Version)

Memory Verse: “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15 (NRSV)

Offering: Haven House which provides a multitude of programs that have helped thousands of young people and their families overcome problems and become productive members of the community.

Concepts:

· God will not give up on you even if you disobey

· God has power over all nature

· Jonah was a reluctant prophet and had trouble accepting God’s mercy and love for his enemies

· God wants everyone to turn to God and know God

Objectives:

1. Understand that even if we try to hide from God, he will be watching no matter where we are.

2. Learn that God loves everyone, even our enemies.

3. Recognize that God can use nature to make people understand his wishes.

4. Children will create batik pictures of Jonah trying to run from God.

Procedure:

Welcome and Introductions:

1. Welcome the children and introduce yourself. Wear your nametag. Make sure that everyone is in the right classroom! Children will either already have name tags on, or will get a nametag from their shepherd. Make sure that you know everyone’s name and greet the students individually. Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week that may not know you.

2. Start the “lesson time” with prayer. Perhaps: Dear Lord, thank you for your promise to love us all. Amen.

Bible Lesson:

1. This is the story of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet who didn’t want to do his job of carrying a message from God to the people who lived in the city of Nineveh. Nineveh was a city in the ancient country of Assyria and a dreaded enemy of Israel. These people were powerful and cruel and Jonah hated them. But, God wanted them to know that he would forgive them and bless them if they repented by changing how they behaved. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn them that God had seen their sins and they would be punished unless they changed and were good.

2. But, Jonah didn’t want to obey and thought that he could escape from God’s command by fleeing in the other direction by ship. While the ship was sailing on the sea and Jonah slept below, God sent a great storm with strong winds. The sailors were frightened and after they had done everything possible to keep from sinking, they decided that someone on the ship was the cause of their troubles. When Jonah awoke, he told the sailors that he worshipped the God of Israel. The sailors remembered that he had earlier told them that he was running away from the Lord. They decided that God sent the storm to punish Jonah and that they might be saved if they followed Jonah’s request to throw him overboard.

3. Well, Jonah didn’t drown. Instead God sent a big fish to swallow him. Inside the fish for three days, Jonah prayed to God. The fish swam towards shore and, at God’s command, spit Jonah out on land. At last, Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh. He warned the people that God would destroy their city in forty days unless they stopped doing evil things. The people listened and obeyed and prayed to God. God saw this and decided not to destroy them. Jonah was angry that they had been forgiven. He didn’t think it was fair that God showed love for Jonah’s enemies. He told God that he wished to be dead.

4. Jonah might have hoped that God would change his mind and punish the people of Nineveh after all. He went outside the city to watch and see what would happen. He took shelter from the sun. God made a vine grow up to provide more shade. Jonah was happy with this. He still hoped that God would destroy Nineveh. But early the next morning God sent a worm to eat the vine and it withered. Then God sent wind and scorching sun. Jonah again wished he could die. God showed Jonah that he cared for Jonah by not letting him die and telling him that instead of being disappointed that a vine died, he should be happy that a city filled with people and animals had been saved.

Application:

1. Create! READ the lesson (1-4 above) with expression.

2. Tell the children that they are going to make batik (wax resist) pictures of Jonah running from God. This could be on the ship, inside the fish or under the vine.

3. Steps: Have children put on smocks. Pass out folded newspapers, pencils and picture sheets. Have the children write their names on the picture sheet. Then pass out the wax sheets and craft sticks. With the wax sheet atop the picture sheet, resting on the newspaper (to provide a softer surface), a scene from Jonah should be drawn with a craft stick and pencil. Encourage thick and thin lines by sometimes pressing with the side of the stick. The design will not show on the picture sheet when the wax sheet is peeled off. The children might think of it as Jonah hiding from God. Dispose of wax sheets. Pass out watercolors or very diluted tempera paint and soft brushes or small sponge squares. Apply watercolors directly over the wax drawing. Different colors can be applied to various sections. The wax will repel the watercolor and remain white.

4. Clean up! Involve everyone in cleaning up so that you will have time to share together in the closing. You may want to have a prearranged signal for clean up and tell them at beginning of art project what that will be - perhaps giving them a 5 minute warning and then the final clean up notice to allow those who need a bit more warning that they need to complete whatever they are working on.

5. Turn out lights and lock the classroom door when leaving.

Reflection Time:

1. Ask the shepherds to pass out Journals and pencils/markers. The children should spend a few minutes reflecting upon the morning's lesson – What was God trying to teach Jonah? (That he loves all people no matter what they’ve done or where they live.) Can you name the six times that God used nature to teach Jonah? Was Jonah mistaken to think that he could get away from God? Can you think of a time when you knew what God would like you to do, but you didn’t do it?

2. At 10:40 ask the kids to close their journals and prepare for the closing prayer.

Closing:

1. Encourage them to remember that we cannot disobey God without his knowing it. Tell them that God loves them and will keep trying to help them obey.

2. Tell them that their Pennies will be given to Haven House which provides a multitude of programs that have helped thousands of young people and their families overcome problems and become productive members of the community.

3. Say the Memory Verse together (see above). You may want to have this verse printed on a banner and hung in the room, write it on the white board in the room, or have it on slips of paper that each child can take home.

4. Pray! Ask the children if they have any prayer requests. God of hope, every day, all over the world, you show your love to people. Open us to your word.

Teacher preparation in advance:

1. Read the scripture passage and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Workshop.

2. Practice reading the Bible story (above) with expression.

3. Prepare an opening prayer in case nobody volunteers to pray.

4. Check the art room and the supply closet to see what supplies exist.

5. Experiment with what the children will be doing.

6. Prepare all the materials you will need for the creation process. Have the materials ready to go. There will be limited time for the creation process, so do everything you can to conserve time.

7. Decide how you want to close the lesson. Prepare a prayer or ask for suggestions.

Materials:

Newspaper folded into quarter sections

Craft sticks (Popsicle size)

Pencils

Bateek-O (package of 30 sets, 8 ½” X 11”)

Soft Brushes or small sponge squares 1” x 1”

Watercolor or very diluted tempera paints

Small disposable dishes for paint or water

References:

Bateek-O may be purchased from Nasco Arts and Crafts 1-800-558-9595 www.ENASCO.com

Three packages will be provided for 2005 lesson