Following a request from two regular attenders at Sunday Club we talked about Jonah and the Whale today. The children had been reading the Old Testament story during the week and it was great to see how much of the story they had remembered.
They knew that Jonah had run away the first time; when God had asked him to speak to the people of Ninevah about their bad ways and how he had worked his way onto a boat to escape Gods request. Retal told how God sent a storm which frightened the fishermen and how Jonah told them to throw him overboard as God was only angry with him. On doing this Jonah was swallowed by a whale; sent by God. As Jonah sat in the Whales belly he prayed to God and said how sorry he was. God forgave him and asked him again to speak to the people of Ninevah. Jonah agreed and the whale spit him out onto the beach.The people of Ninevah listened to him and changed their ways for the better. God forgave them and persuaded Jonah that this was the right thing to do.
The children decorated a balloon each like a whale and inside we placed a foam shape of Jonah. At the end of the service Christine burst one on the balloons to depict the Whale letting Jonah go. Also they coloured in a shape of a whale with Jonan inside. (both seen below)
