The Story of Jonah  (From the book of Jonah TLW)

Suggested Ideas:  One year I had someone make very simple drawings of the action of this story on a large newsprint pad.  As the story was told, a person stood at an easel and flipped the pages from drawing to drawing.  Another year, a couple people made simple puppet drawings on popsickle sticks of the main characters and stooped behind the altar to act out the story as it was read.

The Story of Jonah.

There once was a prophet named Jonah. He was from Galilee, and like most prophets of his day, he counseled the kings of Israel.

One day, the Lord came to Jonah and said: "Jonah, son of Amittai, I want you to go the great city of Nineveh and speak out against it. The people there are very wicked, and if they do not repent, I will destroy their city."

Jonah knew of the wickedness of Nineveh and how powerful and great they were, and he was afraid to go there. So he set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord.

He went to Joppa, where he decided to book passage on a sailing ship. The ship was bound for Spain, which is about as far away from Nineveh as you could go in those days. There, he thought, he would surely get away from the Lord.

But the Lord sent a strong wind and a great storm upon the sea. It was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up. The sailors were terrified and cried out to their gods.

Jonah came forward and told them, "I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm. For I have run away from my God who made the land and the sea and all there is. Throw me into the sea, and it all will calm down."

So the sailors picked up Jonah, and tossed him into the sea. And it calmed down at once.

God had not intended that Jonah should drowned, however. At his command, God sent a large fish alongside the ship, and it swallowed Jonah as soon as he hit the water. Jonah remained inside the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

During that time, Jonah prayed constantly to the Lord and repented for trying to run away from his command. Jonah was very grateful that God had saved him from drowning in the sea and promised to follow his command from now on.

God heard Jonah's prayers and caused the fish to cast Jonah out on the dry land. When God commanded a second time that Jonah go to Nineveh, he did not hesitate. Jonah set out on the road that went north to Nineveh.

Now, Nineveh was a very large city, three days walk from one end to the other. Jonah went throughout the city and proclaimed, "Nineveh will be destroyed in forty days! Nineveh will be destroyed because of the people's sins!"

The people were convinced that God had sent Jonah, and immediately went to their king to ask him what to do. "Let everyone turn away from sin and repent," he said. "Perhaps if we are penitent, the Lord will forgive us."

Everyone obeyed the king's counsel throughout the city. They all prayed humbly for the Lord's pardon and repented of their wickedness. Day and night they prayed to the Lord for forgiveness.

God heard their prayers and saw their changed ways. And he did not destroy the city, because he is loving and merciful, patient and kind. The people were not evil any more, and they were saved -- thanks to the word of the Lord delivered by Jonah.

So that is the Story of Jonah.

From

Six Stories for the Easter Vigil

Source: The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel