Preschool Jonah Follow-up: Week 2

Gulp - Jonah in the Fish!

This week, we continued the story of Jonah. In chapter 2, we see what happened to Jonah when he thought he could run from God - he ended up in the belly of a fish! During the three days in the fish, Jonah cries out to the Lord and recognizes that God is everywhere and that he can't run from him.

Go Deeper!

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

In this passage, Jesus tells the disciples to go out into the world and tell others about Him. This sounds a lot like when God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to tell others about God's love! [Jonah 1:12] Jesus even says at the end of this passage that he will be "with you always, to the very end." No matter where you go, God is always there! Here are some questions you can ask your child:
- When are times that we try to hide? [When we are scared; When we don't want to pick up toys; To be alone]
- Why did Jonah try to hide? [He didn't want to obey God or go to Nineveh; He didn't like the people in Nineveh]
- Is there a place we can go to hide from God? Under the bed? In the closet? [No! No matter where we go, God is everywhere!] *Have fun thinking of silly places to try to hide!*

Grow Together!

*Play hide and seek! This is a great way to illustrate the story at home. After the "seeking" part is over, talk about how Jonah tried to run from God. Reinforce that God is everywhere!
*Get dramatic! Participating in dramatic play is one of the best ways to remember stories! If you have a big box lying around, pull it out and have the whole family decorate it like a big fish. Use markers, tissue paper, fabric, whatever you have lying around! Then act out the story! Your child can go inside the "fish" and get spit out!