Jonah: An Interactive Story
 

This is an interactive story, (sometimes called a Spontaneous Melodrama.) You will gather people from the audience (as shown in the character list) before your story, and then as you read the story give people their assignments. It makes a crazy, but funny way to involve your entire audience.

Characters:
Word of the Lord Jonah
Sailors (4) Boat (2)
Waves (2) Wind
Big Fish (2) The Beach
The Italic phrases include what you need to say to your audience

This is the story of Jonah and his second chance. The story starts when the Word of the Lord came to Jonah. And told him to go to Nineveh ( to THE WORD OF THE LORD tell him to go to Nineveh. Point that way) But Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh so he went the exact opposite way and headed to the shore where he found some sailors and a boat. (arrange the sailors and the boat. Have the two boat people on their knees with their arms outstretched in front of them. Have the sailors and Jonah behind the boat people. Be sure you boat people are showing their profile to the audience) The Sailors began to row the boat and Jonah laid down and went to sleep. (tell Jonah to go to sleep)
Suddenly a big storm came up. The waves began to dance wildly (dance waves) The wind began to howl loudly (howl wind, louder, louder) The sailors were afraid (look afraid) and they cried like little babies (cry) and grabbed on to each other for comfort (grab each other) and the wind kept howling (howl some more) and the waves beat against the sides of the boat, (do it softly) and licked the chin of the sailors (see if they will do it) and the sailors began to cry some more.


So the sailors tried to figure out why they were in such a storm. The woke Jonah up and played One potato, two potato to see who’s fault the storm was (everybody put their potatoes in) Jonah wasn’t surprised when he was chosen. “I am running away from the Lord Most High. (get him to say this) He is the one who sent this storm (and this)
“What should we do?” The sailors asked?
“Throw me over board and the storm will stop”
The sailors looked at the dancing waves (dance waves) and listened to the howling wind (howl wind) and (Have "board" lay down now ) threw him over board (have the sailors set Jonah over the board (get it)) And immediately the wind shut-up and the waves were still (storm people stop boat, sailors, and storm people move over to stage right. The Big Fish and the Beach come center stage)
As he fell into the sea God sent a big fish to come and swallow Jonah. The big fish opened his mouth real wide (open your mouth, wider, wider) and sucked Jonah in. (Two fish people hold both hands and put Jonah in the middle) While in the fish Jonah began to pray.
God heard Jonah’s prayer and the Big fish vomited (make vomiting sounds) Jonah out and he landed on the beach (Jonah sits on the beach)
He wiped the fish slime off of his face (do this) and cleaned the fish spit out of his ears.
Just then The Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time (come on in WOTL) The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time and told him to go to Ninevah. And what do you think Jonah did? He ran all the way to Ninevah as fast as he could go.
Give these guys a big round of applause. They were great!
So what can we learn from Jonah’s story?

When we started this story I said it was the story of Jonah and his second chance. Isn’t it cool that God gave Jonah another chance to talk to the Ninevites. When we mess up God offers us a second chance. The neat thing is that he offers us third, fourth, and even a millionth chance. God offers us forgiveness and grace.
God wants to give you another chance. He wants to give you his grace and send you on a mission for Him. Today why don’t you ask God what your mission for Him will be. And when he tells you don’t go the other way. You just might end up in the middle of a great big fish.