At one of our church retreats entitled, "How Shall We Sail Our Ships?" we tried something new for our gathering. Although it was set up as a group morning devotional, it became a skit that turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire weekend. The women discovered an entire new way to learn God's Word, participate with the body of Christ, and fellowship with sisters they had not known well before that weekend began.
Feel free to download the following skit for your church group. To watch and take part in all the merry hearts makes it worthwhile.
- Divide the women into several small groups (no less than 4 per group).
- Select a leader for each particular group.
- Each group should open in prayer and read the little book of Jonah together.
"In A Fish-Belly Stew"
Jonah, the son of the prophet Amittai, was considered to be "a reluctant missionary" when he was sent by God to a field not of his choosing. (He did not like the people.) He tried to run from his calling, but God overtook him to cause him to reconsider. In other words, he could not hide! In his rebelliousness, Jonah found himself in the depths of the ocean, where God happened to be as well. He finally went where he was called to go (Ninevah) but became unhappy with his own success as a missionary. God in his love & mercy had to teach Jonah some important lessons.
- Take about 15 minutes to discuss the following:
- Tell about a time that you were directed by the Lord to do something you did not want to do.
- What was the reason for your reluctance & how did you respond?
- Have you ever felt as if you were running from God?
- How did he draw you back?
- Tell about a time you tried to hide from the Lord.
- How did you feel when you ran into him no matter where you went?
- Discuss a time when you were obedient to God, & the results either brought salvation to an enemy or made you an enemy of a one-time "so-called" friend.
- With your leader's guidance, put together a brief 5 - 10 minute skit showing Jonah's life, your application of Jonah as "a reluctant missionary" or Jonah in the 21st century as would apply to today's Christian.
- Be prepared to perform your skit, "In a Fish-Belly Stew" at a time set up by the retreat organizers. Be as creative as you wish: Serious or Funny, Props or no Props, Mime or Spoken. (No one will be looking for professionalism. This is a time to
 bring merry hearts and for teaching one another a clearer understanding of what God is trying to teach through the Book of Jonah.)
- Close in prayer together.
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A Skit Idea for a Ladies Retreat
