March 29, 2015: Signs of Darkness – Landon Lynch

Jesus told his “unbelieving generation” they would only ever be given one sign from him. Namely, the sign of Jonah. And what is that sign? Spending three days in the belly of a fish – which is a dark place. Jesus, of course, spoke about spending three days in the grave which is also a dark place. But the story doesn’t end in the fish or in the grave. It ends in a new thing happening. This is what we learn about darkness – it is pregnant with creative possibilities. 

Seeds begin their growth in the ground where it is dark. Human life begins in the womb where it is dark. In the Jewish tradition a new day begins at sunset – in darkness – and then comes the light of the morning opening up to us something new. So what if we recognized that it is precisely in the darkness that new life begins … perhaps during Holy Week this is what we can dwell upon. For we now begin the walk with Jesus toward death and darkness. And that is where the new thing God is doing will begin.