Brandon Glenn
Director of Youth Ministries
Give Us a Sign!
Christian, are you hearing the message of our brothers and sisters of color? They are crying out! God hears them. He’s listening. Are we?
This past Sunday, Christian Education Director, Denise Whitfield, talked with our children about Jonah. Her lesson focused on how Jonah whined, pouted, and was genuinely upset about giving God’s message to the Ninevites, even after they had accepted the message, repented from their sin and turned to God!
In Matthew 16, Jesus mentions Jonah. The Pharisees were up to their normal schemes of trying to trick Jesus. They said “show us a sign from heaven!” Jesus replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:2-4, NIV).
What is the sign of Jonah? When Jesus speaks, there are so many layers, but I believe one of the signs of Jonah that Jesus is talking about is Jonah’s resistance to the message that God wanted him to bring to a people he didn’t like. Jonah was willing to die instead of taking God’s message to Nineveh. Even after they accepted God’s message, Jonah wished he were dead (Jonah 4:9).
Here’s the point: God’s redemptive plan has always been and will always be inclusion and empowerment. I encourage you to participate; not just spectate! Join the conversation. Be part of the solution! Don’t stop. Author and speaker, Danielle Strickland recently said, “we need a long walk in the right direction.”
Not sure where to start? Here are some resources I found helpful as we educate ourselves (note that these resources are not recommended for all ages):
- Read: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- Watch: Ted Talk “We Need to Talk About Injustice” by Bryan Stevenson
- Watch: Just Mercy free right now on Amazon Prime
- Watch: 13th on Netflix
We have the gospel message that transcends all races, classes, genders. We have the hope for the hopeless. Let’s take a long walk in the right direction.