Mike Novotny - You'll Never Be in the Dark
I am standing here at Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene, and the site of one of the incredible archeological finds of the past 20 years. Back in 2009, archeologists found, just 12 inches below the surface of the soil, this. A first century synagogue in Galilee. But actually, what they found before the synagogue, was that stone that you see right behind me. A little stone about, I don't know, about two feet wide, just over a foot tall. It's called the Magdala stone. It dates back to the first century and it actually has depictions of the light, the lamp stand, that was in the temple that you found in Jerusalem.
And I love thinking about that. The Gospel of Matthew says that Jesus preached the kingdom of God in the synagogues of Galilee, which means he almost certainly preached it here. Like, I'm standing where Jesus stood, and where he preached the good news of forgiveness, from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, his Heavenly Father. And that stone reminds me of something powerful Jesus said in John, chapter 8. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
It's amazing. He is the light. Just like the carving, the inscription on that stone, reminded us that God is light. In the temple, the light of that candle stand, it never went out. That God always brings us the light and the hope and the peace that we have through Jesus. And if you follow Jesus, you'll never be in the dark. You might face some difficult situations. You might have some unknowns in your future. But if you're walking by Jesus' side, there's always the bright light of his love and his plans for you which will never fail.
Sometimes I think about Mary Magdalene. She was with Jesus when he died, when he preached these words, when he rose from the dead and said her name, when he ascended back into heaven. And, sometimes I wonder if she came back here. And I wonder if she sat on those stones right behind me, and she looked at that stone and saw that inscription, and she thought not just about the temple in Jerusalem, but about her teacher, Jesus. The one who she followed, the one who gave her light, the one who rescued her from the darkness of her past.
I wonder if she looked at that stone and smiled. I know that you can. If you follow Jesus, it doesn't matter what you're going through, what's around the corner, what's up with your kids, your friends, your work, our country. It doesn't matter because Jesus said this, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." That's the beautiful news of Jesus' love and his light that we learn right here at Magdala.