I read some interesting things yesterday on the story of Noah's Ark. One was a short story... a kind of a re-write of the biblical story http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/davidhenson/files/2012/05/RainBowbyDavidRHenson.pdf
and the other was a sermon based on this short story http://www.thegodarticle.com/7/post/2012/05/building-arks-surviving-floods-rainbow-promises.html
Both were very good reads. If you are interested, follow the links to read them.
Don't you think it strange that we use this story of devestation... of millions of people dying in violent swirling flood waters... as a cute little children's story? That it is a popular nursery theme and we sing the cute little "Arky, Arky" song to our kids? It's a little like using symbols of the holocost or 9-11 to decorate the nursery, isn't it? But of course we don't focus on the devestation with our children; we focus on the animals and the colorful rainbow.
But eventually, we have to explain to our kids what the animals were doing in the ark to begin with. It's something I have always struggled with. I have never been able to find a satisfactory answer to this question: "If God knew from the beginning that he would send Jesus to atone for our sins, why the flood?"
One of the only answers to my mind is that the story of the flood is not a literal story. Although there are many stories from other religions and customs that tell of a great flood, there may have been a great flood but not a literal "Noah" and a literal "Ark" filled with hundreds of thousands of species of animals. And perhaps the flood was more of a disaster caused by nature rather than God's wrath. We must remember that biblical stories are often not historical recordings, but stories handed down generation to generation to teach about God and God's nature.
One thing we find about God's nature in this story is that he was sorry about the flood and promised to never do it again. God did something he regretted? According to the story he regretted creating mankind because they turned evil and then he regretted sweeping them all away in a flood. This doesn't really wash with the God I have come to know over the years, but the short story I referenced above said something that really resonated with me: (God said)
"When I forget my promise and my anger again brings storm clouds over the earth, my Rain Bow will appear to remind me of the unrestrained violence and death I brought to the earth and I will remember my covenant with all living things. I will stay my hand and my wrath. I will learn to love in spite of the sin and evil."
God loving us in spite of the sin and evil... now that resonates with me. That is the God I know. We won't know the whole story behind the flood until we see God face to face. But when we see that rainbow, it is more than a promise that God will not flood the whole world again. It is a promise that he loves us no matter what our sin is. He loves us just as we are and for all that we will one day be.
Father,
Help us to love one another with the same kind of love you have for us... no matter the sin. For we are every one a sinner and in need of your love and grace. Amen.
Joys: Fun with friends at book club; another long weekend ahead for me; quiet mornings
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