Beautiful Day: Genesis 9:8-17

God looked into the divine heart and found only sorrow.  God was sorry that God had made humanity, so God places the earth on the divine scales of judgment and finds the earth wanting.  God decides to blot out from the earth all human beings and animals, and creeping things, and birds of the air.  God didn’t want to destroy humanity.  God wanted to destroy everything.  Human wickedness didn’t pollute humanity, human wickedness polluted all creation.  God weighs God’s options, and God decides to blot out wickedness.

But there is hope.  God calls Noah and his family to build an ark and fill it with the male and the female of every living thing.  It rains and pours for forty long dayzies, dayzies.  Then God remembers Noah and the rain stops, the waters recede, and the Ark lands on dry land on the top of Mount Arrarat.   You may have seen paintings and pictures of the next scene.  Noah opens the ark and releases the dove.  All of the animals are on the poop deck, literally.  The rainbow is in the clouded background.  Everyone is getting along—lions and tigers and bears are not feasting on the rabbits and canteloupe and aardvarks.  The platform is lowered and all of the animals in two straight lines calmly leave the ark and begin their new life on a brand new world.  It almost seems too good to be true.

About 5 years ago, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.  Twenty-six foot high storm surges battered the coast, smothering almost everything in its path.  The city of New Orleans was under water for nearly three weeks.  People sought refuge in the ark called the Superdome.  When the waters receded the city was full of dead bodies, toxic mold, and starving, thirsty people.  This is a far cry from our artists’ rendition of Genesis 8.  I can’t help but wonder what Noah saw from the bow of the ark.  What did the world look like?  On this, scripture is eerily silent.  It seems that covenants with God can be a terrible, gruesome thing, like that of a cross.

But there is hope.  Noah steps off the ark and builds and altar and prepares a sacrifice for God, and it is at this moment when there is a dramatic change in the nature of God.  God says that never again will God destroy every living creature because of humanity’s wickedness.  From this moment on, God will not destroy evil.  God will redeem evil.  God will not destroy.  God will redeem.

In 2006 I lead a team of undergrads to do home repair in New Orleans.    We drove into the city around 10:30 pm and the city was as dark as you could imagine.  There were almost no lights anywhere.  I’ve heard several preachers say that God sent the hurricane to smite the wicked of New Orleans, but did you know that one of the only areas not affected by the storm was the French Quarter?  Anyway, the next day we arrived at Mrs. Helena’s 100 year old shotgun home on Louisiana Avenue. Mrs Helena’s family had been living in this house for three generations.  We moved all of her furniture to the curb.  We threw out most of her possessions.  We tore out her drywall and we cleaned out mold.  When the house was but a shell, it looked as if the house might make it.  Mrs. Helena might not have to tear it down.  There seemed to be the slightest glimmer of hope.  Near the end of our week I sat down with Mrs. Helena on her front porch and I asked her what her thoughts were concerning the storm and its aftermath.  She simply pointed out into her front yard and said, “Do you see that tree?  If it hadn’t been for the flood water, the wind would have sent that tree crashing down onto my house.  Thank God for the flood.”

Thank God for the flood?  Did I hear that correctly?  I never would have thought I’d hear those words come from a New Orleanian mouth.  Thank God for the flood.  I’m not sure what Noah said when the waters receded, but where Noah is silent, scripture tells us that Noah built and altar to the Lord and gave thanks to the Lord for the blessings that Noah had.  During that brief and holy moment on Mrs. Helena’s porch, Mrs. Helena gave thanks for the blessings that she did have, vowing to build upon what God had provided.  In that brief, holy moment outside of the Ark, God spoke to God’s own heart vowing to never again destroy the world. 

God makes a covenant with Noah, sealing God’s promise, and in order to remember that promise, God placed a rainbow in the clouds.  God says to Noah that when the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember my everlasting covenant between me and all the flesh of the earth.  God repeats this over and over again, almost as if God is actively trying to stay God’s hand.  But then the language changes as if God is no longer speaking to God’s self.  It seems as if God is prompting us, like a pastor to a bridegroom on his wedding day, “When the bow is in the clouds—I will see it and remember—the everlasting covenant—-between God—-and every living creature——of all flesh——that is on the earth.”  It seems that God is speaking, pausing to hear our response.  What is your reponse?