Genesis 9:1-17
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
After the flood comes the blessing.
We might expect God to spend time lecturing Noah on how to live. It could be expected that God would have a big list of things for Noah immediately after he exits the ark in the hopes of preventing the world from turning sour again. Instead, God pours forth blessings, telling Noah to go forth.
However, the world has also changed. Animals are now given for humans to control, and to eat. Animals will fear humans. The relationship is different.
When we go through major trials in life, we come out different. Our relationships are not the same. Some are stronger and deeper, while others have faded away, and have revealed themselves not to be reliable. Life changes as we go along.
But through it all, the promise of God remains. God is a promise keeper, and so we can trust in God to be reliable, to be trustworthy. No matter what, we can lean into the promises of God, trusting that he will care for us, that he will abide with us, that he will never leave us or forsake us. In the deepest challenges of life, God will be with us, and he will continue to bless us when they conclude.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Genesis 8:20-22
Genesis 8:20-22
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
So God makes a promise that we will carry forward in spite of our sin. The earth will continue to move in cycles, and we will make our home in it, not having to fear God's reprisal for sin falling down on us.
Later on, God makes a way for us through sin. This way is not through another flood, but through Christ. This transitions us from a people living in sin to a people living in hope. While Noah didn't have to fear God's destruction falling again, there wasn't a way forward through sin. That comes in Christ, the faithful Son who makes a path forward, who creates a way back into right relationship with God.
While we wish there would never have needed to be a flood, we can rejoice that God didn't stop at merely saving us from earthly destruction -- in Christ, God provides an eternal home for us.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
So God makes a promise that we will carry forward in spite of our sin. The earth will continue to move in cycles, and we will make our home in it, not having to fear God's reprisal for sin falling down on us.
Later on, God makes a way for us through sin. This way is not through another flood, but through Christ. This transitions us from a people living in sin to a people living in hope. While Noah didn't have to fear God's destruction falling again, there wasn't a way forward through sin. That comes in Christ, the faithful Son who makes a path forward, who creates a way back into right relationship with God.
While we wish there would never have needed to be a flood, we can rejoice that God didn't stop at merely saving us from earthly destruction -- in Christ, God provides an eternal home for us.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Genesis 8:13-19
Genesis 8:13-19
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Not a bad adventure for a 600 year old, right?
Whenever I see this depicted by artists, it usually is a beautiful, serene setting where the trees are blooming and the sun is shining and the animals peacefully wander off.
These artists have clearly never seen the aftereffects of a flood.
It's unlikely that everything would have been perfect, that the trees would have weathered the months of flooding well. There would have been mud everywhere. The animals would probably rush in a mad dash to get away from the ark (and the tigers and lions and other carnivorous creatures!).
In short, the conclusion to this story may not have been as picturesque as we imagine it.
But life is like that, isn't it? Even when we endure a trial, it's usually tough to recover, and it takes time. We wait. We heal. We remember what we have gone through, and we're grateful to have endured it, and the process to put our lives back together is long and complex, and it's often not easy. To do this on our own is extra challenging.
So we, as the community of believers who love one another, need to rally around those who are going through trials and think about how best to support them. We care for one another, pray for one another, feed one another. We think not of ourselves, but how our resources can best serve the community. We humbly submit ourselves to serve, to wash one another's feet, to cheer and encourage one another.
It's exhausting at times. It is demanding. But the Lord has charged us to care for one another in such a way that the early church community attracted believers through the radical, selfless love they demonstrated for one another.
May we love as richly.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Not a bad adventure for a 600 year old, right?
Whenever I see this depicted by artists, it usually is a beautiful, serene setting where the trees are blooming and the sun is shining and the animals peacefully wander off.
These artists have clearly never seen the aftereffects of a flood.
It's unlikely that everything would have been perfect, that the trees would have weathered the months of flooding well. There would have been mud everywhere. The animals would probably rush in a mad dash to get away from the ark (and the tigers and lions and other carnivorous creatures!).
In short, the conclusion to this story may not have been as picturesque as we imagine it.
But life is like that, isn't it? Even when we endure a trial, it's usually tough to recover, and it takes time. We wait. We heal. We remember what we have gone through, and we're grateful to have endured it, and the process to put our lives back together is long and complex, and it's often not easy. To do this on our own is extra challenging.
So we, as the community of believers who love one another, need to rally around those who are going through trials and think about how best to support them. We care for one another, pray for one another, feed one another. We think not of ourselves, but how our resources can best serve the community. We humbly submit ourselves to serve, to wash one another's feet, to cheer and encourage one another.
It's exhausting at times. It is demanding. But the Lord has charged us to care for one another in such a way that the early church community attracted believers through the radical, selfless love they demonstrated for one another.
May we love as richly.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Genesis 8:1-12
Genesis 8:1-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Can you imagine the elation in that boat when it was evident that this trial was over? Surely there were long periods where Noah and his family wondered if there would be any reprieve from their watery journey. Surely, they wondered if God had indeed forgotten about them.
So often, when we look back on this time, we do so with stories intended for children that make it seem so simple. In the midst of it, though, it must have been tremendously complex and difficult for the people involved. We know now that God led them through it, but I wonder if they didn't doubt whether or not they would make it through.
When we face our own trials, we surely doubt at times whether or not we will make it through. We wonder whether God is still with us, whether God has forgotten about us, whether there is hope for us beyond the trial. In the midst, it is sometimes hard to lift our eyes from the trial we are facing.
God never forgets us, never abandons us. Biblical characters before us have endured, and they have been able to look back and see how God was at work throughout their trials. May we take comfort in the ever-present reality and nearness of God, and may we draw hope from the fact that in Christ, we shall always overcome.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Can you imagine the elation in that boat when it was evident that this trial was over? Surely there were long periods where Noah and his family wondered if there would be any reprieve from their watery journey. Surely, they wondered if God had indeed forgotten about them.
So often, when we look back on this time, we do so with stories intended for children that make it seem so simple. In the midst of it, though, it must have been tremendously complex and difficult for the people involved. We know now that God led them through it, but I wonder if they didn't doubt whether or not they would make it through.
When we face our own trials, we surely doubt at times whether or not we will make it through. We wonder whether God is still with us, whether God has forgotten about us, whether there is hope for us beyond the trial. In the midst, it is sometimes hard to lift our eyes from the trial we are facing.
God never forgets us, never abandons us. Biblical characters before us have endured, and they have been able to look back and see how God was at work throughout their trials. May we take comfort in the ever-present reality and nearness of God, and may we draw hope from the fact that in Christ, we shall always overcome.
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