One
of the most popular stories in Jewish Scripture is that of Noah and
the Ark.
It's
got everything: a sinful world, the Word of God, a hero, an almost
impossible task, drama, danger and a happy ending. Thirty-five
hundred years ago or today, who could not remember a story like this
and pass it on? Even now, every twenty years or so, someone talks
other fools into funding a search for THE ARK on the basis of new
"proof". The exciting prospect makes news for a short
while but seems to just fade away when nothing more is found.
What a shame. What a waste of time and resources. What a shame to
ignore the truths that are there for us by limiting the story to
mere history.
The
universal truths have been given to us in such clarity through
this story that it seems impossible for us to not understand and
ignore. In the story, the people of the Earth had grown sinfully
willful, ignoring the Word and Way of God who eventually grew sick
of them and gave up on humanity. Only a completely new start
would save the Earth. God searches for a few faithful and Noah and
family get the job, alebet, reluctantly. It's an impossibly huge
task: Build the world's largest boat even though you know nothing
about boats! Collect a pair of every animal on earth. Provision the
boat for a long, long time. Do all this in opposition to the
current values and social pressure.
Take
a look at our culture today and our values and compare them to that
of Noah's society in the story. Think about the changes any need to
make to adapt an “Ark” mentality. There's little wonder the
churches rarely touch this issue. Although they would suddenly
become relevant and noticed, they would surely become unpopular in
the eyes of those of wealth and power. The churches would be
actually have to lead in real changes in life, to make words and
flesh ONE. That would be a wonderful thing to behold and I must keep
believing that it can happen.
Books
could be written about this tension between FAITHFULNESS and FEAR(?).
I'll stop here in the hope that your minds will take off on the
subject.
Another
truth comes to us at the end. God regrets the divine acts of anger
and promises that never again will the people of the Earth get what
they deserve by divine hand. Though we might destroy ourselves and
even the Earth, God won't. It will never be God's will, no matter
that harmful acts of nature are called “Of God” in our insurance
policies. The sign of the rainbow will remind us of the fact of God's
love to us and the world.
If only we would allow this wondrous sign of nature to drive home
the reality of God's Call to change, heal, we might smarten up and
to start building.
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