Beautiful Rainbows
Scripture:
When I bring clouds over the earth and
the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me
and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never
again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Genesis 9:14-15
When I was a child I used to
love to see a rainbow - the beautiful array of colors displayed across the sky,
usually after a spring or summer rain.
As the sunlight passes through the water droplets, the rainbow is bent
toward the ground and split into majestic hues of red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, and violet. It is as if God is
passing through the clouds lifting away the darkness and bending himself towards
us. Who can miss God’s majesty in such
moments?
And so it was, God set the
rainbow in the sky as a reminder to Himself and to us that He would never again
destroy the earth. I’m not sure how
literal we are to take the story of the flood – whether it actually happened or
happened as we have imagined. But there
it is nonetheless, right in the first book of the Bible as a reminder of God’s
relationship with His creation. It is
also a reminder of God’s frustration; how angry, grieved and saddened God was
by our hard-headedness and hard-heartedness.
But God did not stay
angry. Frustration, darkness, and chaos
gave way to love, forgiveness, mercy and grace.
“Never again will I destroy what is mine,” says the Lord. To which all us are bound to respond, “Thanks
be to you, Loving One. Thanks be to
You.”
You might want to be on the
lookout for rainbows and welcome them as a reminder of the Holy One who
remembers his promise forever.
Prayer: Loving God, we
know that you love us even when we refuse to grow up and be mature adults. Like the colors of the rainbow, you call all
of your creation to live together and make a beautiful display upon the
earth. Help me to do my part.
The Reverend Dr. Cathy Gilliard
No comments:
Post a Comment