2*

Monday 2 December

The Rainbow

By Katherine Ames-Lewis

Genesis 9.8-17

‘My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky’ wrote William Wordsworth.

The sight of a rainbow never fails to thrill –the artist Constable painted the spire of Salisbury Cathedral against the backdrop of a rainbow arching the sky.

Rainbow flags hanging in windows gave hope, comfort and a sign of solidarity during the isolation of the pandemic.

In Genesis 9, the rainbow is a sign, a pledge of God’s care for the world arching over us. It is also, the writer believes, a sign and a reminder to God the Creator himself –a reminder never again to destroy life on earthas after the Flood. In verse 15, the writer puts these words into God’s mouth:‘the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh’.

When we are faced with the news of violent flooding in Spain, and sea level rise caused by climate change, we should remember that the rainbow covenant is a two way reminder, to us and to God. We must care for creation, give thought to the management of our waterways, conserve precious resources in drought stricken places on earth – even remember to turn off the tap in the bathroom when cleaning our teeth.

Our Creator God, our loving heavenly Father is covenanted to care for the world, to love it, even so far as to send his son Jesus to be our Saviour, born to us in the dark days of December, when the rainbow colours of Christmas Tree lights will deck our streets and windows and lift our spirits, even making our hearts ‘leap up’ at the beauty of God’s promise.

============================================

 Genesis 9.8-17

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.

I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’

God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 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.

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.’

God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’