Rainbows and Hearts

In the story of Noah, we hear and see the first time the word, "covenant" used in the Bible. In the prophecy of Jeremiah, he tells of the last covenant that will be given to us humans. The first covenant is given not just to Noah and humanity, but to every living thing and the world itself. The last one will be written on our hearts. In the story of the great flood, it is Noah who sacrifices and worships God that causes God to regret the action of flooding the world and so God makes the sign of the rainbow to remind Godself never to destroy the world again. Of course, the rainbow is a bow of an archer a weapon that is now turned upside down which can't be used to harm or destroy. Whether or not we believe in a flood that covered the whole world or just a portion, the story gives us assurance that God isn't in the world-ending business anymore. God literally hung up their weapon as a sign of peace to all life and a reminder not to do it again. On Friday night, we had a beautiful rainbow, some saw a double rainbow, after a brief and soaking rain. We see beauty, awe, and wonder. In this story, God sees a reminder that even when things go wrong, life is important and life is good, all life.

In this first covenant, God does not require anything of humans or any other life forms and even expands the diet of humans and possibly other animals. We are told all have eaten grass up to this point, but now, all moving things are given for us to eat. We are not told to not do evil or else. We are not given the 10 Commandments. We are told to be fertile and multiply, that is it. There was nothing to sign, for it wasn't a contract, it was God's verbal commitment to a relationship that has no end.

The covenant that God promises through Jeremiah is also very similar. God will write the laws upon our hearts so that all will know God. Again, this is God's initiative and God's doing. The ending of the Jeremiah is peculiar in that God tells us that if the sun and moon and seasons ever end, then God will forget this covenant. But this harkens to the first creation story and to the covenant of Noah that God won't destroy the world ever again so this covenant with the people of Israel, and we infer with all the world, will never be undone.

Between this first and last covenant, we have others given to us through the 10 Commandments and Moses and through Jesus and the cup of the new covenant. Covenants are made between humans like Jacob and his father-in-law at Mizpah, "the Lord watch between me and thee while we are apart." Covenants are based upon relationship, not just contracts that spell out the terms of finances and actions to be taken or acceptable, but a relationship of how to live together, how to be together, and maybe even, how to grow together.

Until this last covenant comes through and God's law and love is written on our hearts, let us strive to be in relationship with each other in ways that are healthy and good. Let us seek not to destroy, but to be fruitful, fertile so that all life may thrive and flourish. Let us seek the good for all, not just ourselves or our country, or those whom we think agree with us and have similar goals. Our church is a covenant church, in our sacraments, we baptize and promise to resist evil and share the good news, and we eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Christ, who came to share the love of God in real and just ways. We, as humans, have the power to destroy, but we also have the power to heal, to forgive, and be generous. We, as the church, the body of Christ, live into the covenant, the old covenant, the new covenant, that all are related and we are to love each other, as Christ loves us, as God loves us, and as the Spirit moves through us. Amen

A Tale of Two Females

In a book called, "The Year of Living Biblically" by A.J. Jacobs, he tried to follow all 435 commands found in the Torah or Pentateuch. One of those commands was that you couldn't touch a woman while she was having her period so he wouldn't hug, kiss, or hold the hand of his wife during her cycle. She learned that he couldn't sit where she sat, so when she became frustrated with him she would sit on every piece of furniture in the house so he would have to stand or sit on the floor the whole day. We don't know what kind of hemorrhaging this woman in the crowd was suffering, but for her to be so afraid of Jesus and the crowd that she didn't ask for healing, but just touched his cloak and had faith that she would be made well, we have to assume that she has spent twelve long years not being able to hug, kiss, or hold hands with her family and friends. This physical and social isolation seems to be more damaging as she persisted with this illness for twelve ...

Covenant of the United Church of Christ

That they may all be one! This was the dream of the these different denominations and churches coming together in 1957. That they may all be one! While many denominations were splitting and continually finding reasons that they couldn't be siblings with those Christians over there, a group of mainline Protestant leaders came together that united and uniting was the future of the Church. Yes, it was mainly four major denominations which are: 1. Congregational 2. Christian 3. Reformed (German) and 4. Evangelical Synod (Lutheran). There were many other smaller groups that joined as well, that included Back, Native, and Hungarian. But if you look at the first General Synod picture, it was pretty much white, middle class men. With global communication becoming easier, travel, television, and the United Nations, they had a dream and vision that all Christians could live together, worship together, and be one as we are one in God with Christ. That they may all be one! is the United Churc...

Sabbath

In the Five Books of Moses where also known as the? (Pentateuch) What was the last thing written of the Pentateuch, the last story? Hint: it was a poem. (The First Creation Story) The Seven Day Creation Story was put in its final form, the first time it was written down was while the people of Israel were in the diaspora spread throughout the Babylonian Empire in the sixth century BCE. It became widely shared because the prophet Jeremiah told the people to marry amongst the people wherever they were at and to settle in. Yes one day, they would return to the towns and Jerusalem, but for now, continue to live. The people of the nation of Judah were there for about seventy years, so there were a couple of generations happening and their children and grandchildren were forgetting their language, their heritage, and their God. Then, the poem about God creating the world in seven days was used as a reminder, a balm, and a way to remember who and whose they were. It centered on the sabba...

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