While we are not experiencing worldwide destruction by a flood, and the worldwide pandemic is largely behind us, recent fatal accidents to those we care about and the tenuousness of peace daily confronting us, certainly reminds us of our frailty. As we hope that God is hearing our prayers, it would not be surprising if we also wondered if God has forgotten us.  

If I wasn’t outside taking my constitutional walk, trying to stem off the pain of looming arthritis, I would have missed it. I had to be present to see it.  Rainbows make most of us smile. They’re like special gifts that suddenly show up.  Indeed, that is exactly what rainbows are. 

What we see in the Hebrew Bible, is the story of Israel again and again breaking its’ covenant with God   In a way, God now, is in a bind.  Due to his promise, God will no longer wipe out humanity.  There is no fresh start to cleanse the evil from earth.  Even the Israelites recognize the need for a Messiah.  And what was the result?

God sent Jesus as a stand-in for the humanity he promised he would not destroy again. This has always seemed cruel to me.   But, if instead, I look at this as God deciding to sacrifice part of himself because of love for us, finding no other way to redeem creation, it makes more sense. God showed up on earth, allowing his human self to be murdered by it. 

What an awesome God we have!  God is loyal to us, even when we are not loyal in return.  God is present to help us build the kingdom, as it is heaven.  We can do this.  We can build a better, safer, more loving world through Christ who strengthens us.

When you next see the rainbow of the covenant, remember the love God has for us and the commitments God keeps. Remember that a covenant is a two-way agreement.  And finally, know that God can find us wherever we are and always redeems us through love and Jesus the Christ.  Amen.