Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark

The story of Noah’s Ark, you must admit, is a good one. All those animals going in two by two, even two elephants and two mosquitoes. And Noah had his family with him, a symbol of the unity of humans with all living things, a modern message as we face the crisis of the environmental change.

The symbolism goes further. Catastrophe is round the corner. It can come to us at any time. All those people in Ukraine were going about their business and suddenly – for reasons many of them do not understand – their lives are in turmoil and death is among them.

It can happen to us; it can happen anywhere. Our earth is fragile and our history too. There are so many upheavals, international and personal. I write this at 33,000 feet and I hope this plane lands safely. But some planes don’t. We have no absolute security.

The sea was seen by our ancestors as hostile and unpredictable. It was the home of evil forces and when the Book of Revelations is describing the new world it says simply, ‘there was no more sea’ (Rev 21:1). Evil was conquered.

The desert too was a hostile place, a dry raw wilderness, where people were tempted to abandon their struggle to remain true and faithful. Jesus went there to be with us in our struggles. And he was among “the beasts.” Reading the weekend papers we can feel that wilderness and emptiness as people seek ways to ease their pain. Technology makes us feel safe in the air, on the water and in the desert. But it cannot save us from the culture that draws us down and makes so many feel helpless.

Noah rode in his ark on the waters, a symbol of hope and security in God. And water, that dangerous element, became the great sign of the Spirit in baptism. We are saved “in water.” The ancient foe is tamed and becomes a source of security and new life.

The heavy symbolism of water and desert weigh on us and make us feel helpless before these forces over which we have no control.  As we enter Lent we grapple with these powers in ourselves and in the world. We hear the words, ‘the kingdom of God is close at hand” (Mark 1:15). They convey the promise and the power of God. Health or sickness, long life or short, what the human heart longs for is close at hand.    

22 February 2015                               Lent Sunday 1 B

Genesis 9:8-15                                    1Peter 3:18-22                                   Mark1:12-15