There’s a lot going on in the readings today – and most of this is, I hope, very familiar scriptures for us all.
And one of the challenges with familiar scriptures is that they become SO familiar, that we don’t necessarily think too deeply about them.
So it can be fun sometimes to go back and consider things in a slightly different way – a different context.
The Season of Creation gives us that opportunity, as it puts together readings that aren’t normally connected in the lectionary we normally use. So it’s a bit of fun.
So the first area I want us to focus on this morning has to do with the covenant in the first reading.
Because a covenant is different than a contract. A contract is a business deal: usually there are 2 parties, they agree to terms, they sign off, have documents witnessed, etc.
A covenant, however, has some significant nuance to it: for a covenant involves God. And God isn’t interested in signing paperwork. That’s far too basic and human.
And even the word itself: covenant: it means coming together for a specific purpose… or assembling in agreement. The roots of the word are not passive; they denote an intention for doing something.
And so in this covenant that we hear of from the Genesis passage – this is the first biblical covenant, as we are starting to understand the relationship between God and God’s creation… of which humanity is just a part. An important part, of course – but a part.
Right in the words of the scriptures, we hear God say that the bow in the clouds is 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 let’s remember that God doesn’t need to see the rainbow – the rainbow is really there to remind US of the covenant.
And right from the start, this covenant is telling us the importance of the connection that we have with God, and that God has with the earth, and that we have with the earth. The entire context for our relationship with God is interwoven with our relationship with the earth.
Now that is quite the lens to apply to the rest of our reading of scripture, isn’t it? That our covenants with God are braided, as it were, with the rest of the creation.
And in the complexity of the cosmos, we are essentially in a tapestry of trust and relationship – each contributing to the whole, and each benefitting from every other thread.
That’s quite the lens to apply to considering our day to day lives, too – that the entire context for our relationship with God is interwoven with our relationship with the earth.
And these relationships: formed by a covenant. Our first covenant. Our faoundational covenant.
They’re sacred, then: sanctified, set apart, blessed – not a set of restrictions but holy guidelines of how God wants for us to be in relationship with the earth.
So much so, that God presents an amazing work of art to remind us of this covenant: the bow in the clouds.
Now this was intended as a symbol of peace: to hang up a weapon, a hunting device, to assure us of the cessation of hostility.
And yet God gives us even more of a gift, by making this gesture in a truly majestic way!
For we know that the bow in the clouds – the rainbow – is beautiful. It’s colourful, it’s mystical, it’s awe-inspiring. To this day, we can all be impressed at the sight of a rainbow.
And that beauty is elusive: for we cannot control how a rainbow will hang in the sky.
Try as we might, we cannot find the end of it – for we do not control it.
We cannot touch it or taste it or hear it: in fact, we know we can’t even see all of its colours with our human eyes: for God’s beauty extends far beyond our capacities.
(Sure, our scientific knowledge allows us to comprehend how prisms reveal rainbows to us, and we can use a prism to recreate the imagery – but these too are gifts that God gave us. We don’t control a rainbow, we engage in reminding ourselves about them.)
Yet we can enjoy it: we can benefit from it being there: and we can recall the meaning of it.
A symbol of peace.
A divine presence.
A holy agreement.
An eternal and unbreakable interconnection.
With this beauty comes the responsibility as people of this earth: for this generation and for the future.
Because this covenant with God reminds us that it is not all about us – it’s not just about now. It’s about finding ways to live in community with all around us; for in doing so we are making our offering to God.
In living into our covenant, we move beyond considering just us, and into considering how we can integrate our lives in meaningful and helpful ways with everyone and everything we encounter, for today and tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that.
It’s why we are reminded of the beauty of being a covenantal people in the reading from Genesis.
It’s why the Psalmist prayerfully declares “May the glory of the Lord endure for ever”
And in the Revelation to John the angel demonstrates the healing presence of God flowing like a river to all who would receive it.
And it’s why the Gospel chosen for today focuses on the presence of the risen Christ – assuring us of the ever-present reality of God with us – journeying with us in our ups and downs, as we strive to follow the teachings of Jesus to the best of our ability.
Because God IS with us. God loves us. God wants to be in relationship with us.
And so we have the wondrous privilege to respond with our lives as part of that relationship.
For when we lean into the covenant, we lean further into the reality of who God made us to be. The covenant challenges us every day to recognise our role and niche within creation.
To quote eco-historian Thomas Berry: “The nobility of our lives depends upon the manner in which we come to understand and fulfill our assigned role.”
So in our role as people of the covenant, we strive each day to further understand how to live into that covenant.
Yet as we do that hard work, we know that we are blessed. We know that we are loved. We know that we are upheld.
And we know that we are called to action.
So:
As God has given us peace, let us give peace to one another and to the earth.
As God has granted us mercy, let us extend merciful acts to all those being negatively affected by climate change and conflict.
As God engaged us in demonstrations of beauty, let us do all that we can to celebrate and share the beauty for generations to come.
And – as the New Covenant reminds us – as we are loved – loved unconditionally and beyond our wildest imagination – let us love all of God’s world – with exuberance.
And in this way, we will delight in the knowledge that we are covenant people: which brings Good News to us all.
And one of the challenges with familiar scriptures is that they become SO familiar, that we don’t necessarily think too deeply about them.
So it can be fun sometimes to go back and consider things in a slightly different way – a different context.
The Season of Creation gives us that opportunity, as it puts together readings that aren’t normally connected in the lectionary we normally use. So it’s a bit of fun.
So the first area I want us to focus on this morning has to do with the covenant in the first reading.
Because a covenant is different than a contract. A contract is a business deal: usually there are 2 parties, they agree to terms, they sign off, have documents witnessed, etc.
A covenant, however, has some significant nuance to it: for a covenant involves God. And God isn’t interested in signing paperwork. That’s far too basic and human.
And even the word itself: covenant: it means coming together for a specific purpose… or assembling in agreement. The roots of the word are not passive; they denote an intention for doing something.
And so in this covenant that we hear of from the Genesis passage – this is the first biblical covenant, as we are starting to understand the relationship between God and God’s creation… of which humanity is just a part. An important part, of course – but a part.
Right in the words of the scriptures, we hear God say that the bow in the clouds is 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 let’s remember that God doesn’t need to see the rainbow – the rainbow is really there to remind US of the covenant.
And right from the start, this covenant is telling us the importance of the connection that we have with God, and that God has with the earth, and that we have with the earth. The entire context for our relationship with God is interwoven with our relationship with the earth.
Now that is quite the lens to apply to the rest of our reading of scripture, isn’t it? That our covenants with God are braided, as it were, with the rest of the creation.
And in the complexity of the cosmos, we are essentially in a tapestry of trust and relationship – each contributing to the whole, and each benefitting from every other thread.
That’s quite the lens to apply to considering our day to day lives, too – that the entire context for our relationship with God is interwoven with our relationship with the earth.
And these relationships: formed by a covenant. Our first covenant. Our faoundational covenant.
They’re sacred, then: sanctified, set apart, blessed – not a set of restrictions but holy guidelines of how God wants for us to be in relationship with the earth.
So much so, that God presents an amazing work of art to remind us of this covenant: the bow in the clouds.
Now this was intended as a symbol of peace: to hang up a weapon, a hunting device, to assure us of the cessation of hostility.
And yet God gives us even more of a gift, by making this gesture in a truly majestic way!
For we know that the bow in the clouds – the rainbow – is beautiful. It’s colourful, it’s mystical, it’s awe-inspiring. To this day, we can all be impressed at the sight of a rainbow.
And that beauty is elusive: for we cannot control how a rainbow will hang in the sky.
Try as we might, we cannot find the end of it – for we do not control it.
We cannot touch it or taste it or hear it: in fact, we know we can’t even see all of its colours with our human eyes: for God’s beauty extends far beyond our capacities.
(Sure, our scientific knowledge allows us to comprehend how prisms reveal rainbows to us, and we can use a prism to recreate the imagery – but these too are gifts that God gave us. We don’t control a rainbow, we engage in reminding ourselves about them.)
Yet we can enjoy it: we can benefit from it being there: and we can recall the meaning of it.
A symbol of peace.
A divine presence.
A holy agreement.
An eternal and unbreakable interconnection.
With this beauty comes the responsibility as people of this earth: for this generation and for the future.
Because this covenant with God reminds us that it is not all about us – it’s not just about now. It’s about finding ways to live in community with all around us; for in doing so we are making our offering to God.
In living into our covenant, we move beyond considering just us, and into considering how we can integrate our lives in meaningful and helpful ways with everyone and everything we encounter, for today and tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that.
It’s why we are reminded of the beauty of being a covenantal people in the reading from Genesis.
It’s why the Psalmist prayerfully declares “May the glory of the Lord endure for ever”
And in the Revelation to John the angel demonstrates the healing presence of God flowing like a river to all who would receive it.
And it’s why the Gospel chosen for today focuses on the presence of the risen Christ – assuring us of the ever-present reality of God with us – journeying with us in our ups and downs, as we strive to follow the teachings of Jesus to the best of our ability.
Because God IS with us. God loves us. God wants to be in relationship with us.
And so we have the wondrous privilege to respond with our lives as part of that relationship.
For when we lean into the covenant, we lean further into the reality of who God made us to be. The covenant challenges us every day to recognise our role and niche within creation.
To quote eco-historian Thomas Berry: “The nobility of our lives depends upon the manner in which we come to understand and fulfill our assigned role.”
So in our role as people of the covenant, we strive each day to further understand how to live into that covenant.
Yet as we do that hard work, we know that we are blessed. We know that we are loved. We know that we are upheld.
And we know that we are called to action.
So:
As God has given us peace, let us give peace to one another and to the earth.
As God has granted us mercy, let us extend merciful acts to all those being negatively affected by climate change and conflict.
As God engaged us in demonstrations of beauty, let us do all that we can to celebrate and share the beauty for generations to come.
And – as the New Covenant reminds us – as we are loved – loved unconditionally and beyond our wildest imagination – let us love all of God’s world – with exuberance.
And in this way, we will delight in the knowledge that we are covenant people: which brings Good News to us all.
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