Lent 1 - Never again...

Genesis 9.8-17

...never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. (Gen 9.11)

God’s creation, pronounced “good” in the first chapter of Genesis has run amuck. Humans have broken all the rules; violence is everywhere; the world is quickly turning to chaos once again. God reacts by destroying everything God has created, saving only a remnant, so that they can make a fresh start. And after the destruction, God vows “never again” to destroy the creation.

We are still determined to destroy God’s good creation--killing our brothers for oil, ruining the land and the waters with our nuclear accidents, stealing resources from other countries. We are still doing our best to return the earth to the chaos God tamed in Genesis 1.

In past weeks, there has been much speculation about Israel attacking nuclear installations in Iran. I didn’t know until earlier this month that the US has 45 military bases surrounding Iran (see graphic from http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30504.htm ). Did you know about this?

Time for another flood, I think.

But God has already tried this, and God repented. “Never again….” God has new plans for us, plans born, not of anger, but of love and compassion. God left us the rainbow to remind us of God’s love, our reason for hope in the midst of the chaos we are creating.

The Lutherans of the Holy Land today are God’s rainbow, a sign of hope in a region of deep despair. They are a sign of love in a city hemmed in by hate. They are a sign of order in a chaotic region of the world. The new college sits atop one of Bethlehem’s many hills. The design of the building is grand and open, unlike the barbed wire and concrete walls that enclose the city. These Palestinian Lutherans are one sign that God has not given up on humanity, that God still has plans for us, plans for good, for health and well-being.

Yet President Obama’s 2013 budget includes another $3 billion in aid to Israel’s military.

God looked on the destruction of the flood and repented. If God can repent—turning from destruction to tender care for God’s own creation—what might we do to repent in this Lenten season? What can we do that will be a sign of God’s rainbow promise?

Gracious God, you have promised never to give up on your creation. Help us, your chosen people, to be a sign of your rainbow promise amid all the chaos we have created. In the name of the son you sent to save us from our disordered appetites and selfish desires. Amen.