Dishonoring Covenant - Thursday - February 19, 2015

SCRIPTURE READING:

     Genesis 9:8-17

"Then G-d said to Noah and to his sons with him: 'I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you--the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you--every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.'  And G-d said, 'This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember by covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between G-d and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.'  So G-d said to Noah, 'This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.'" 

THOUGHTS:

      A few weeks ago I was given a book called Forgive us: confessions of a compromised faith.  I dove in and read the entire thing in a matter of a day or so.  It wrecked me. It is a book that I will find myself returning to over and over during Lent because it is a book of lament, a book of honesty, a book of repentance for the things that the Church has willingly and unknowingly perpetrated. It is acknowledges the brokenness of the Church (the people of Christ).  I highly recommend this book for now during this season and far beyond.  May prayer as I read it was that it would be a book that forever changes me and those who read it. The first chapter is dedicated to the seeing and lamenting of the sins we (the Church) have committed against G-d's creation.
     Humankind was placed in the midst of the new creation and told to care for it (Gen. 2:15), to love it, to name it, to be co-creators with the Lord.  In the history of humanity somewhere we warped the vision of   G-d and began to treat creation as something to be lorded over, something to be conquered, something simply meant to meet our needs.  This isn't only a modern problem. This happened by the time of Noah.  Genesis 6 recounts not only how humanity had faltered but how as a result the earth had become corrupt and full  of violence. And so as to not get sidetracked into why G-d did what he did, let's just simply say he started over - He de-created and then re-created his precious work of love.  At the completion of this re-creation, the gracious Creator made a covenant. A covenant that holds true today.

July 2014 - Ecuador - Cayambe 

     This covenant was established by G-d.  He provided a sign (a rainbow to be seen anywhere and everywhere on the earth) and He remembers this covenant because it is an everlasting covenant for all generations.  G-d made this covenant with Noah, his descendants and every living creature and he made it between Himself, Noah and every living creature for all generations.  G-d established with us a covenant that is between us.  It is a covenant initiated by G-d but it is also a covenant that requires action and participation by us.

We have dishonored that covenant. We have participated in destroying G-d's creation.  We have not lived as part of creation, but instead have lived as gods of creation - taking power and dominion - making idols of natural resources and laying waste to all that G-d created.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from G-d his Savior.  Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O G-d of Jacob." (Psalm 24:1-6)

ACTION:

Lord, this can't just be about reducing, reusing and recycling. Those things are wonderful and we should do them. But there's something more.  May my heart be changed today to view your creation as part of me, as part of my children.   Father, give me your eyes to see the destruction and the wisdom to know how to be a part of your redemption because your redemption is for all of creation.  I repent for any thought and action that has made redemption and salvation simply about myself and humans. Lord you are redeeming and saving the world --- and everything in it.