That all of them may be one

John 17:21

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rev. Dr. Chris Ayers

Genesis 9:8-17

A Disappointing Rainbow

A disappointing rainbow?  How couldn’t rainbows be disappointing?  Let’s be real and honest:  God has just destroyed the earth with water.  Do you think putting a beautiful rainbow in the sky is going to make up for that? That’s like NBA Los Angeles Laker star, Kobe Bryant, famously giving his wife, Vanessa, a $4 million, 8 carat purple diamond after she stood by him during his infamous affair / rape trial in 2003.  

A rainbow in the sky:  how many abused women/children have heard things are going to be different in the future?
Noah and his kin heard folk screaming and scratching at the door of the ark as they drowned.  Post-traumatic stress syndrome can’t be cured by beautiful rainbows.

The story is filled with exaggerations:  Noah, the only righteous person, the rest of the world evil beyond repair/hope, two (or seven?) pairs of all animals on an ark.  The worst exaggeration, however, is of a God so un-God-like.  Violence only begets violence, and that rule goes for God as well.

Did anything really change after the flood? 

Some say the heart of God changed.  What really needs to change is our belief that God would ever do such a horrible thing. 

People in your congregation struggle with how God feels about them and how they feel about themselves.  Some individuals punish themselves endlessly and without mercy.  Tell them about the disappointing rainbow.