November 29th - Reflection

Genesis 8:1- 19 (NRSV)
The flood waters subside

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters gradually receded from the earth. At the end of one hundred fifty days the waters had abated; and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.

In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw that the face of the ground was drying. In the second month, on the twenty seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. Then God said to Noah, "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth." So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives. And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families.

Reflection
This passage makes me reflect on a combination of baptism and the second coming. As we leave our old life behind and step towards God in repentance for our sins, we enter into the ark. We are protected by the promise of salvation in the ark and are covered with life giving waters for a period of time. And then as the waters subside, having been given the promise and covenant of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we arise to a new life.

At first we see the peak of one mountain. Then as the waters subside even further we begin to see the peaks of others mountains. As the  waters recede we view valleys and rivers and finally the plains. The earth comes to life once again with vegetation, animals, work and activity all about. God reveals life in him. We are living a new life through the promise of God. Our old life is a memory to us, but is forgotten to God, since God is working on this new life in us.

Families flourish and life begins anew. All in this sudden second coming of God into our lives. All in this second coming of the salvation of Christ we are born again out of the womb of the ark, having been covered in the life-giving waters of salvation. A new life is born...all in the second coming of Christ...all in baptism...Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, each day I awake to your coming. Renew my baptism and come to me again; that I may live this life renewed and still wet behind the ears. --- Amen