Words of encouragement and support for those ministering "in the fields."

"Pacific Currents"
COVENANT FOR THE SAKE OF CREATION
A Biblical Reflection for Earth Day
by Rev. Dr. Mary Susan Gast, Conference Minister, April 22, 2008, Earth Day

“I have set my bow in the clouds,
and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

Genesis 9:13

That rainbow in the clouds thing—how we love it! The symbol of peace and hope and reconciliation of differences borne aloft to the heavens.

Yet there is a glowering menace that precedes this full-spectrum display of God’s covenant with the earth. The Almighty has had some anger management issues.

Well, sure, you can’t really blame the Author of the Universe, the Source of Life, for being more than just a little ticked off at the way this marvel of a planet, resplendent with gorgeousness, replete with luscious foods, abundant with water and sunlight, populated by a dizzying diversity of plant and animal life had been corrupted.

We read a little earlier in Genesis what went on before the Creator infused the rainbow with covenantal meaning: The Most High saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth…..And the Holy One said I am sorry that I made humankind on the earth, and it grieves me to my heart. [Genesis 6: 5-6] …for the earth is filled with violence because of them…[v.13]

Then the grief becomes turbulent and boils up and erupts in a lava flow of rage so that God declares, "I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.” [vs. 17]

And God, of course, has the capacity to do all that. And God does it. Total destruction. Except for Noah and his family and the representation of biodiversity embodied by the animals that obligingly processed onto the ark.

When we catch up to Noah and The Almighty during the rainbow scene, the storm is, of course, over. The flood has receded. And seemingly God is attempting to come to terms with the whole anger management dynamic.

Now no one’s gonna say that God had a tantrum—the Divine Outrage here was totally understandable. But, you know, the universe was pretty new when all this went down. God hadn’t done creation before. It takes a while to get in tune with the frustrations and disillusionments that come when you’ve loved human beings into existence and, much as you delight in them, and are sometimes moved to tears by the sweet and creative stuff they do, they can just make you crazy with their fighting and pettiness, their insolence and arrogance. And God’s patience was depleted. The Cosmic Dream of earth and its peoples living in peace, with abundance and blessing, not to mention liberty and justice, for all—was trampled into the dust. “What have I done?” God wailed. “Better to just get rid of them all—except this Noah and his relatives; they seem OK—and start over.”

Still, something in God’s words points to Her regret over how She handled things. Something in God’s words more than hints that during the flood He has been doing a little, well, soul-searching. God gives Noah and his family a blessing and a responsibility after they get off the boat, saying you’re in charge now on earth, be fruitful, and I don’t want any more violence—no violence to animals, no violence to other human beings. And then God says, “I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you [9: 9-10]…never again shall I destroy the earth, never again shall I destroy all living creatures, never again. “My bow is in the sky, and whenever I see it “I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh.” [9:15]

God points to the rainbow and says, this is my reminder to myself to keep in check my incalculable power. Unilaterally and unconditionally the Almighty has pledged to not wipe us out. By any means. This is not a loop-hole ridden contract to be parsed later in some celestial court with the Holy One declaring, “Now, now, I said I wouldn’t destroy by flood, I didn’t say anything about fire or virus.” No. “I am your God and you are my people.”

So, after all these eons, maybe it’s time for the human race to return the favor, take the pledge, point to the rainbow and say, “Back atcha, Divine One. Maybe we can curb our legendary oafishness and join you in the bargain to safeguard the planet.”

                                                                                                        ~ Mary Susan

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