Genesis 8 

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. 2 The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. 3 So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days, 4 exactly five months from the time the flood began,[a] the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 Two and a half months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible. 

6 After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat 7 and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up. 8 He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground. 9 But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside. 10 After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again. 11 This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone. 12 He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did not come back 

Song: Mr Noah built an ark… 

But into the boat they would not go… 

The people of Noah’s day did not turn down the opportunity to be saved from the water, they turned down the opportunity to experience the grace of God. 

Matthew 24 

37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. 

40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. 

42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 

The ark was a vessel of grace. Had the people of Noah’s day heeded the warnings, they could have escaped the wrath of God.  

But they did not believe, or perhaps they thought they had more time. And is that so different than many today?  

This is a bit dated, but I remember this newspaper article because we were living in Ottawa at the time and had subscribed to the Ottawa Citizen. 

Moderator of the United Church Rev Bill Phipps 

Ottawa Citizen October 29, 1997 

“The divinity of Jesus and the reality of heaven and hell are irrelevant. I don’t believe that Jesus was god but I’m no theologian. I have no idea if there is a hell. I don’t think Jesus was that concerned about hell. Is heaven a place? I have no idea. I believe there is some continuity of the spirit but I would be a fool to say what it is. We have enough problems trying to live well or ethically without worrying about what is to come.” 

I’m wondering how that strikes you?  

In 1997 they were a denomination of 3 million with about 380,00 in regular attendance. Today they are 2 million and about 121,000 in regular attendance.  

Poor souls if that is in the background of their teachings… 

And Jesus said in the last days there would be teachers who told people what they wanted to hear…and some followers and some teachers would be persuaded (and Jesus adds if there were possible). It seems it is possible,, and it is reality. 

We are in those last days – The Church has been in those last days since the ascension of Jesus. We are but to wait, faithfully. 

Genesis 8 is all about God’s faithfulness to Noah and to the world he created, and to his demonstration that justice and love must go hand in hand. But now on the other side of the flood he calls Noah out of the boat, v. 15, 16. And he tells Noah to release the animals in v. 17. 

I did wonder why God put all those animals in the ark… he could have, as he did in the beginning simply speak them back into existence. So why did he put them in the ark and ask Noah to take enough food to care for them on their journey?  

The only answer that makes sense to me, this side of eternity, is that God was demonstrating something about his care for his creation – and isn’t it interesting that as The Bible ends and God comes to restore His Kingdom fully, we find in Revelation that we are back in a garden. 

The grace of God is great. 

And who does not need His grace. 

The other thing that is of interest to  me in this text is that God calls Noah and his family out of the ark. This is not a simple statement. It’s an important sentence. It is one that needs to be highlighted, for there is a direct parallel to God’s call to The Church.  

We are called to come out, to be in the world, to be salt and light where we live. 

Here is my retirement conviction. We have been called to be salt and light in our neighbourhoodl

The Church is at its best when it is in the neighbourhood – and I don’t mean that it must always be a program or by some government funding. 

We can be salt and we can be light. 

What were the three S’s of sin – Sin spoils (salt preserves), spreads (salt can contain) and separates (light retreats the darkness and unites) 

The church is the ark… it is a vessel of grace too, that allows the very word and work of Jesus to be well known. It is the vehicle by which people can hear of and take hold of the offer of forgiveness. 

But we must listen to God’s voice and if we are sensitive He will call you out as He designs. 

And so to Noah, God was faithful – and to all who came out of the ark. And in response Noah builds an altar and offers a sacrifice and it was pleasing to the LORD so He then promises that He will never again destroy the earth and in chapter nine, after recording that God blessed Noah and his family, God gives us the sign of the rainbow. 

Genesis 9 

12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.” 

The rainbow is a sign of His covenant. What covenant – the covenant that with justice having been served, God will remember His promise. 

It’s unfortunate in this day that the rainbow has come to mean something else – it is a sign of God’s covenant, not the symbol of a group of people however well meaning they might be. 

(The rainbow is sold as love and acceptance – well, yes love but after justice is served. And acceptance only under the blood of Jesus.) 

So yes, we sing when you see a rainbow you know that God is love, but He is also a God who rewards those who He redeems and punishes the wicked. Not the most popular message today. Not one John might have printed on the front page of Salvationist.ca  

But in that reality is this opportunity to experience grace… to experience of forgiveness! 

When I was 7 years of age I asked Jesus to forgive my sins. What could a 7 year old understand of sine and yet, what a joy to be forgiven! 

There is a release in forgiveness, there is one in fresh covenant. 

Age 7 was not the last time I stood and walked to the mercy seat… there have been many times! In my teens – for relevation of sin means new covenant. 

We knelt at the mercy seat after exchanging wedding vows and covenanted fresh. 

We knelt at the mercy seat in making our decision to be officers. 

We knelt at the mercy seat to sign our convenat as officers. 

We knelt at the mercy seat of every corps since…it is just the way of The Salvationist.  The Catholic may have the confessional booth, the Methodist the sacrament, the Quaker their silence. But for us – it is the mercy seat.  

And the mercy seat is about covenant. It is about responding to God’s call again and again and again. And should we ever get to a place where we do not find freedom at the mercy seat, well may God help us. 

After the ark rested and Noah and his family had come out of the ark they had much work to do – can you imagine? 

I see clearing debris,  

planting new seeds,  

building a home,  

establishing resources… 

But the work followed the making of covenant. 

So here’s what I am suggesting – that before we return to the week, to work that is needed to be salt and light, to the many demands upon our lives, we take some time to share in fresh covenant.