try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm

come in, she said i'll give ya shelter from the storm

A reading from excerpts from The Flood Saga:

Like many Bible stories, this one is misnamed. The story of the flood, isn’t about “The Flood.” It’s about God’s provision. 

I know that’s not the way this scripture seems at first reading. At passing glance, most of us just take away the shock that God would let something like this happen. 

BUT, read this story carefully. See what garners more time and more attention… 

Because it isn’t God planning the calamity. No, that just occupies a few sentences. What gets much more time and attention are the pains God takes to plan for creation’s survival.

This story is a familiar one in scripture; it’s about the lengths God will take to save creation. 

And there’s plenty of details to back this assertion up. 

For instance, what kind of words used to describe God in this harrowing scene? They’re not words like anger, judgement or conceit. Are they? 

No, they’re words to describe heart-ache; sorrow and grief…   

Or, and we don’t need to get into the weeds with a Hebrew lesson or to take a detour examining some of the finer points of theology, but you can’t understand this story if you don’t take into account what we call wisdom, or the order of creation. Or, the word we use these days, consequences…

It’s only been a few generations of creation, and already an integral part of God’s good creation has gone haywire; the human heart. 

With the doubt and disobedience at the tree of knowledge, the floodgates of Sin and Evil have opened. Cresting with murder. Until finally, EVERY inclination of the human heart is under the water of evil.

And now ALL of creation groans under the weight of Sin. We’re not the only one affected by our sin.

The way you’d put it in Hebrew is, the ruinous human heart ruins creation. 

Before a single drop of rain falls, the earth is already being flooded with the destruction that flows from the human heart.

God’s not introducing anything new into this story. Humans, we, did that with Sin. 

The story of the flood is a take on the saying that’s true, although we don’t always act like it; “Sin is its own punishment.”

Okay. So now we’re finally ready to hear what’s really happening; Before Sin can flood the world, corrupt it all and destroy everything; God hatches a plan. 

Stowaway a family, animals and some produce and drown out Evil.

So say what you will, but at least Noah had an ark… 

Because the tragedy is, it doesn’t go to plan. Does it?

This part has unfortunately been cut out of our reading, but when Noah first steps out on dry land and offers a sacrifice, God takes stock of the state of things; and they’re no different! 

Chapter 8, verse 21, “The Lord said in his HEART, ‘I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart IS evil from youth.”
God got to Noah too late!

Lurking on board with the refugees of the pre-flood world, were the seeds of its destruction. Hiding in the human heart was Evil.

The flood didn’t eradicate evil…

But you didn’t need me reading that chopped out verse of scripture to know that, did you? You can just listen to the news or take stock of your own heart, to see that the flood hasn’t wipe out Sin. 

In fact, if you read this scripture closely you’ll notice it’s not humans that are affected by the flood; it’s God. God is the one who’s affected by what happened!
That’s why the rainbow isn’t a sign for us, it’s a sign for God!
God will see the rainbow and remember never to let Sin or Evil dictate the course of the future ever again!

So if you’ve ever taken stock of the state of affairs and wondered why God doesn’t just end it all; well, here’s why. God has promised not to! If you’ve ever taken stock of your own heart and wondered why God doesn’t just do away with you; well, here’s why. God has promised not to! 

So say what you will, but at least Noah had an ark. Because Sin and Evil still wreak havoc, don’t they? God may have promised not to destroy everything, but Sin makes no such promises, does it?

And there are plenty of days when Sin and Evil threaten to roll over us and flood our world. On those days when Sin and Evil rain down, when they ruin what we love and threaten to overtake us, an ark starts to looks mighty nice. Doesn’t it? 

A place to find a little shelter from the storm…

Because the saying is true, isn’t it? Sin is it’s own punishment. The Evil it unleashes. The damage it does, they’re punishment enough. And when we find ourselves drowning under their destruction; we all need a place to go for shelter and safety… 

And you know, while Noah’s ark may be lost; God gave Noah such detailed instructions, we can pretty much reconstruct what it was like. 

This sermon has already been heavy on information, so here’s a little more, a cubit is an arm-length. So we know the size of the ark. It was big, like four times larger than the Mayflower big! 

It was covered in pitch. It had three decks. 

And pierced into the side of the ark was the door God told Noah to carve. A door to climb into the ark for shelter and safety. 

In fact, in a touching scene, that has also been cut out; once everyone and everything is loaded up in the ark, God personally closes the door behind everyone. 

Shut up in that ark, they weather the storm. 

So say what you will, but at least Noah had an ark.

And ark to ride out the storm in. An ark to covers and protects them during the storm. 

Until the raining stoped, and the flooding receded. 

Looking for signs all was safe, Noah let a raven loose. Then a dove. When the dove returns with a sprig of an olive tree in its beak, Noah knows deliverance is at hand!

Waiting another seven days, Noah let the dove out again. Only this time the dove didn’t return.
 

That dove, it didn’t return, not because its mission was over. That dove didn’t return because it’s mission was just beginning!

That dove flew and flew. It flew until it landed on the place ALL of us can find shelter from our storms. 

Now that dove doesn’t fly from the ark, it flies to it!

God is still determined not to let Sin or Evil dictate the course of the future!

God has not left you without a place to go when Sin and Evil do their worst. 

At Jesus’ baptism, over another body of water, God sent that dove to land on the ark you can flee to amidst your storms! Jesus, the eternal ark! 

Jesus, The One who can quiet your storm! Jesus, The One who can walk on the waters of your flood! 

Sin may have hidden in the ark, but God has done one better!

God took the consequence of Sin and Evil, which is death, and THERE God hid the eternal ark; Jesus Christ!

In Jesus’ death on the cross, God made an ark big enough for all!

When Jesus’ side was pierced, God made his wounds a door for you to climb into! *This is what we mean when we say, “Jesus body given for you!”

Hidden in the midst of your storms, is the one who even the wind and sea obey; Jesus! 

In Jesus, God has tamed the storms of Sin and Evil! Jesus treads upon those waters!

Yes, Sin and Evil still have a way of destroying what we love, but you don’t beed to building another ark. God has given you one in the only begotten son! Your shelter, your salvation is found in the one who became the ark for you!

Jesus is the new Noah! Only Jesus doesn’t just gather up the clean and righteous, Jesus gathers up all! He calls all to find shelter and safety in him. He is the one who to quiet your storms! The one who walks upon the waters that would drown you!

Jesus is your shelter. The One to you across the waves to safety, paradise even!

“Come here,” Jesus beckons you, “and I’ll give you, shelter from the storm.”