Rainbow
Here we are in lock down week five! I hope you have adjusted to this new normal. It feels to me like we are living in a ‘parallel universe’. As Mr Spock in Star Trek said, ‘It’s life Jim, but not as we know it’.
As I’ve gone on my exercise walks, I have noticed a lot of pictures of rainbows in the windows of many houses. This image has become a symbol of hope. Earlier this week the artist Damien Hirst created his own ‘rainbow’ piece to raise money and spirits in response to the coronavirus crisis. He said ‘a rainbow is a really great optimistic thing’. I agree with him!
Did you know that a rainbow is mentioned in the Bible? It is in the very first book, Genesis, in chapter 9. It comes at the conclusion of the story of Noah’s ark, where God made a covenant with Noah and humanity. God said...
“‘I establish my covenant with you: never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
A covenant is a contract or promise between two parties. God promised that he would never flood the whole earth again. This was an unconditional divine promise never to destroy all earthly life. There have been major floods, but not over the whole earth. God has kept His promise.
As the world continues to struggle with coronavirus, this covenant is a promise of hope. Of course, we need to be wise and follow the Government’s advice, but we don’t have to fear this virus. We can remind God of His unconditional divine promise with the earth since He said it and put it in the Bible!
Finally, when you next see a rainbow in the sky, remember this is a symbol of hope and the sign of God’s promise.
Stay safe
God bless
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader