As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night
shall not cease. Genesis 8:22
This text is God’s promise to Noah after the waters of the flood receded
and Noah had made a burnt offering that pleased the Lord. I was
struggling a bit with how to relate this to the season of hope and
expectation. Then, I read a sermon on the text that said that this was a
story of resting. Just as God rested after the work of creation, here Noah
and his family could rest.
What would be the indication? God promises to restore order. The flood
would not return. There would be the natural order of seasons, and days,
of growth. It’s a comforting thought, isn’t it? Because the reality is that
flood times always seem to come. We all experience times of turmoil
when life seems out of balance. Can this text serve to remind us that God
is present in the storm? Can it help us reflect on God’s desire to restore us
when we are weary? In the midst of all the social demands of this time
of year, can Advent give us permission to rest and be in awe of the God
whose promise is about to be incarnate in Jesus?
This coming of Jesus isn’t brought about by our activity, or even our
preparation, but by God’s covenant promise- Word made flesh.
God of steadfast love, help us to rest long enough to see, hear and know the
awesome promise that you give us in the birth of your Word on earth living
among us. Keep us from so much business that we fail to sense the restoring
power of your blessed presence. Amen.
The Rev. Ghislaine Cotnoir is Director of Pastoral Care at The Hearth at
Drexel and Artman.
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