“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”Genesis 9:13-15
God love to make promises! Not the thin kinds of promises that you and I make, like "I promise to leave the toilet seat down" or "I promise to rinse off my dishes". God makes thick promises. The difference between our promises and God's is that God always means and keeps his promises. Even in our best attempts we can't come close to God at being a promise keeper.
It seems ironic to me that the rainbow has become, since 1978, a symbol of a socio-political battle. God's use of the strikingly beautiful technicolor archway is quite different. For God, the rainbow represents peace, the end of battle. With it, God shows humanity his turn from justified anger to tender mercy and sets his mind on re-creation, starting with one man and his family. In the original language of the scriptures the rainbow is far more than a beautiful optical illusion. The bible paints a portrait of a warrior who is literally "setting down" his bow, his weapon. If God keeps his promises, then the promise of setting down his weapon is the best kind of news for us. Just as the waters of the flood un-created the world only to be recreated, in Jesus, we are put to death in the waters of baptism and re-created. In Jesus, God has permanently set down his weapons against us. Even more amazing, is that he has invited us into his family and to be about the family business, loving people into the Kingdom. God loves us and keeps his promises.
May we see do the same for our neighbor today.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
