Epiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
February 17, 2015

 Scripture Reading: Genesis 9:8-17

God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’ — Genesis 9:12-17

When you see a rainbow, do you recall God’s promise to Noah, to all of us actually? God committed to remembering that promise each time a rainbow appears in the sky. We should do that also. Rainbows are beautiful, representing the full spectrum of color.

I read the young adult book, the Giver, recently. It describes a colorless world devised to avoid change, conflict, and struggle. It prescribes a sanitized life with no meaning and no love. Like Hitler, it carefully extracts from the world anyone who is different or drifts from the sanctioned ways. There is, however, one person, the Giver, who is responsible for maintaining the memory of life before this chosen way. The story is about the current Giver passing that history to his replacement and raises the question: is there salvation for such a world as this?

People were created in the image of God and God is an innovator, a pioneer, a thinker who struggles with tough challenges and searches for solutions that can further God’s creation through God’s love and the love God instilled in each of us. God sent God’s son to show us the way of love. We are called to follow Christ’s example as innovators, pioneers, and thinkers, not run away and hide.

Prayer: Embolden us Lord, to act like you created us in your image by loving like you do. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.