Noah

July 20^th, 2014          “Noah”            Rev. Heather Jepsen

Sermon Series: Genesis: A Summer Sojourn

Genesis 6-9:17

          Today we continue our summer sermon series Genesis: A Summer Sojourn, which is made up of sermons that you and I create together here in worship.  Today we are talking about another story that we all know well, Noah and the Ark.  We have talked a bit this summer about the different authors whose work appears in Genesis and we see those two voices side by side in the Noah story.  This story contains some material from the Priestly or “P” tradition.  You might remember that the first creation story was from the P author and was concerned with orderliness and division which we will see here.  We also have Yahwistic or “J” material in the Noah story which is more concerned with relationship.  The two narratives are put together by an editor or sometimes called redactor to make one narrative.  This is why we have some inconsistences like whether animals came in sets of twos or sevens, and whether the flood was 40 or 150 days.

          The flood narrative is a very common story among early peoples.  There is a lot in the Noah story that mirrors a Babylonian story called The Epic of Gilgamesh.  There too we hear of a chosen survivor who builds a boat to house him and his family, an epic flood that destroys the earth, birds sent out to mark the receding waters, and a sacrifice offered at the end in thanksgiving of safety.  There is also a sign placed in the sky so that the gods will remember a promise to no longer destroy the earth by flood.

          While not a unique story in ancient history, the early Israelites’ version is unique in that it focuses on the heart of God.  What we often read as a story of punishment can come to be understood as a story about God’s love.  God was grieved and saddened over the results of creation.  The inclination of man’s heart is evil and that breaks the heart of God.  In grief, God lets go the waters of chaos.  Like having that one good cry, God releases the waters of the heavens and the waters under the earth and the creation returns to its original chaos state.

          Our theme of grace continues as God remembers Noah and the flood waters recede.  Once again God’s spirit wind, ruah, moves over the waters of chaos and things dry up and are once again habitable.  The results of this flood have not been a change in the hearts of men, which remain evil; but a change in the heart of God.  No more will God destroy the earth with flood.  Rather, God will remember creation with continual patience and love.  God hangs up his weapon, the bow, in the sky to remind himself that he is no longer at war with man.  Rather, this is a time and sign of peace.

          So what do you think?

What do you see in this story?

What questions does this text raise for you?

What does the text say to you about the nature of God?

What does it say about the nature of humanity?

What is the sermon for us today?

(Follow the link to our website to hear the discussion!)