Reverend Ray Osborne, Senior Minister
Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

“Somewhere Over The Rainbow!”
Genesis 9:8-17

(Gen 9:9 NRSV) "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you,

(Gen 9:10 NRSV) and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.

(Gen 9:11 NRSV) I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

(Gen 9:12 NRSV) 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:

(Gen 9:13 NRSV) I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

(Gen 9:14 NRSV) When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,

(Gen 9:15 NRSV) 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.

(Gen 9:16 NRSV) 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."

(Gen 9:17 NRSV) 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."

There seems to be renewed interest in the movie “The Wizard of Oz” which was released in 1939. This June, my son Seth will be a munchkin in the Albemarle Academy of Dance’s reproduction of that spectacular movie which starred Judy Garland.

The movie consists of the adventures of Dorothy as she is mysteriously transported to the fantastic Land of Oz by a mundane Kansas tornado. It is an eternal classic, which appeals to audiences of all ages. Through its lovable characters and beautiful music, along with the award-winning song “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” this classic contains within it a wonderful message. The Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and Dorothy all set out to find the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” who in their opinion could provide their needs. The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Man wants a heart, the Cowardly Lion wants some courage, and poor Dorothy wants to go home.

Before the devastating and life-disrupting tornado, Dorothy finds herself wishing she were anywhere but where she was – home. The song that blossoms from that experience is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

Noah knew what it was like to travel a bumpy road. His story begins with God’s deep sorrow over what man had become. We read in Genesis 6:5-6:

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” (NRSV)

Sometimes I wonder how God feel’s about the world today. I can’t help but believe that God’s heart grieves over what He sees. I often find myself weeping over the things I see, hear, and read in the news. I see children who are starving. I read and hear of women and children who are being sold as slaves because they refuse to convert to the religion of the state. All these and more causes my heart to grieve. As I read about the Protestant Reformation and learn of men, women, and children who were tortured and beheaded because of their ties to Christianity my heart grieves. If my heart, a human heart capable of sin grieves over these things, I am forced to believe God looks down upon humanity and His heart cries out in pain!

During the days of Noah God became so exasperated with the wickedness of the land; He decided to utterly destroy mankind. Yet in the midst of the wickedness God saw during the days of Noah, in the midst of all the turmoil, in the midst of the cast population of the World, in the midst of it all God saw Noah. Genesis 6:8 says:

“But Noah found favor in the sight of the LORD.”

He told Noah that He was going to send a flood and to build an ark. He gave Noah specific instructions how the ark was to be built and who was to be on it when the floods came. Don't you know the ridicule Noah and his family lived through while he was building that ark? Don't you know there were times when Noah wanted to throw in the hammer and give it up? Perhaps there were times when Noah really wondered if God knew what He was doing. Yet the Bible says of Noah that “he did all that God commanded him.”

Chapter 7 begins by the LORD saying to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation.”

The rains came and they came and they came; for forty days and nights the floods came. Every living thing upon the earth with the exception of those in the ark was utterly destroyed.

To make a long story short the rains stopped, Noah sent out a dove which tradition says returned with an olive branch in its mouth signifying that the waters were receding and land was near. Now we can turn to the text we read earlier. God established a covenant with Noah that a flood would never again destroy the world. The sign of this covenant is a sign that you and I can still see in the sky today – a rainbow.

“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 9:16-17 NRSV)

What can all of this possibly mean to you and I thousands of years after that great historical event? Beloved we are bound to experience stormy waters in this life. But we have this promise set forth by the example of Noah; if we are faithful to God, if we do all that He has commanded us to do, if we simply place our lives in His hands, and all our trust in Him, then HE will gently lead us to a place of safety.

Every single time you and I see a rainbow in the sky, it is God’s reminder that HE is in charge of everything. And beloved, if God is in charge of everything, no matter how rough the storm becomes, no matter how high the waters rise, no matter how lonely you and I may feel, no matter how hopeless our the immediate future may seem, God will always cause our ark to come to rest in a place of safety.

Our God is a mighty God! Our God is an awesome God! Our God is a redemptive God! Our God is a loving God! And our God is right here right now waiting for us to place our lives in His hands.

Amen.

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