As long as the earth endures,
Seed time and harvest, cold and heat,
Summer and winter, day and right,
Shall not cease.
(Gen. 8:22)
The portion of Genesis in the daily lectionary today tells of the end of the flood and Noah's offerings of thanks to God for delivery and giving the earth a second chance. Despite God's acknowledgment of the innate nature of people to NOT always do the right thing, God gives the promise to restore the cycle of life in the verse above.
The cycle of life in Noah's time revolved around agriculture. Today I wonder what our cycle of life is. Early this morning walking my dog in the cold sleet and blowing wind, the picture that came to my mind was business people in suits driving to work and parking in covered parking lots. If you're an executive, those lots are highly secured! So even if, like today, it's pouring mushy sleet and pretty hard to walk at a normal rate outside, many people go on as if this day is no different from any other.
What are we protecting ourselves from? Being the stubborn person I can sometimes be (just ask my wife), I park outside at work, so I can feel the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter. There is something deep and fundamental in my nature that wants to know that outside everyday is not the same, despite the heating and air conditioning systems cranking away where I work. I often look out the window (I have to get up from my cubical to find one) to see what's happening out there! Will I have to scrape ice off my windshield when I leave for home? Will there be a foot or more of snow to sweep away? I find connectedness in parking outside so I have to spend at least a few minutes each day encountering the natural and greater world and great creator.
Daily Office Year Two
Gen. 8:6-22; Ps. 25; Heb. 4:14-5:6; John 2:23-3:15
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