“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 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…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.” (Genesis 9:8-10, 16)
Rev. Marcia King told a great story today in her sermon when she was celebrating a wedding on the top of the Peachtree Hotel in Atlanta and she was upstaged by a DOUBLE RAINBOW!
I’d never made the connection that the “bow” God speaks about in Genesis is actually a RAINBOW, but it makes sense that God sends a visible reminder to us of His love for us, particularly after a really heavy rainstorm!
Rev. King continued that marriage vows are both a contract and a covenant, with a contract based upon law where both parties mutually pledge to live up to a set of legal promises. With a covenant, God promises to take care of us based upon love and trust. We don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love.
God yearns for us and brings us good news of a new salvation. He isn’t interested in punishing us for our sins, but to save us from our sins. He keeps giving us second chances.
God is with us through the storms in our life.
God has prepared a place for us.
Nothing can separate us from Him.
So—TRUST and RELAX.
Christ has called us through wedding vows to be His bride and pledges to love and care for us.
He’s already made a covenant with us He won’t break, no matter what.
Blessings, my friend,
Agatha
<Based upon excerpts from a sermon by Rev. Marcia King at The TABLE, February 26, 2012 at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Nashville, TN>