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"The earth is degenerating these days. Bribery and corruption
abound. Children no longer mind their parents. Everyone wants to
write a book, and it is evident the end of the world is fast
approaching."1

Sounds like the evening news or tomorrow's headlines, doesn't
it? The truth is that this description of society was found
inscribed on an Assyrian tablet dated 2000 B.C.
Jurgen Moltmann, professor of theology at the University of
Tubingen, West Germany, shares this modern observation concerning
our anxious age:

The nightmare of Armageddon has replaced the political vision of
hope for life, freedom and justice throughout the world: The
monster of the nuclear apocalypse is felt everywhere. "Apocalypse
Now" is not only a film title these years; people everywhere are
hearing the bells of the world's clock ring for the last time.
"Five minutes to twelve" is a running introduction to new terror
reports, be it about environmental pollution, about methods of
mass extermination or about the starvation of millions in the
Third World.2

We are at the beginning of the season of Lent. This is a
precious time of the year for many Christians, our annual

journey to Easter. Through the gospel reading for this Sunday, we
are reminded that this journey begins in the wilderness. The
business of living has been compared to a wilderness journey. We
know that wildernesses can foster the spirit of worry and
anxiety. Our age has been called the "age of anxiety."
So it seems that the basic worries of life never change, but
neither do the promises of God! Once again we will hear these
promises through some great and memorable stories from the Old
Testament. Appropriately we begin our Lenten journey in the first
book of the Old Testament, which is known by its Greek name,
Genesis, which means beginning or coming into being. One of the
great emphases of this book of beginnings is the promise of God.
The conclusion to the powerful story of Noah and the flood
contains such a promise.
This promise of hope comes at a hopeless time. In the first
six chapters of Genesis we see the progress of sin, like a fast
growing cancer moving into and corrupting all society. The fall
of Adam and Eve set in motion a chain reaction of evil and the
whole universe was infected. In this long period of time things
went from bad to worse. Cain murdered his brother Abel. Lamech
introduced polygamy. Unnatural marriage alliances were formed.
We read in the sixth chapter of Genesis, "The Lord saw that
the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that
every inclination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil
continually. And the Lord was sorry that he made humankind on the
earth, and it grieved him to his heart." Sin is unchecked and the
universe is moving toward disaster. When evil becomes a way of
life and decency long forgotten and absent, the pressure for
moral justice brings with it forces of destruction. The flood is
the judgment of God, but also the inevitable fruit of the growing
evil of humanity.
But equally important, God demonstrates mercy by delivering a
remnant with whom a new beginning is made. It is important to
note that God's judgment comes from a heart of

sorrow and not from a vindictive, revengeful spirit. The ultimate
aim of God's wrath is repentance and restoration, never revenge
and destruction. This hope-filled purpose of God is shared in the
promise of our text, "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."
Since God's promise is contained in God's "covenant," it is
important that we have some understanding as to the meaning of
this rather strange word -- at least strange to modern ears.
Nevertheless, try to stay tuned to my wavelength, because this is
an important biblical word and it will be back time and time
again in the Lenten texts that are to come.
To ease us into these covenant waters, think agreement for the
word covenant.
There are three main agreements described in the first five
books of the Bible: 1) The agreement with Abraham, where God
says, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I
will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you
exceedingly;" 2) The agreement with the children of Israel made
at Mount Sinai, where God says, "You have seen what I did to the
Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to
myself. Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for
all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19:4-6)
These important agreements (covenants) are made by God with
the people of Israel. It is God's redemptive initiative that
establishes these agreements. They are agreements (covenants) of
grace. Out of these agreements of grace come the obligation of
God's people to live obediently in these "agreed-upon"
relationships.
In our text for today, we have the third God-established
agreement. However, this agreement is not made only with the
people of Israel, but with all humankind. It could be described
as God's "amazing grace" agreement never again to destroy

the earth by flood. This is the promise of hope in divine
preservation.
It is the promise of a new beginning that is the foundation of
this hope. God's promises lead to a new future. Just as God once
began with Adam and Eve, God now begins with the family of Noah.
This new beginning does not take place in a new paradise, a new
garden of Eden. People are not magically transformed into
goodness. We are still sinful. Sin has brought changes into God's
creation with which we still have to live and contend. But God
loves us! The great hope here is that God has not quit on us or
on creation. God still rules. God's promises and commands still
hold. God remains lovingly concerned about us and the world we
live in. After the flood (judgment), humanity is permitted to
begin anew, with new promises and blessings.
The first sign of that promise of hope was the single olive
leaf which the dove brought back to the ark. In our text this
hope is expressed in the covenant relationship, "I establish my
covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by
the waters of a flood ..." (v. 11)
God's covenants (remember, we are talking about God's
agreements) are guaranteed by signs. In the case of this amazing
grace covenant, the sign is the rainbow. The rainbow, which
appears after storms, is a fitting and beautiful symbol of hope.
Through the chaos that the sin-storm has caused in our world, God
is still present with a patient love that promises never again to
destroy the earth with a catastrophe like the flood.
We have hope because our God is a gracious and patient God. In
the covenant with Noah, God demonstrates love for all living
creatures. In a later time, Peter makes the connection with
Christian baptism, as he recalls for us the days of Noah and how
eight persons were saved through the water. (1 Peter 3:20) As the
flood cleansed the world from the effects of sin, so the waters
of baptism cleanse us. In this great hope there is power to face
the stormy seas of life.
We have to be careful here that our faith in God's promises,
which are the foundation of our hope, do not make

us "passive" Christians. This happens when we substitute faith
for our human responsibility. When this happens faith becomes an
escape hatch and we become resigned to our fate -- what will be,
will be. This kind of faith is not childlike but childish and
irresponsible. We humans now have the power to annihilate
ourselves. The covenant with Noah is no guarantee that God
somehow is going to limit our power to destroy ourselves if we
want to.
In the real world hope also has to do battle with the spirit
of cynicism. Cynics see little or no hope for our time. On the
other hand this kind of hopeless spirit can and does lead to
violence and destruction -- a what-have-we-got-to-lose attitude.
On the other hand the cynical spirit is not far removed from the
spirit of eat, drink and be merry. Just leave us alone.
Eventually the world will be destroyed, either slowly but surely
through pollution, or quickly by the bomb. So leave us alone to
enjoy what remains and what is left of a world that is beyond
salvation. What else makes sense but to live for the moment and
to live for ourselves?
But Christian hope is not to be found in a blind faith that
retreats from reality and certainly not in a cynical denial of
hope. Faith holds together in tension, both our experiences and
our expectations.3 We long for justice and desire a God who will
guarantee it, but this also makes us vulnerable to irresponsible
escapism and false religious comfort. We come back to the primary
basis of our hope which is God's grace and not our experiences.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction
of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)
For the Christian, the most powerful symbol for "assurance of
things hoped for" is the cross of Christ. The cross is the center
of our journey through life. It reminds us of struggle, the
struggle for faith that we might have hope. But like the story of
the flood, only with a how much more the cross of Christ reveals
the continuing costly and amazing grace of God. Once more the
season of Lent invites us to be still and trust this grace, for
in this amazing grace is our hope. In this hope there is power to
live the purposeful life.

Again quoting Moltmann:

"The Christian hope is not directed for a happy end of world
history. ... In the moment of deathly danger, God's stories in
the Bible speak and awaken hope where otherwise there is nothing
else to hope. The memories of being rescued from disaster do not
deny disaster. They speak of the God who made the hopeless
disaster of his people his own and who led his people out of it.
... The answer of hope to the threatening danger of annihilation
is the life with a raised head and unequivocal self-commitment.
And if the end of the world would happen tomorrow, 'Let us plant
our apple tree today.' (M. Luther)"4


1-The source of this quotation is unknown to the author.

2-Jurgen Moltmann, "God, Hope, and Nuclear Catastrophe,"
(Perspectives, April 1988, pp. 7-10).

3-Douglas John Hall, Lighten Our Darkness, (Philadelphia,
Westminster Press, 1976). I am indebted to this book and other
writings (and lectures) by Hall on the matter of realistic hope
in our time.

4-Ibid, Jurgen Moltmann, p. 10.