Bow in the Clouds

Sign of the Covenant

God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.” God added: “This is the sign that I am giving you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.”

Genesis 9: 8-15

At the beginning of Lent we cannot help to leap ahead to Good Friday, even though we are only a few days into the 40 day journey. 

The Old Testament forms a limited redemption that shows the necessity of God’s Mercy and the need for a Savior. With Noah there is a savior of humanity. Noah is obedient and listens to God. As a result of Noah’s devotion, God establishes a covenant and gives a sign to Noah and his son of the bow set in the clouds. 

The rainbow is formed when light meets water. The light of creation meeting the saving water of baptism. The light is split always in the same order and bends across the sky. To see the rainbow requires precise timing and location. Even at the right time, each person sees a different rainbow. When you look at a rainbow it is extending like God’s mercy and love embracing you. 

Despite all of Noah’s efforts this is not enough. We recognize it is not enough whether or not you read another word of the Old Testament. We understand it is not enough, because we are human. The world still needed the Savior, Jesus.

Here is where the second readings from 1 Peter leap ahead to Good Friday. As Jesus is raised into the sky on Calvary His arms bend from the nails in His hands forming a bow. A bow set in the clouds. A bow set in the clouds that leads towards God. This bow formed by Jesus’s arms hanging from the Cross pulls humanity into a new beginning of goodness. 

While the rainbow requires being at the right place and time, this is not a requirement of the Cross. The Cross is not only a sign, the Cross is the redemption that Noah could not achieve. It is our constant bow that will not fail us despite our sins.

At the beginning of Lent it is rare to encounter a rainbow, after all the beginning Lent is winter. As Easter approaches we have a better chance of seeing a rainbow. When we experience the sign of God’s covenant remember to be pulled back to where you started; at the beginning of Lent.