Have you ever found yourself on a cruise or on a boat on a body of water? I remember the first time I saw the ocean. It was so gigantic to me. But it also was a beautiful sight to behold. The vastness of the water reminded me of the power of water.
If you’ve ever lived through a flood, you understand how quickly water can overtake our possessions: homes etc. So the story of Noah makes a lot of sense. God was protecting Noah, his family and the animals. God knew how quickly the land would be flooded.
God is a God of compassion. God is all about forgiving us of our sins. It’s why God sent Gods son to die on the cross for our sins. God casts all of our sins into the depths of the sea. At the very bottom of the sea, lie the sins God has casted aside for us. They will not be easy to find and for that I’m thankful for our God who loves us so deeply.
Yet water also can be holy. In the waters of Baptism, we are washed clean and claimed as beloved children of God. These waters remind us that on their own, they are just water until the words are spoken at baptism.
yes, amen! I've heard floods are the most dangerous natural phenomenon there is. As you suggested, those baptismal waters are the matrix of our death by drowning—those same waters become become the womb of our second birth. I love to contemplate the truly vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean and consider how calm, how literally "pacific" it is compared to the often wildly raging Atlantic. As someone who doesn't know how to swim, thinking of the vastest expanse of open water somewhere in the vicinity of Australia-NZ makes me wonder and shudder, but we know God and God's providence is there and everywhere! Your Lenten reflections all are so lovely! thanks! BTW, no church for me this morning; the LA Marathon routes past the church bldg, and I opted not to hand out water to the runners.
Thanks. It has been fun to blog through Lent. It helps to have a Lenten devo with texts and prompt words for each day.