Song: All my hope on God is founded
All My Hope On God Is Founded Lyric Video - YouTube
Prayer:
Things to pray for:
That people still in Ukraine will be protected from the violence; that there will be provision of essential supplies, such as food and clean water. Pray for vulnerable people who cannot flee, for example those with disabilities or the elderly.
That refugees will find safe places to stay. There are reports that some people are being discriminated against on racial grounds – pray that there will be compassion and support for all.
For healing for people who are wounded or have experienced trauma; and comfort for those who are grieving.
That leaders on both sides will be filled with compassion, wisdom, calm and a desire for peace.
That world leaders will balance responding to the injustice of the invasion with seeking ways to build bridges, de-escalate tensions, and restore global security.
That the church in the Ukraine, Russia and across the wider region will be a voice for peace; and that they will have the resources they need to help people who are vulnerable.
That the church and other organisations around the world will have the courage and conviction to speak out against aggression and injustice.
That God’s power will be revealed through the church in this situation – bringing a message of love and hope in the midst of the darkness.
The crisis in Ukraine is already leading to a significant rise in the price of food and fuel. It is likely that this will get worse. Economically poorer countries are disproportionately affected by shocks such as this. Pray that food and fuel prices will stabilise, and that provision will be made for countries in a vulnerable position.
That there will be an immediate end to the violence – that peace will come sooner than anyone could have expected or hoped for.
That diplomatic solutions will be found that will lead to lasting peace in the region.
That people who have fled will be able to return home, and that what has been destroyed will be rebuilt.
For strength for individuals and organisations in Ukraine, Russia and the region who are working for peace at local, national and regional levels.
Song: You shall go out with joy
11. You shall go out with joy: Written by Stuart Dauermann - YouTube
Reading: Book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 55; verses 6 to 13
Song: God in His love for us lent us this planet
God in His love for us lent us this planet (Pratt Green) - Gareth Moore - YouTube
Reading: 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 18 to 25
Song: Hark my soul! It is the Lord;
Hark My Soul! It Is The Lord! - YouTube
The story of Noah
The story of Noah is well known. Pictures and songs abound which tell this tale. Most people know something of the story of taking animals “two by two” into the Ark and it raining for forty days.
There are great flood stories in many civilizations; Chinese, Babylonian, Greek and Indian to name a few. Archaeology has discovered a number of great floods, but so far not in the Palestine area. There have been numerous attempts to explain the story, one of which is the inundation which some think took place when the Black Sea was suddenly filled. But non have satisfactorily explained all the recorded facts.
The book of Genesis was written somewhere between 500 and 1500 B.C., and the flood took place, according to the bible’s dating, about 2300 B.C. It appears that there was an oral tradition of telling the stories to enable their survival for the intervening period.
Careful reading of chapters 6 and 7 of Genesis shows that there are two different accounts of the story of Noah;
In Genesis chapter 6, verses 9 to 22, and chapter 7, verses 6 to 15, God told Noah to take two of every kind on animal into the ark and that it started to rain 7 days after they boarded.
In Genesis chapter 6, verses 5 to 8 and chapter 7, verses 1 to 5, The LORD told Noah to build the ark and take 7 pairs of each clean beast and one pair of each unclean beast into the ark. It was also 7 days after they boarded before it started to rain.
However, in Genesis chapter 7, verses 11 to 13, it is recorded that it started to rain on the day they boarded, a third account of the story.
It is currently believed that Moses used three different traditions of the stories he recorded, one of which uses the word/name JHWH (Yahweh, Jehovah) and another uses the word Elohim (God). In addition there is a tradition from the priests.
To understand the story, it is necessary to know how the people of the time considered the world was. A simple example is that the earth is like a large plate, covered by a similar sized basin. The two are immersed in water. This means that there is water above the basin and below the ground. The story relates that the springs came out of the deep, and that the floodgates of the heavens opened to create the great flood.
Exactly how long they were in the ark is difficult to calculate from the story, but at least five months seems to fit best. After they landed, Noah built an altar and offered sacrifice. We have to hope that the version of the story which uses 7 pairs of animals is correct, otherwise some species survived the flood, only to be sacrificed! This is the first mention of sacrifice, and indeed comes some time before the requirement for sacrifice is laid down.
God accepts the sacrifice, and covenants never again to flood the earth, and gives the rainbow as a sign.
To the modern scientific mind, there are many problems with this account. The logistics of the operation are all wrong. How could the ark have held food for that many animals? What did the carnivores eat? Large as the recorded measurements are, it is nowhere near big enough. How did the plants survive being immersed in water for this long period?
There are also problems for the theologically minded. Nobody knew what “Clean and Unclean” meant until Moses brought down the law many years later, as already stated, sacrifice was not commanded until much later.
Are these difficulties and different versions a problem? Only if we want them to be. Only if we want to get bogged down. Only if we want to let the trees obstruct the view of the wood.
The basis of the story is simple: God made the world. It did not go according toe His plan. God had a choice, destroy it all, or rescue what had been done. He found a good man (or at least better than the rest)and came up with a plan to rescue him, his family and animals. Then he could start again.
Noah was the crucial part of this story
Imagine. You get a message from God to build an ark. You get someone to draw up a set of plans. Someone else can cats it for you, and then you have to convince someone to come up with the money and you start to build.
It seems likely that the planning authorities, the environmental health officers, the neighbours and the animal welfare staff would all become involved very quickly. Once you explained to them all what you were doing and why, I suspect that the mental health services would be summoned, and that you would be sectioned as a danger to yourself and others!
But we are told that God’s ways are not our ways. We are called on to be fools for Christ.
But we have to be careful. An idea is not necessarily from God, just because we look stupid, or are out of step, Being a fool for Christ is not the same as being a religious crackpot. We need to test ideas against scripture to see whether they conform to our understanding of God’s will and purpose. Then we can truly stand out as different and become a fool for Christ.
The world is currently facing many difficult and dangerous situations, not least of all in Ukraine. We need people who will stand out for what is right, even when it means going against the mood of where they find themselves. They may be afraid of looking stupid, but we need “fools” like these, who will speak out. If you find yourself in such a situation, remember that you do it for Christ.
Song: I need Thee every hour
I Need Thee Every Hour - YouTube
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