20th September 2024

What truths do you glean from the story of Noah and his ark? Is it a light hearted story in which you wonder why the animals didn’t eat each other? An uncomfortable account of an angry God? Or is it about rainbows as a symbol of hope? I appreciated thoughts from Iona Community member Jan Sutch Pickard, in last month’s IBRA Bible reading notes:

“…we know that God doesn’t act wickedly, as we sometimes do. The truth… isn’t that an angry God lashes out in punishment. It’s that God creates fresh beginnings and, despite natural and man-made calamities, provides a means of salvation for all who respond”.

Whether we are concerned by all that is messed up in the world, or because things have gone wrong in our own lives, the promise that God creates new beginnings is good news that can bring us fresh hope.

The words of the hymn “Great is thy faithfulness” come to mind:

“Morning by morning new mercies I see” and

“strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow – these are the blessings your love will provide”.

With the start of the new academic year in schools and universities, even those of us who no longer have new pencil cases and school uniform (!) can still somehow get caught up in a sense of opportunity for new possibilities, as autumn comes around. What might that new God-given hope and fresh start look like for us this at the moment? Might we be able to play a part in helping turn hope into reality for someone or some situation that is concerning us?

Ruth Allen