Boatloads of Shame // Rev. Matt Kennedy // Feb 9 2025

"Life is a miracle!" Sometimes we say these words at the birth of a child, a profound moment of awesome wonder, or a sight of incredible beauty. Yet scripture  tells us it's not just the extraordinary moments of life that are miraculous. Rather, the breath of God sustains each moment of creation; mundane or otherwise (Psalm 104:30).Chapter seven of the book of Genesis tells the story of the great flood with a set of phrases and words meant to communicate something specific: this flood is no mere natural disaster, but it is a peak into a world in which God was not actively working to hold creation together. The text paints a picture of a world "uncreated" and unsustained. It is a profound picture to contemplate. If every moment of my life is a miracle, how then should it color the way I spend my days?As the story of Noah's Ark concludes we are told again of God's graciousness to humankind, but the story contains an epilogue with a darker reminder (Genesis 9:20-24). To set the world right from its path of sin and destruction, much more is needed than a "do-over" or a simple change in environment. Noah's story tells us even the most righteous man on the planet is not immune from sin's contamination. No, the salvation of the world requires an act of God for us. Noah climbed on a boat to escape condemnation, but Jesus climbed on a cross to end condemnation.