Perserverance
A Homily for the Third Sunday After Trinity.
Genesis 9:1-17; 1 Peter 5:5; Luke 15:1.
"And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."
The keen and attentive churchman will have observed that each of the Old Testament lessons for Trinitytide has come from the book called Genesis. Trinity Sunday began with the origin story of Genesis chapter one, "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.' Then, God speaks, and brings everything, all of creation, into existence; the crowning jewel of His masterpiece being the man and woman made in his image and likeness.
Everything is good. But not for long. Because, on the first Sunday after Trinity, we read in Genesis chapter three, how the man and woman fell from grace and union with their creator. Death came to humanity through sin, resulting in their expulsion from the garden into a fallen world filled with toil, thistles, and pain. Neither food nor life would come easily or without travail.
Unfortunately, humanity does not move toward God and holiness but instead gathers to conspire against Him. As we read in Genesis chapter six (from last Sunday), "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (6:5). The Holy One of Israel, the God of heaven and earth, sends judgment.
"I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die" (Gen 6:17). And we all know what happened next: a great flood came and covered the earth, swallowing all that had breath except for one man named Noah and his family.
And today we read of God re-making the original covenant he made with Adam: "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth." God renews the covenant through Noah. You see, with Noah, there is a new beginning, a restart, if you will, but one that required another covenant —a covenant with a promise to never again destroy humanity, nor the animals, nor the created world, by a flood. Consider this: God blesses Noah and tells him and his family to multiply, to go forth and be fruitful. But what if we fall short? Then what happens? And does God really value human life? Are our lives, in the end, of any consequence to Him? I mean, he wiped out every living thing save us.
Perhaps now you see why God, in love and wisdom, provided a covenantal promise to never again destroy life by a watery judgment like the flood. Noah needed to know that the covenant God made with him did not depend on his perfect obedience, but was the gracious promise of God. He needed to know that his compliance with God's commands, his obedience, would allow him to live and enjoy this covenant. He needed to be reassured that the Lord God holds all life sacred (as symbolized in the rainbow which spans over all of creation) and that He promises to preserve us through affliction, tribulation, and judgment.
Now, what does the Genesis narrative have to do with the season of Trinitytide? What's more, what does the Genesis story have to do with me? Let me offer this: Genesis is our story, isn't it?
God created us, and in love, he brought us into existence.
We were born East of Eden, far from God, walking in the wilderness of this fallen world;
Yet, just as the flood of Genesis chapter six cleansed the earth of wickedness, so were we cleansed of original sin through the baptismal waters.
Just as Noah and his family were saved through the waters of the flood, we were saved through the waters of baptism.
And like Noah, the Lord has preserved us through so many storms, floods, and calamities brought about by sin and wickedness. He doesn't destroy us when we falter, but promises to renew His covenant with us if we will only humble ourselves and turn to Him.
In fact, every time God's grace leads us, through the Holy Spirit, to repent of our sins and wickedness, a covenantal renewal takes place. The Eucharistic liturgy in which we are participating this morning is how renewal takes place. First, God assuages the conscience, as we confess our sins and speak words of forgiveness. Being forgiven, he speaks comfort by reassuring us with Gospel promises,
So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John iii. 16.
Hear also what Saint Paul saith. This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15.
Hear also what Saint John saith. If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins. 1 St. John ii. 1, 2.
He lifts our hearts unto Himself, inviting us to come into His presence, "sit at my table and feast. For I love you. You matter. Your very life is precious to me, for it was bought with a great price, the life of my Son. Therefore, as I promised to Noah, I renew again with you today: I hold life sacred and I promise to preserve you on the rough seas of life."
What are the Divine means by which we persevere? Friends, we persevere by grace. It is the grace of Christ that compels us to humility, to prayer, to believe, and to trust the Lord with our very lives. By grace, we are enabled to endure trials and remain faithful to our Lord, not through our own strength, but through His empowering presence made manifest by means of grace.
Prayer is a means of grace and a divine gift that allows us to converse with the God of Heaven and Earth. As children of God, we have His ear and are invited to cast our cares upon Him because He cares for us. Prayer brings us into the Divine Life, where we find strength in the battles we face, the many temptations, and even the sins that befall us. In Him, we are strong; in Him, we find refuge. When our prayers cry out for mercy, He hears us.
We persevere in this life as we live a prayerfully: through ordered daily prayer, personal prayers, prayers of desperation, prayer in times of doubt, and even our feeble and imperfect prayers. Each of these embedding our lives in Christ. In Him, we not only persevere but also overcome. Yet, it is not by our own strength or volition that we fall to our knees in prayer, but again, by grace.
Prayer, like saving faith, is a gift from God. The desire to pray—and to come into this House of Prayer today—is first inspired by His grace. This is exactly what today's collect conveys: "O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom Thou hast given a hearty desire to pray, may by thy mighty aid be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities."
If you have a sincere desire to pray, it is because God has graciously instilled this desire within you. God views your very life as sacred and wishes to preserve you to such an extent that He has given you the desire to engage in the very act that will protect, sustain, and uphold you until He raises you from the dead and brings you to Himself. God brings you to prayer so that He might bring you to Himself. Therefore, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you." Beloved, rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. Amen+
