Reflections on "You and Me, Lord" Genesis 6: 5-22; 7: 11-16

This sermon grew out of the request to preach the Noah story from an adult perspective -- i.e. no animal stories!

I had a lot of fun listening to and sharing part of the Bill Cosby routine about Noah.  In fact, I turned the Noah story into a two-week mini-series with Noah's comment (through Bil Cosby's imagination) "You and me, Lord" being the key phrase.  This week it was used to illustrate how we run back to God; next week the phrase will be shifted to "Me and you, Noah" to describe God's covenant.

Early in my reflections, I thought about focusing the whole sermon on how we turn away from God until the emergency arrives.   As I continued to reflect, however, I decided to expand the sermon. My guiding principle was "what would adults have questions about as they read the text."

The suggestion that seeing what makes the Noah story distinct from other ancient myths, and how that speaks to our distinctiveness as God's people would be a good starting point for a series of sermons on Christian distinctiveness.

Not sure how well listening to Bill Cosby in the middle of the sermon worked for the listeners, but I enjoyed it!

“Me and You, Lord”  June 23, 2013; Grab bag series Genesis 6: 5-22; Genesis 7:11-16

Introduction:  Another week of grab bag sermons, this time on Noah, but not from a child's perspective. Last week that comment was defined as, "don't talk about the animals."

Move 1: Other myths

a.      You have perhaps heard of the Gilgamesh epic.

1.       The Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem from Mesopotamia, is amongst the earliest surviving works of literature. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh).

2. Several similarities – dimensions of ark (more like a houseboat); flood; birds being sent out to find dry land

3.      Did the Biblical tradition draw on Gilgamesh or vice versa?

4.  In fact, biblical scholars can point out (as I think we can too with a careful reading) how the Noah story bring together two different strands of the biblical story to make one story (much like the creation story earlier in Genesis)

5.       Perhaps Gilgamesh and biblical story are parallel stories that both describe a huge event from history?

6.       Reveals the common human need for answers about God and God’s relationship with the world. 

7.      Our question – where was God on 9/11 paralleled by the question, where was God when the world flooded?

b.      What makes our Christian tradition distinct?

1.      Important question in our time.

2.      Important because of other faith traditions –

3.      Important because of society’s way of watering down, or blurring our faith with anything and everything.

4.       The “I am spiritual, but don’t give me that Jesus or God stuff”

5.      “we’re right and you’re not” does not seem workable anymore.

6.      In this world, we are called upon to share what makes our faith distinct and why following Jesus matters.

c.       Clues from the text

1.       Character of God.  Vs. 6: 6 – it grieved God to the heart; Word grieved in Hebrew is the same word that is used to describe the “pain” of childbirth.

2.      Walter Brueggemann suggests that the Noah story reveals the Image of God as” a troubled parent instead of an angry tyrant” (77).  An important distinction – We worship God, who is paid by our sinfulness and wants to find a way to overcome it, instead of a God who angrily reacts to our sinfulness.

3.      blot out; but wait – salvation still comes.  ark; same word that will be used for the basket in which Moses is put into to the basket of reeds to avoid being put to death at Pharaoh's decree.  And we are reminded that God chooses to save us. 

4.      We also see themes of God remembering and God offering covenant (I'll be hitting those two themes in next week's sermon).

The Noah story God and helps us claim our Christian identity.

Move 2: why all the details about the ark?

a.              I am fascinated with why there is such detail given about how to build the ark.

1.      I don't really care about how many cubits there are in the ark or that pitch was used to seal the ark.

2.      Maybe some engineers in our midst want to know that stuff, but I don't understand why it's there.

3.      But it is.  So we have to figure out why this is some important that the details are part of the biblical record.

4.       Why should we not dismiss it as just unimportant details?

b.              God is real.

c.               The challenge of following God.

1.      the tasks will be laid out for Noah, and they will be hard work.

2.      not easy being going where God calls.

Move 2:  Final point (still quite a bit of sermon left!):  the cycle of discipleship.

a.              Not quite the biblical story, but the comedian Bill Cosby's has a wonderful routine about what might have transpired between Noah and God.  Listen to how he envisions a conversation that might have taken place between Noah and God [“Noah: Ma and You, Lord” from Bill Cosby’s Greatest Hits (Track 3) was played for the congregation at this point}.

1.      Initially, Noah sort of likes the idea that he knows the flood is coming and his friends don't. He cryptically asks his neighbor, "How long can you tread water."

2.      You now the excitement of discipleship:  the first day or two on a mission trip; the month in seminary; the first mission project you get involved in at church. Awesome feeling like you are doing what God calls you to do; you are impacting others, being a disciple is so good!

3.       But Noah gets fed up with dealing with the building the ark, with the God who remains silent when Noah introduces God to the neighbor, and with all the elephant dung in the bottom of the ark.  At one point, God asks Noah, "how long can you tread water!"

4.       Noah is not so excited with all the work, the frustration, the acting in the present in the belief that it will matter in the future.

5.      The first days of mission trip morph into the 5^th and 6^th day – you’re tired of being gone from home, tired of your leaders, tired of the person who snores in the room, even tired of those cute little kids you have met.

First month of seminary gives way to the class discussions that give you an image of God you’re not sure you like, and then papers and final exams arrive and it does not feel like too exciting a call.

First project at church leads to your being on a committee for the next project; now you get to deal with the details, the decision that have to be made, the volunteers that have to be found.

            6. This following Jesus gig is a little tougher than you had imagined.  Maybe you ought to move on to something different.

            7. Maybe you have a gripe session with God like Bill Cosby’s Noah does (this is biblical by the way – see Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness or the Psalmists)

8.      And the lighting and thunder arrive soon followed by the rain.

9.      The complaints give way to the reality that you really need God.

10. Race back to God

b.              The cycle of discipleship – hearing the call, obeying the call, deciding to turn away, discovering God anew.

Conclusion:  Kids love the story of Noah’s ark. Great story.  But as you counts off the animals by twos, don’t forget the God who is revealed in the story – the God who calls us; the God who challenges us; the God who is waiting for us when the rain starts to pour.

Amen.