Doll Can Create

We know the story.

(*see video below)

God created the heavens and the earth. God filled the world with life and entrusted humanity with the responsibility of caring for creation. Yet, as the generations passed, people moved farther and farther away from God. Violence spread. Relationships were broken. The goodness of creation became difficult to see beneath the damage humanity had caused.

Genesis tells us that God was grieved.

Then came the flood. Noah, his household and representatives of every living creature entered the ark. The rains fell, the waters rose and the world as they knew it disappeared.

It is often presented as a colourful children’s story filled with animals marching two by two. Yet this is not an easy or cheerful story. It is a story of violence, destruction and deep sorrow. Even God regrets what has happened.

But destruction is not the final word.

When the waters recede and Noah steps onto dry ground, God makes a covenant—not only with Noah, but with Noah’s descendants and every living creature upon the earth.

God places a rainbow in the sky as the sign of that promise.

More Than a Contract

We sometimes use the words contract and covenant as though they mean the same thing. But a covenant goes deeper.

A contract says, “I will do this if you do that.”

A covenant says, “I am binding myself to you. I will remain faithful.”

God’s covenant with Noah does not depend upon humanity suddenly becoming perfect. In fact, God already knows the human heart. Nevertheless, God chooses relationship. God promises to remain connected to humanity and to the whole created world.

The rainbow declares that God has not given up on creation.

What Do We See in a Rainbow?

When we see a rainbow, what comes to mind?

Perhaps we think first about the science—the way sunlight meets drops of water and separates into colour.

Perhaps we simply stop to admire its beauty.

Or perhaps we remember God’s promise.

We do not have to choose between these responses. Science can help us understand how a rainbow appears, while faith helps us receive what it signifies. Its colours stretch across the sky as a reminder that judgment is not God’s final word.

Mercy is still possible.

Relationship can be restored.

Life can begin again.

Signs That Help Us Remember

The rainbow is not the only sign that draws us back to God’s promises.

Jesus tells us, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

Whenever we gather as a family of faith, we become another sign of God’s covenant. We do not gather because we have been perfectly faithful. We gather because God is faithful.

When we break bread together, we remember the new covenant revealed in Christ.

We remember Jesus’ life and love. We remember his suffering and imagine the scars upon his hands and feet. We remember his promise never to leave or forsake us.

The rainbow turns our eyes towards God’s promise to creation.

The bread turns our hearts towards God’s promise revealed in Christ.

Both signs tell us the same truth: God has not abandoned us.

Becoming Signs of the Covenant

God’s covenant is not merely something we admire. It shapes the way we live.

If God remains faithful, we are called to practise faithfulness.

If God chooses mercy, we are called to offer mercy.

If God’s promise includes every living creature, we are called to care for the earth and all who share it.

This week, watch for signs of God’s faithfulness—a rainbow, shared bread, a gathering of friends or an unexpected moment of grace.

Then become a sign of God’s covenant for someone else.

Keep a promise. Offer forgiveness. Care for creation. Sit with someone who feels forgotten. Remind another person that they are not alone.

There is always more to the story.

The rainbow is more than something beautiful after a storm. The bread is more than food placed upon a table. They are signs that call us back to the foundation of our faith:

God remembers.
God remains.
God’s promises are true.

And because God keeps covenant with us, we can become people of promise for one another.

This Week’s Invitation

Watch for signs of God’s faithfulness—a rainbow, shared bread, a gathering of friends or an unexpected moment of grace. Then become a sign of God’s covenant for someone else: keep a promise, offer mercy, care for creation or remind someone that they are not alone.