November 29, 2022

Genesis 9:1-17

A Rainbow Covenant

“As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you…”

As a queer person I couldn’t resist choosing a text that talks about a rainbow. Today we find ourselves in the text immediately after a genocidal flood wipes out all living things except for the chosen ones on the ark. Here, God is making a new covenant through a (rain)bow with Noah and his sons (and all living creatures) that calls for the care of the earth. Wil Gafney writes, “The rainbow covenant represents radical inclusivity in the heart of a narrative shaped by gender bias and ethnocentrism.” This covenant is between God and all life for all of time. Wil Gafney also writes:

“The covenant between God and all flesh is between God and every girl, woman, boy, man, and intersex person, every lesbian, gay man, bisexual and transgender person, every atheist, agnostic and religious person, every Muslim, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan and pagan person, every person of ability and perceived limitations, every person of any nationality, ethnicity or racial construction or category, and even includes those who defy and explode categories. For the religious reader, particularly womanist, feminist, and other liberation seeking readers, this radical inclusivity is part of what makes the religious texts of ancient Israel scripture for so many peoples beyond their culture, religion and borders.”

This covenant to which we are invited in is a commitment to protect and care for the earth and all that lives here. This is a call to eliminate violence and seek out the wellbeing of all living things. We all have a role to play. At Grace Covenant we are fully aware of this rainbow covenant that calls us to peacemaking, care for the earth, and human flourishing. This Advent season, how can you seek to deepen this commitment? Together, how can we deepen our commitments? As we hope for a day that all will flourish, let it be an active hope where all will participate in this restorative and justice-filled work.

Meggie Anderson