Refreshing lives, transforming faith, at the heart of the community Haere Mai, Piki Mai
Please Note:This web site makes extensive use of CSS for styling .
If you can read this message, it is probably because your browser does not properly support CSS or you have disabled this yourself.
Although the content looks better with with CSS 'turned on', this site is perfectly readable either way.
One oddity you may notice (with CSS turned off) is the display of text that is intended for PRINTERS ONLY
A Sermon by Dean Charles Tyrrell
Nelson Cathedral
Sunday, 1 June May 2008
It is a long time since I preached about Noah and his ark. The Old Testament contains several interesting and challenging sagas, and this is one of them.
It’s one of the stories I recall from Sunday school, enjoying singing with all my friends,
The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in two by two, the elephant and the kangaroo
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.
And so it went on until the last verse which made us laugh and giggle,
The animals went in seven by seven, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in seven by seven, hurrah! hurrah!
The animals went in seven by seven, the little pig thought he was going to heaven
And they all went into the ark, for to get out of the rain.
Well, what do you think of that? We here at the cathedral were given a model ark and animals recently, a generous gift indeed. We are
hoping to have a display cabinet constructed to show this wonderful gift off to visitors, especially children. Do you think that would be a
good idea? The only reason I ask is that some people these days don’t believe in the actual story of Noah and his immediate family,
the flood, the animals, the dove and the rainbow. They interpret it as one of the Bible myths with no more credence than say Cinderella
or Jason and the Golden Fleece! So, is it right to put such ideas into children’s minds? Let me ask you again, what do you think of that?
Well, before I throw in my opinion, I want to share this. Both Jesus and St Peter understood there to be a character of history named Noah.
Teaching about the last days, listen to what Jesus said,
‘[But] about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah
were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Jesus was using the story of Noah and the flood as an allegory of those times. The people were drowning in a sea of sin and suffering, of
oppression and faithlessness. Jesus was like the new Noah, if you like, working to save his new family of faith by ushering them into the
protective ark, the Church. Now, in case you think that’s a bit overdone, consider this. For centuries the church, the visible
representation of the body of Christ, has been known as the ship of faith. The maritime allusions don’t stop there. Even our
church buildings continue this way of understanding ourselves. The main part of church buildings has been known as the nave for
centuries. Coming from the same root as the word for ship, it stands for the area in front of the high altar where the body of the people
congregate for divine worship. Maybe Noah’s ark is still afloat in this day and age?
There is a deeper point to consider here. Whether you take the story of Noah’s ark to be fact or fiction, and I believe that it is
based on essential truth, the fact is that God does not want to wipe away all traces of life from the earth, whatever we have been doing.
We are taught that humanity was created to be stewards of the created order in God’s name. Humans are the pinnacle of
God’s creation and the last thing God wants to do is to annihilate us. So, the story goes, Noah, his family, and the animals
needed to sustain life and maintain the sacrificial order of worship, were all preserved in the ark until the rains stopped and the waters
subsided. With God there is always hope.
This same remnant theology appears time and time again in the Bible. The people of Israel left Egypt as a nation in tact but after 40
years arrived at the borders of the promised land numbering only a handful. Same idea.
When Jesus came to save his people he chose twelve apostles as the remnant of faith, who, as their title implies, would go out to every
corner of the known world with the message of God as they heard it in Jesus. The ark of faith was once again afloat, as it were.
Then again, it was St Peter who put a different spin on it in his epistle when he describing baptism as the way to salvation. Do you remember his words?
In former times, ... when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people,
were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an
appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Salvation is the word that unites all three readings this morning. Salvation, not because it has been earned, rather salvation, the gift of
eternal life by the grace of God. Noah knew this and his experience stands before us today as the record of the saving, loving grace of God.
Paul understood this as he threw himself into his ministry, a ministry that would cost him his life. Still, Paul wrote glowingly about the
power of the Gospel, the record of the good news which honours Jesus every step along the way, every spiritual nautical mile we travel
together. At the conclusion of our extremely short epistle reading, the apostle adds, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith’.
As Noah was saved because he was a good, God-fearing, God-loving man, so too we are assured of our salvation. We can be confident
because of the faith we have in God through Jesus the Son and inspired by the Spirit.
The message is clear. Whatever life throws at us, we can be assured of salvation, safety in the presence of God, achieved because
Jesus put himself if extreme danger that we might know safety and peace. If that is not gospel, good news, I don’t know what is!
Finally, I’d like to take a glance at the reading from Matthew 7, our gospel reading for today. Jesus was teaching the crowds who
had gathered to hear him that anyone who heard and obeyed his teaching would be set up for life, safe and secure. Once again I was
reminded of a children’s song which used to be sung in Sunday School. I will never forget Bishop Stuart Blanch of Liverpool,
sitting on his throne and doing the actions to the song! “The rains came down and the floods came up, the rains came down
and the floods came up and the house on the rock stood firm / the house on the sand came down.”
Now, those of you who know me well, know that I am useless when it comes to DIY but even I understand the importance of foundations
for any building. Jesus, of course, was teaching, as with a parable, and encouraging his hearers to listen and apply his words to their lives.
In that way, whatever storms life hurled at them, they would be able to stand firm and immovable - spiritually speaking.
Have we learned that lesson for ourselves today? Do you find the teaching of Jesus Christ to be a strong foundation for your life, your faith,
your moral being and your social compassion? Remember, the church is not like Noah’s ark today, supposedly wedged on the top
of Mount Ararat but floating freely, aiming to board new passengers on the ship of faith as we travel on life’s journey. Jesus taught
as one with authority and he has devolved that authority to us, as the physical manifestation of his body on earth today.
Take heart from our readings today as I have done. I never attribute to God the ability to wipe people off the face of the earth. Humankind
is quite capable of achieving that without the assistance of God. On the contrary, God is a God of salvation, restoration and hope and we
should take heart from that wonderful message.
However, we need to listen intently to the words of Jesus though. Life on earth carries certain dangers. We need to make sure we have a
strong foundation to weather any storm life throws at us. And as we are taught, that foundation is Christ. Listen to him by his teaching as
contained in the Gospels and listen to him in the depth of your heart. Build your life on the bedrock of faith that comes from knowing Jesus,
believing Jesus and obeying him. Difficulties will still arise but being founded upon Christ, we know we will survive and overcome. In my
book, that’s salvation.
So, maybe these old stories and the old hymns are good for us after all!
Amen.
This sermon was written and delivered by Dean Charles Tyrrell QSO at Nelson Cathedral on Sunday, 1 June 2008
