by Pastor Douglas Brauner

The Gift of the Rainbow

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on the SoundCloud link.

“When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
Genesis 9:14-15 English Standard Version

If you have been to Niagara Falls in the evening, you have probably seen the light show that illuminates the roaring water. What I experienced was not fancy lights dancing in mind blowing ways, but a subtle reminder of the colors of the rainbow. It was not difficult to imagine a rainbow as one color changed into another.

Everyday thousands of rainbows occur on this planet. Living in Colorado, we don’t see that many rainbows unlike people who live in a tropical climate where they are a common occurrence.

As people who have been redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice, we see more in a rainbow than a scientific phenomenon. We see a promise.

The reading above from Genesis 9 is from the appointed text from last Sunday, the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. I was reading the text for my Sunday devotion and it struck me; every day, twenty-four hours a day, God is reminded of his promise. God is reminded of his promise not to destroy this planet through a flood whether a rainbow appears over a crowded city or the vast ocean..

This thought was almost overwhelming. We are reminded of his promise periodically when we see a rainbow, however, God is continually reminded of his promise. As evil as people are to each other, as fallen as this world is, God sees his rainbow. Not only does he see his rainbow, but because God exists outside of our understanding of time, he always sees the cross. Jesus crucifixion and his resurrection are always before his eyes. He will not forget his promises.

He will not forget you.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado