Sermon - February 21, 2021

“Rainbow Promise”

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

In the Muppet Movie, Kermit the Frog sings “The Rainbow Connection'' which asks why are there so many songs about rainbows. He asks this specifically in a song that he is singing about rainbows. It's a lyrical reference to The Wizard of Oz classic “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” made famous by Judy Garland in 1939, of course, and yet, Kermit has a point. There are a lot of songs about rainbows. But about eight years ago, right around the time country singer Kacey Musgraves released her first album, she wrote a tune called “Rainbow” with her friends, hit songwriters Shane McAnally and Natalie Hemby.

She was inspired by a horoscope verse that she had seen and she wrote a simple song with powerful message for someone trapped in a figurative storm: The song’s chorus reminds the listener to “Hold tight to your umbrella, well darlin’ I’m just trying to tell ya, that there’s always been a rainbow hanging over your head.”

The ballad languished as a demo for years. She thought about including it on her second record; but it ended up not quite fitting the tone. However the song was always a favorite of her grandmother’s, so when her grandmother passed away, Musgraves knew she wanted to record it. Ultimately, it wound up as the final track on her third album, the acclaimed “Golden Hour,” which was released in 2018. It was an album favorite and it launched Musgraves to a new level of stardom.

In the years since, “Rainbow” has lived many lives. It became an anthem for the LGBTQ community. It surged again when Musgraves performed it during the 2019 Grammy Awards, where she won four trophies, including album of the year. And last year, in a terrifying time during the covid-19 pandemic, it evolved into a comforting song that many people turned to in an hour of need.

Musgraves was “flooded” with messages on social media about how much the ballad means to people and she performed it for the televised Global Citizen “One World: Together at Home” benefit concert, alongside a montage of pictures of rainbows with inspirational words. As she sang the last line, she looked directly into the camera and crooned: “It’ll all be all right,”

The words struck a chord with viewers. The words of the song get to you in a personal way. A close family friend of one of the songwriters who had helped raise his children died of cancer and before she passed away, she told his young children to make sure to look for her in rainbows. When you see a rainbow, she told them. You will always see her. It was a promise that she made to them.

The Old Testament reading this morning from Genesis was also about a promise that also came with the sign of a rainbow. Sometimes we need a reminder. A sign is a reminder that points to something specific and concrete. Unlike symbols, which can represent deeper and more nebulous meaning, a sign represents a more direct marker and identifier even if it also contains symbolic value.

The rainbow is both a symbol and a sign. As a symbol, it holds multiple meanings reflecting theological themes. As a symbol, it invites us to explore those meanings and the implications on our lives and faith journey. We can look for those signs everywhere. I Love rainbows and I like to look at the sky. Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” The rainbow is both a symbol that reflects God’s commitment, abundant love, and grace and sign that points to the events of this portion of the Genesis narrative.

We all know the story of the great flood. The Lord was so angered by Humanity's Wicked Ways that God decided to start over by sending a flood to wipe out all life save for Noah, his family and the animals sheltered on the ark. It was a mulligan, a clean slate, a “do over”. The text this week comes after the waters have receded. The Creator had lost patience with creation and decided it was time to begin again.

But God appears to regret this drastic decision almost immediately and makes a covenant, not just with Noah and his family but with all the creatures of the earth to never again destroy all life. After the pouring rain has stopped, after the clapping thunder has stilled, a rainbow bursts forth - This is God's promise of life to the Earth.

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

The beautiful rainbow God sets as a bow in the clouds serves as a symbol and a reminder of this eternal promise. God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds" The rainbow stands as a mutual call to remember. God remembers us, just as God remembered Noah. The covenant is made with people, not nameless and faceless entities. God sees, knows, and remembers God’s people. But, we too are invited to remember. The sign is also a gift.

Without the sign at the end of a storm, we might forget that we have a companion who weathers these moments with us. Without the sign, we might view those challenges that sharpen us as obstacles sent to destroy us. Without the sign, we might believe that acts of nature or our own collective doing are God’s vengeance and punishment inflicted upon us.

The season of Lent is infused with symbols, but they are also replete with signs. Those signs point to the promise and, most importantly, to the God of the promise. The ashes placed on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday are a symbolic reminder to us of the temporary nature of life, but they also serve as a visible sign of our identity in Christ. The palms that we may wave to begin Holy Week symbolize the sovereignty of Jesus, but they also remind us of the details of a specific event in the passion he experienced and invite our tangible participation in recreating those acts.

These signs of promise remember, most of all, as the gospel reading today from Mark indicates that the Creator decided to break into the creation, to be identified through the waters of baptism and the Triune presence in that event, and to declare a new covenant: “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’” (Mark 1:14b-15)

The promise God extends to humanity does not only apply to Noah and his sons, it applies to the entire world that God has created. The flood story isn’t a story about divine judgment. In the midst of the despair over rejection, God decides to start over… but not from the beginning. The work of seven days of separating and bringing order to chaos is not completely undone. The Creator will begin anew with a remnant of the created order before God.

No It’s not about judgment, It is about the anguish in the heart of God, which moves God to a new reality in relationship to the entire earth. It is a gift from God; a new covenant. This is a gift, and God marks it with a bow. A rainbow; and because of this covenant, we know it will all be alright. We have God’s gift of a promise.

There's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head.

It will all be alright.