The story of Noah’s ark makes it clear that Noah’s packing manifest includes not just the cute, the clean or the seemingly most useful animals, but the “pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them” (Genesis 7:15). The ark is a zoological archive. When the rains come, God saves not just these particular pairs of animals but the futures of animals, reminding us that every creature has value, regardless of their benefit or cuteness factor for us humans. Noah’s animal list reminds us that our call to care for and conserve creatures extends to all animals, not just the ones we like.
Sometimes the church is depicted as an ark, a community of refuge and sanctuary that carries God’s people through life’s storms and floods. An ark is a vessel of saving hope. Can we remember to include in our church’s nave of care, “all creatures that have the breath of life in them?” They are also our kin. They too are beloved by God.
This message is excerpted from the Bible study “Scripture and nature: Teachers of faith” by Sara Olson-Smith in the January/February 2024 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Francis of Assisi, renewer of the church, 1226; and Theodor Fliedner, renewer of society, 1864.
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