It has been raining pretty steadily in Las Vegas now for about seven days. I was awake at 2AM this morning when the rain began after a slight pause of five to six hours. This worries me for two reasons. First, because the channel behind my house is now half full of rushing torrential waters and looks more like a midwestern river than a drainage canal. Second, because two of the windows in my house are now leaking. Many of the sidewalks in my neighborhood are under water, and many of the intersections are flooded. We have received our annual precipitation equavalent within the last week. It's evident that home builders in this valley did not build houses with steady rains in mind.
As a consequence, I've actually thought about Noah. First of all, we're about 20% of the way towards the 40 days and 40 nights that it rained. Secondly, I think about rainbows, and God's covenant to protect Noah and his family and never again wipe man from the face of the earth. Strangely enough, and for the first time I can recall, in the face of desert drought, I asked God to stop the rain as soon as possible. I have food storage, but I never had plans to buy flood insurance or build an ark.
Noah's covenant is relevant to the Christmas season. If God had wiped man from the face of the earth, there would have been nobody from whom Jesus might descend, since dead people have no posterity. That would have actually rendered God's promise of a Savior void, and so he couldn't wipe man from the face of the earth without condemning men because of their disobedience and transgressions. Furthermore, we all descend from Noah, which renders us brothers, and makes it ever more important to treat each other that way around Christmas, whether our human relatives believe in Christ or not. Instead of killing everyone, God gave us another chance to repent, and he put a rainbow in the sky.
Several months have passed since I last saw a rainbow. There's also no sign of one in the forseeable future with clouds looming at least until evening for the valley. If they don't stick around tomorrow, we might not actually see a rainbow after this storm, just like we didn't see the eclipse. The rainbow to me is a reminder that God is interested in our salvation from sin, which is a very Christmasy theme in my opinion.
The waters have a ways to go before they really threaten my house. The biggest threat right now is the slow drip in one of the downstairs windows from a poorly seated or poorly protected window. Who knows what will happen? Meanwhile I will trust God, who didn't tell me to build an ark, that where the city has none He has a plan for this type of life contingency.
Perhaps it's a good sign that, around Christmas, I find myself pondering aspects preparatory to and conditional upon the incarnation of Christ. Of all the things to cross my mind, I am pleased with what does.
Merry Christmas once again.
I will be here again tomorrow before they finally do what they should do at work and let us stay home since there are no students here...
As a consequence, I've actually thought about Noah. First of all, we're about 20% of the way towards the 40 days and 40 nights that it rained. Secondly, I think about rainbows, and God's covenant to protect Noah and his family and never again wipe man from the face of the earth. Strangely enough, and for the first time I can recall, in the face of desert drought, I asked God to stop the rain as soon as possible. I have food storage, but I never had plans to buy flood insurance or build an ark.
Noah's covenant is relevant to the Christmas season. If God had wiped man from the face of the earth, there would have been nobody from whom Jesus might descend, since dead people have no posterity. That would have actually rendered God's promise of a Savior void, and so he couldn't wipe man from the face of the earth without condemning men because of their disobedience and transgressions. Furthermore, we all descend from Noah, which renders us brothers, and makes it ever more important to treat each other that way around Christmas, whether our human relatives believe in Christ or not. Instead of killing everyone, God gave us another chance to repent, and he put a rainbow in the sky.
Several months have passed since I last saw a rainbow. There's also no sign of one in the forseeable future with clouds looming at least until evening for the valley. If they don't stick around tomorrow, we might not actually see a rainbow after this storm, just like we didn't see the eclipse. The rainbow to me is a reminder that God is interested in our salvation from sin, which is a very Christmasy theme in my opinion.
The waters have a ways to go before they really threaten my house. The biggest threat right now is the slow drip in one of the downstairs windows from a poorly seated or poorly protected window. Who knows what will happen? Meanwhile I will trust God, who didn't tell me to build an ark, that where the city has none He has a plan for this type of life contingency.
Perhaps it's a good sign that, around Christmas, I find myself pondering aspects preparatory to and conditional upon the incarnation of Christ. Of all the things to cross my mind, I am pleased with what does.
Merry Christmas once again.
I will be here again tomorrow before they finally do what they should do at work and let us stay home since there are no students here...
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