A fresh start

by Nate Crary

​“[Noah] sent out the dove from the ark; 11and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.” Genesis 8:10-11
 
Tomorrow, our family will celebrate Noah’s 2-year baptism anniversary. It doesn’t seem possible that two years have passed since my family gathered in the lawn outside the columbarium at CtK to celebrate Noah’s new life in Christ. It’s hard to believe that was already two years ago because of all that’s happened (and is still happening) in our lives and in the world.
 
I wonder what it was like for Noah (from the Old Testament) to wait for the dove to return to the ark after the rain had stopped. Did time stand still? Did time fly by? Was Noah confident in God’s new covenant? Did he fear the rain would start up again? What if the dove got distracted or forget the way back?
 
When the dove returned that night, brining an olive leaf to the ark, Noah new something would be different from that point on. God made good on God’s promise to restore the earth and everything in it to fullness and life. A fresh start.
 
Tomorrow, Michael and Olive will be baptized during the outdoor worship service at Christ the King. They will be washed clean and forever claimed as God’s beloved. And when the waters subside, the baptism is not over. They need each of you to support them and pray for them in their new life in Christ. Their lives will be changed forever as will the life of our church as we remind each other of God making good on God’s promise to love us through death and into new life. A fresh start.
 
May it be so. Thanks be to God