Ark
I learned at an early age to do what I am told, to listen to authority, and obey.
These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth. And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth. Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive. Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them." Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. - Gen. 6:9-22
In Williamstown, Kentucky, there is a full size replica of the Ark Noah was told by God to build.
It was constructed by Amish craftsmen using dead standing timber and it was built as an encounter for all to experience what it could have been like living as a member of Noah's family along with creatures of every kind who were living at the time.
Just seeing the immense size of this thing is awe inspiring. It makes us imagine the unimaginable, that Noah and his three sons could have done this on their own.
How long would it have taken them?
What amount of ridicule and torment would have befallen them from people they knew?
The Ark Encounter in Kentucky, along with its sister site, the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky were built and are run to help people believe in these stories from The Bible.
Seeing that something is possible may make us rethink what we believed to be fantasy.
I guess that is the real message for me in today's reading.
What I believe to be impossible might actually be possible with God.
If I ever get to go to the Ark Encounter, which I seriously doubt, I will probably find myself questioning my disbelief as well as my belief.
I will learn about all the legends of global floods from cultures all over the world and wonder if it could be true.
But regardless of how I might react to what I encounter, I will come away knowing that God could choose to call me to do something outrageous and necessary.
Will I do as Noah did and say Yes?
More to come...