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A Year on the Ark

by Emily Stockert

Tuesday afternoon brought excitement with a sudden shower of hail. My husband, children, and I threw on our jackets and shoes and stood on the porch to see the front yard get pelted with little balls of ice. Watching the hail pile up in the birdbath and along the edges of the front walkway brought some novelty to a now-routine day of working and schooling from home.
 
While I was standing on the porch with my little family watching the weather, the story of Noah from the book of Genesis came to mind. Much of how we usually relate to the story of Noah focuses on the sensational weather. In Sunday school, we highlight the animals. After all, the ark was basically a floating zoo!  Often, the story is told as a morality lesson about one man’s righteous man’s obedience to God. These are all valid points to focus on, but now what strikes me most is that Noah and his family sheltered in isolation on board their ark for a very long time. They waited and waited until the waters abated and the ark ran aground on Mt. Ararat. Eventually, Noah and his family peered out of the windows to see signs that change was coming.  Soon, they would be able to leave the ark. How fantastic it would be to step out on dry land again!
 
As we approach the year anniversary of Sonoma County’s Covid restrictions, like Noah sending out the doves after a year on the ark, we are beginning to see signs of change. Vaccines are coming. Plans are being made for children to go back to school. Excitement is building as people anticipate seeing family and friends again. However, with the prospect of venturing out into the world again, I’m finding that my mind is turning towards the immensity of all that has been lost. I wonder if Noah and his family ever grieved what they lost in the flood? Scripture doesn’t tell us how Noah and his family felt during and after the flood. We just know that after Noah disembarked, he made an offering to the Lord. Then, God set a rainbow in the sky as a sign of God’s covenant with all the earth.
 
Maybe you, like me, are experiencing grief despite your gratitude for the signs that the storm of Covid seems to be ending? And maybe you can’t quite see the rainbow yet? That’s OK. The rainbow is only part of the story, anyway. As we look to Jesus this Lent, we trust that God journeys with us through the darkest of times. God’s promises are made known to us most fully through Jesus Christ. We are not alone in our grief. Have faith. Easter is coming!

 
Sunday March 14
 
Jesus declared, "Before Abraham was, I am." In our sermon series, Look to Jesus, Pastor Kent helps us see the pre-existent, divine Word of God that became incarnate in Jesus.
 
10:00 AM Interactive Worship via Zoom

Zoom Link for Interactive Worship
 
Meeting ID: 813 7532 4243      Passcode: 579433


 

11:30 AM Fellowship via Zoom

Zoom link for 11:30 AM Fellowship
 
Meeting ID: 973 7870 7245    Passcode: 709119
 
 

First Kids

Family Ministries is hosting its first-ever Eggstraordinary Race for families with young children - and the young at heart! - on March 27th at 1:00 at Howarth Park. The race begins on the lawn where you will be greeted with a big hello, a pump of hand sanitizer, and a set of clues that will lead you on an exciting adventure around the park. Fun challenges, puzzle pieces, and Easter eggs are all part of the Eggstraordinary Race. Covid safety precautions will be followed. Masks are required by all participants. RSVP to Darcy by Friday March 19

The Color of Compromise Discussion Group

Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00 PM

March 10 Theme:  Institutionalizing Race in the Antebellum Era /
Defending Slavery at the Onset of the Civil War

 

March 17 Theme:  Reconstructing White Supremacy in the Jim Crow Era /
Remembering the Complicity in the North


Video discussion facilitated by 
Michelle Huntley, Penny Cleary, Rich Mason, Donna and  Mark Thomas

 

Your weekly (approximately 40 minute) investment will be to watch a short video (or two) or read or listen to a chapter or two before our Wednesday evening meeting. We will have discussion questions for each week and will use our time together to share our responses to this compelling material in conversations in community via zoom. We would love to have you join the conversation.





Controversy in Corinth
 

Study #7 - 1 Corinthians
“Women As Church Leaders?” 

  Taught by Rev. Dr. Kent Webber

 
 
Monday, March 15, 7:00-8:15 PM via Zoom
 
Zoom Link for Class

Meeting ID: 843 4109 4365     Passcode: Letter  
     For previous class recordings, click here. 

 



Movie Discussion Group: Loving (PG-13)


Friday, March 19, 7:00 PM via Zoom

Loving is the absorbing and true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, whose 1958 arrest in Virginia for their interracial marriage led to a legal battle in 1963 that resulted in the Supreme Court's historic 1967 decision, Loving v. Virginia, which struck down Virginia's miscegenation law.  Please view the film in advance via Netflix or stream it on Amazon for $3.99.  We also have a few copies of the DVD for those who prefer.  To RSVP to join us and/or arrange a loan of the DVD, contact Allie Shoulders at 707-890-8010 or via email.

 


 

Caregivers Support Group


Thursday, March 11 at 6:00 PM via Zoom  

 Join Caregivers Support via Zoom

Meeting ID: 897 2757 4781
     
To use Zoom by phone for any Zoom call you may dial one of these numbers: 

+1 669.900.6833
US (San Jose)

+1 346.248.7799
US (Houston)

 For outside the US, locate your local number here.
     

“Truly, truly, I tell you," Jesus declared, 
“before Abraham was born, I am!” 
~John 8:58

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