Last night, about 9:30, my dog started barking. Now, as the owner of a beagle, you get to know the “barks.” They all have distinct sounds.
- There is the “ground bark,” where he picks up the scent of some animal that USED to walk around the yard, but is no longer there.
- There is the “squirrel bark,” where he barks a bit more aggressively at the branches of trees overhead, in response to squirrels who are a little smug for my liking.
- There is the “knock knock bark,” where he is wanting us to let him inside.
- There is the “other dog bark,” where he wants to play with whatever dog is on the other side of the fence.
- Then, there is the “full on panic bark.” This bark (in our experience) means one of two things: opossum or skunk. (OH PLEASE LET IT BE A OPOSSUM.)
At 9:30 last night, it was the “full on panic bark.” Like the homeowner in the “Night before Christmas” story, I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter. When I made it to the backyard, what did I see? Black and white baby; a skunk in the corner of the yard.
A few minutes later, and the whole ordeal was over. Rumble got sprayed, and man did it stink!
This launched an hour long de-skunking process that has proved (mostly) successful. During that hour, I had time to think. As a Pastor, I often process my experiences through what I am studying to teach on Sundays. This Sunday, I am preaching on the account of Noah in the book of Genesis (and a few references to Noah in the New Testament). Given my experience last night, I honestly was thinking, “Lord, why did you invite these skunks on the ark?” Given how pitiful that experience looked last night, I would have taken a T-Rex over a skunk!
But this thought got my thinking … what is the “big idea” of the historical account of Noah and the flood? Of all the stories in the book of Genesis, Noah is most likely to end up on the wall of a baby’s nursery. Part of the reason that is the case for many is because we want the account of Noah to be a story about animals lining up twosy, twosy and creating a floating theme park for Noah and his family. How fun is that!
The hard reality, though, is that the historical account of Noah is about something way bigger than animals. It is about how seriously God takes sin, and how the way to salvation is specific rather than general. God takes sin so seriously that He will bring judgment upon it. But the God who is able to judge is also willing to save … but the salvation He offers is specific (“get on the boat”) not general (“climb to higher ground” or “learn to swim”).
This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church we will be in part 2 of our sermon series “The Scarlet Thread.” In this week’s message we will pull the thread of another shadow of the Savior from a popular Old Testament passage to see something important about Jesus for you and me.
Hope to see you Sunday at Wildwood for worship, communion, fellowship, and study of God’s Word in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service. See you there … and bring friends!