Noah & the Ark
For the children’s mass today.
We are going through the book of Genesis and today we hear a lot about Noah and Ark. We remember the story. The animals went in two by two. Noah’s family also entered the ark.
The ark was made in a special way. God said to use gopherwood to make the ark. We do not know what gopherwood is. No one has been able to find any. Maybe it was a tree that grew then but it doesn’t any longer.
Did you ever wonder how they help the boards together? They did not have nails. They used something like glue. When I glue things together, they usually break apart. We don’t know what kind of glue they had but I think God must have told them how to make the glue because it lasted a long time.
So, God used wood and water. I think the wood reminds us of the cross. Water reminds us of baptism. The people had turned very bad, very evil, and God needed to cleanse the world. With the flood waters it is as if God baptized the world.
The ark was made in the shape of a boat. When we look at the ceiling of a church it looks like a boat turned upside down, doesn’t it.
Jesus died on the cross. When we look at Jesus, we can see the where the spear pierced his side. This reminds us of the ark. To get into the ark God had a door placed on the side of the boat. All the animals and Noah and his family all went through this door. Who do you suppose closed the door? Tradition says God closed the door when everyone was inside.
The Bible tells us it rained for forty days and forty nights. That would be a lot of water. In the Bible the number forty is very important. Remember, Moses lived in Egypt for forty years. The Hebrew people wandered in the desert for forty years. Jesus was in the desert for forty days. Forty means a long time.
Another part of the Noah and the Ark is that God had the wind blow to dry out the earth. It is as if the breath of the Holy Spirit breathed upon the earth to make it ready once again for people. God promises never to destroy the earth again with water. So, He gives us the rainbow as a reminder of His promise.
The more we study and pray about the story of Noah and the Ark the more we learn about our church today. The Old Testament always leads us to God.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen