After the flood of judgment, a dove brings Noah the sign of new creation—an olive branch. It’s a sign that judgment will not be the final word. God makes a place for us again, and he makes a promise: never again! He hangs his bow of judgment up in the sky.
A dove descends on Christ as his ministry begins. It too is a sign of new creation and of judgment not being the final word. Because Christ has come in our flesh and stands in the place of sinners, judgment will not be the last word. There will be new creation, a place for sinners like you and me in God’s newly cleansed world. It’s the Spirit, in the form of a dove, that brings us this good news.
Scripture Readings: Genesis 8:6-12 Matthew 3:16
The Lenten devotional distributed to our church during the month of March has helped me focus on Lent, the crucifixion and the celebration of Easter.
In years past I would begin to focus on Easter during Holy Week starting with Palm Sunday. But this year, week after week, I was drawn to the happenings in Jesus’ life during those last few weeks before His crucifixion. What a delight it was to read through the daily Bible verses and written meditations as the writers took me by the hand, pointing out the various interactions and painful circumstances our Lord Jesus went through, all preparing me for the glorious morning of Easter—the Open Grave and the Risen Lord.
Through each reading we felt “connected” to each other while being apart.
Now we look forward to Pentecost – another one of those Christian celebrations that typically rushes upon us. Let it be a thoughtful journey!
This week’s meditation is by Pastor Len Kuyvenhoven, a recently retired pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. Be blessed by it.
Week 1: The Spirit Comes as a Dove
Read Pastor Len Kuyvenhoven’s meditation for the first week of our Pentecost journey HERE.
