“When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth” (Genesis 8:11)
This passage from today’s reading (Jan 3) points to a symbol of hope in the midst of a flood. As we begin 2014 it seems to me that the world is flooded by many things. It is flooded by violence and corruption. It is flooded by advertising for unlimited consumerism. It is flooded by pornography and profiteering. It is flooded by messages and messiahs, by fear and frenzy, by anger and addiction. It is not so different to Noah’s day. And it is easy to be overwhelmed by the flood.
The olive leaf stands in contrast. It is a fragile sign of hope. The flood can recede. All is not lost. Life and hope and contentment can prevail.
The birth of Jesus signaled the coming of God’s kingdom. We seek the life and the values and the fullness of this kingdom. Jesus said to pray for it in the Lord’s prayer. It is a kingdom to pray for and to work for.
In the year to come let’s look for those little olive leaves in the midst of the flood, those signs of life and hope when so much has been washed away. And may we pray and work to be part of the kingdom which is coming.