Sunday Sermon, 11 January 2026
Covenant Service in the Methodist Church
A reading from the book of Genesis
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’
Genesis 9.8–17 NRSVA
You can listen to the sermon here, or read below:
One of the children’s books we have in our household is called ‘Predators’. It is a fun pop-up book with some scary creatures; tigers, sharks, tarantulas, that sort of thing.
One of the predators featured is a crocodile. You can imagine all the scary teeth on that one as it pops up at the reader. But if you look closely, you see a lovely detail. It shows a small bird, the ‘Egyptian plover’, gently and carefully pecking away between the crocodile’s teeth. The crocodile holds still, while the little bird forages for scraps of meat and parasites from between its teeth.
You have probably heard of this story before. It was originally reported by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, and has been repeated widely since then, although there are doubts today about how frequently this actually occurs in the wild. But nonetheless, it is a wonderful symbol of harmony and mutual care within the natural world. The crocodile benefits by having its magnificent teeth cleaned and cared for. The little bird benefits by getting a delicious meal!
It is just one example of the ways in which all things within the natural world are interconnected with one another – and that includes us humans as well.
* * *
This is an important theme in the conclusion to the story of Noah and the flood we heard from Genesis. I am sure you are familiar with the broad strokes of the story; God is grieved in his heart at the amount of wickedness in the world, so he decides to wipe out all living creatures with a worldwide flood. But he remembers Noah’s righteousness, and so commands Noah to build an Ark that will protect Noah, his family, and two of every living creature on the earth. The floods come, and all life is wiped out apart from those safe in the Ark. After the deluge has subsided, God promises never to wipe out all living flesh ever again.
There are many interesting features of this story we could focus on. But I want to focus on just one unusual feature of this story for our Covenant service today: the covenant that God makes is not only with humanity, but with all the creatures that inhabit the earth. This is repeatedly emphasised. Five times in this passage, God reiterates that his covenant is being made with humans and ‘every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth’ (Genesis 9:16).
* * *
The biblical idea of a covenant is a rich and complex one. But at its heart, a covenant is a promise that is given by God to his people, that enables a living relationship between the creator and the created. It usually comes with conditions for ethical living that will please God, and is accompanied by a sign. The sign for the covenant with Noah is famously the rainbow, which we are fortunate to see fairly frequently in this beautiful part of the world.
What is original and special about the covenant with Noah is that all the animals of the earth are specifically included in the covenant promise. Humans and animals together are covenant partners with the God who made us all.
This reveals the mutual nature of our relationship with the other animals. Just as the crocodile and the little bird work together for mutual benefit, so we are to work with the animals of the earth as joint recipients of God’s covenant.
* * *
In secondary school, I took GCSE Business Studies. I really don’t remember that much from the lessons, and I didn’t do very well in it. But I remember vividly the lesson on business partnerships, mainly because the textbook gave a tragic example of a partnership where everything went wrong, and the company went bust because of a lack of trust and transparency. Apparently, in UK law, business partners must act in good faith toward each other, share profits and losses fairly, contribute to the partnership’s debts, and avoid competing within the partnership.
According to Genesis 9, we are covenant partners with ‘every living creature, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth’ (Genesis 9:10).
How are we doing in this partnership? Is humanity acting in good faith towards our fellow creatures? Are we sharing the bounty of God’s creation fairly? Are we contributing to our fellow animals’ needs? Are we avoiding competition with our covenant partners?
We are fortunate to live in an area where many local farmers make their living off the land, and know what it means to respect and care for animals. But this is a notable exception. Taken as a whole, we must admit that humans are treating the natural world with contempt. The Natural History Museum website states this: “Human activity is killing nature at an unprecedented rate. We are now experiencing the consequences in the form of a possible sixth mass extinction. The current rate of extinction is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the pre-human background rate of extinction” (Link)
Apparently, within the next 75 years, between 10% and 25% of all species could be lost if we continue on our current trajectory.
I am afraid that just as God looked upon the earth and saw much wickedness in Noah’s day, I suspect that as he looks upon our world today, he sees a similar story. We are failing to honour the covenant partnership with our fellow creatures, and in so doing we are spurning the generous grace of God.
* * *
I think that part of the reason for this is that as humans we have a tendency to remove ourselves and cut ourselves off from the natural world. Partly, this is understandable. Speaking with those who farm the land and have a lot to teach us, I know that nature can often seem cruel and unforgiving. Harsh winters can cause frostbite in livestock, while wet springs put newborn lambs at risk. We need a certain level of protection from the natural world. Human culture is built upon the homes and hearths that offer respite from nature’s harshest conditions.
But sometimes as I walk along a tarmacced road in a built-up area, and see walls, artificial street lights, and lots of steel and glass, it can feel as though we have retreated too far. It is possible to travel in a city and see virtually no wildlife for miles. And as we become an increasingly virtual and online society, we are removed from our fellow creatures even more.
But alongside this general fact, there is a specifically Christian failing that contributes to our problem.
Genesis teaches us that as humans, we are made in the image of God. This gives us a certain nobility and responsibility. We are to care for the earth as gardeners and stewards, and show God’s love and compassion to all living creatures.
Unfortunately, too often Christians have twisted this theological distinction between humans and animals to suggest that we are in some way superior to the other creatures. Poor interpretations of Genesis 1 suggest that we have a license to dominate and control creation, rather than simply care for it. And this has made it easy for Christians to disregard the natural world, and look the other way when faced with the consequences of human behaviour upon our planet.
* * *
How are we to act in the light of God’s covenant with Noah and all creatures? Teaching on the environment usually evokes a variety of responses from a Christian congregation.
At one extreme, I have had conversations with Christians who believe that this world is destined to be burned up in fire anyway, so destructive human activity is not something to worry about or be concerned with. At the other extreme, there are those who suggest that our entire way of life must be turned around, and Western civilisation must come to an end if there is any hope of our planet being saved.
Certainly, each one of us must weigh up and consider how we feel God is calling us to respond in our own lives to the ecological crisis that we are living through. There are lots of small practical steps that can be taken, and when faced with big challenges, it can sometimes be helpful to focus on the small things that are achievable.
But ultimately, the most important response we can make is to challenge our mindsets. Do we believe that God’s love and care extends not only to us as humans, but also to all God’s creatures? Do we view ourselves as covenant partners with all of creation, as the Noah story teaches? Are we willing to repent of the times when we have taken God’s creation for granted, and turned a blind eye to the suffering of all God’s creatures?
In a moment, we will declare our belief in God’s covenant with us, made through Jesus Christ his son. As we stand and affirm this covenant, let us remember that God makes his covenant not just with us, but with all flesh of the sky, earth, and sea. Let us pray that God opens our minds to its fullest implications, and that by his Holy Spirit, he grants us strength to live out its convictions, as we learn more and more what it means to be his people, and part of his creation. Amen.