Nursery Tales
by Rev. Dr. Maggie Gillespie
Read the story of Noah and the flood in Genesis 6-9.
It's always interesting when the story of Noah and the flood comes up in adult company, because it's the kind of story everyone knows but that we don't actually talk about much, at least not outside of the nursery. We don't often deal with it directly as adults.
It's a story we give to the children to play with. How many church nurseries have a toy arl with all the animals, two by two, and a white-bearded Noah corralling them in? How many children's books have been made of this story? Silly songs? Has there ever been a children's story Bible that didn't include Noah and the ark? I doubt it!
It's a great children's story.
It's the delight of the nursery gang, but then we are likely to leave it in the nursery. As far as making any real use of this story in our faith, we just don't. Why?
I think we leave it alone because we haven't really figured out how to handle it. Admit it - it's a very unlikely story. It just strains the imagination too far for many of us. A flood that covered the entire world? a boat, big enough to house every kind of animal in the world, built by one man? with dimensions atht make it of questionable seaworthiness? every kind of animal in the entire world gathered together and living on this boat without devouring one another?
I believe in miracles; I'm sure you do too. But nobody wants to be gullible. It's hard to know what to do with Noah and his ark.
