The rainbow came from earliest recorded history as a symbol of hope. In the Book of Genesis, it appeared as proof of a covenant between God and all living creatures. It is also found in Chinese, Egyptian, and Native American history.1
This month, we see it celebrating and commemorating LGBTQ pride. Rainbows, in this community and this context, represent a lot of things including hopeful expectation that the future will be different than the past. Each stripe in the rainbow flag represents different attributes or virtues. Queer Christian theologians, Patrick Cheng and Kittredge Cherry, wrote the "Rainbow Christ Prayer" with these attributes in mind. The opening stanza says this:
“Rainbow Christ, you embody all the colors of the world. Rainbows serve as bridges between different realms: heaven and earth, east and west, queer and non-queer. Inspire us to remember the values expressed in the rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community.”2
The prayer poem then goes on to list each color as they connect to aspects of Jesus. Focusing on the first stanza, just as the rainbow is meant to be a unifier across differences, so is Jesus. What if Jesus is like the rainbow flag—a symbol of hopeful expectation that the future will be different than the past?
That would make us like Noah—hunkered down in the storm of life yet held carefully by God. In Genesis 7 all the animals and Noah’s family went into the ark and “God shut them in”. That is, God sealed them in a safe place during an uncertain time. Before the rainbow appears and all Noah knows is the storm, he is held safely.
In chapter 8 when the flood subsides, the text says, “God said to Noah, ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh.” The safe place is enough until it is safe to come out. The ark probably wasn’t comfortable, but it was enough.
This reminds me of a quote from Julian of Norwich that helped keep me afloat during the COVID lockdowns. “If there is anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.”
In whatever storms you find yourself, whatever uncertainty. Whatever symbols and structures and status quos are used to keep you in your place, know that the God of movement and liberation, the God of active hope holds you in Their ark, Their womb, with Their love, until it is time for the sun to shine and you to come out of the hidden place.
Until that time, like Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, we can see the rainbow symbolism as only half of the picture, awaiting the other half to make a full circle.3 There is more to come. Always.
This Grapevine devotional was written by Erica Lea-Simka
MW USA SW Regional Representative
