The Legend of Noah's Ark

I know... I know... been a long time since I wrote anything, much less a post. But I decided to try something really different. A lady from church asked me to preach a sermon on Noah and his ark. Well, everyone knows the story of Noah's Ark... so I decided to do something a bit different this time. Here you will find something quite different... It's a bit long, but I think worth your time. Enjoy!
And so, here is my sermon entitled,

The Legend of Noah’s Ark

A long time ago, just after Creation,
God looked around with renewed inspiration.

Adam and Eve had long left the Garden,
Guilty of sin, but granted God’s pardon.

So, out on their own, in the land east of Eden,
Together they farmed, and started to breeden’.

Cain was firstborn, but he was unstable,
Willing to kill his younger brother Abel.

Seth was born next, then Enosh his son,
Enosh bore Kenan, a boy not well known.

Kenan had Mahalalel, and Jared his son,
Yes, the sons of Adam increased one by one.

Enoch was next, and he walked with God,
God took him to heaven, which was really quite odd.

Methusaleh was Enoch’s son, a really old man,
At 969 years, he had the longest life-span.

Then Lamech was born, Methusaleh’s son,
And now our adventure has really begun.

For Lamech’s son was Noah, of course,
A man that God favored, a real driving force.

So Noah was born when man’s sin was great,
Each did as he wanted, regardless of fate.

Even the Sons of God took wives from the earth,
Mighty men of stature and girth.

The Lord saw how great man’s evil had grown,
And He began to regret what man had become.

So the Lord’s heart was troubled, and He said with regret,
“These people I’ve created have made me upset.”

“I’ll wipe from the face of the earth I’ve created
Each man, woman, and child; I’m so devastated.”

“The animals, the birds, and the creatures that move
They too have to go; each one I’ll remove.”
Yes, the Lord’s sorrow was great, creation a flop,
Everywhere God looked, it was evil non-stop.

God’s mind now made up, He took one last look,
And noticed one man who wasn’t a crook.

This Noah was different from all of the rest,
Yes, here was a man that God truly blessed.

So God smiled a smile and His spirit soared
For Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Yes, Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his peers,
Faithfully he walked with God, ignoring all the jeers.

So God came to Noah and the two had a chat,
About the evil on earth, mixed with some this and some that.

And God poured out His heart, explaining His new plan,
Clearing His throat, His grand plan He began.

“Noah, I am God the Great I Am;
I am not Fred, or Steve, or Sam.”

“My plan says you are to build a great boat,
A ship, or an ark, on which you will float.”

“But God,” Noah said, “It’s not rained on this land,
I’ve looked around and we’ve only got sand.”

“Why would I build a great big old boat
When there is no water on which it will float?”

God replied, “I’m telling you now, better listen to Me,
The whole world will soon be nothing but sea,

“All around and as far as your eyes can see.
Now that’s one place you won’t want to be!”

Noah said, “God, they will think I am mad,
My wife will not be even one little bit glad.”

“Our sons will wonder, ‘Hey, what’s up with dad?’
Please God, I’m really not trying to be bad.”

God sighed, “Why must you question my demand
When you know there is evil upon all the land?”

“I have chosen you, and have chosen your kin
Because everyone else is so full of sin.”

“Okay,” agreed Noah, “But I’ll need your advice,
‘Cause there won’t be time to build it twice.”

“Give me directions, in inches and feet,
If I must convert to metric, it won’t be complete.”

So God gave instructions, in cubits no less,
And after a while the ark began to progress.

“One more thing,” God told Noah that day,
“You won’t be alone, I’ve planned it that way.”

“Take your wife, your family, your boys and their wives,
It is my plan to keep you alive.”

“But there’s more, you see, I planned really big,
This boat is more than a thingamajig.”

“You must take the animals, two of each kind,
Be sure you don’t leave any species behind”

“Male and female, every creature on earth,
My plan is that they should start the rebirth.”

“And take enough food for each one to eat,
Hay, grass and clover, and plenty of meat.”

So Noah did everything God had commanded,
He was an agreeable sort, hardly hard-headed.

Now year after year Noah built him an ark,
He built in the daylight, he built in the dark.

Then finally one day, he nailed the last nail,
He sawed the last board, he was ready to sail.

The Lord said to Noah, “Get into the ark,
You and your family soon will embark.”

And what to their wandering eyes should appear?
Every kind of animal, from both far and near.

Each kind of animal, from A to Z
Alligators to zebras, even ants and bees.

They entered the ark, and settled right in,
Because their amazing journey was about to begin.

In the 600th year of Noah’s long life,
Noah and his family, along with his wife,

Experienced something never experienced before,
For it rained, and it rained, then it rained some more.

And as the rain started, God shut the ark’s door,
For the rain turned into a heavy downpour.

So the rain waters fell, and the flood waters rose,
So much water, everything overflows.

It rained and it rained, forty days, forty nights,
Noah and his family had never seen such a sight.

Buildings and hills and mountains were wet,
Nothing but water, and God wasn’t done yet.

For man and animals, all left behind,
Their place in the ark, God had declined.

Only Noah was left and those in the ark,
The days soon grew dreary and lonely and dark.

The waters flooded the earth, no land could be seen,
So they floated and waited for God to intervene.

For one hundred days, and then fifty more,
They waited and watched for a sight of dry shore.

Just when it seemed that they were at their wits end,
Noah remembered he had a best friend.

God remembered Noah and all on that boat,
He couldn’t just leave them alone and afloat.

So He sent a strong wind over waters and seas,
To dry up the land, the mountains and trees.

The rain had long stopped, the floodgates were closed,
The waters receded, the earth now exposed.

Now the ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat,
A mountainous place was their new habitat.

After the ark sat forty days, forty nights,
Noah decided to take in the sights.

He opened a window and sent out a raven,
And off it flew, it’s wings just a waving.

But the raven kept flying, no place to land,
It flew back and forth across no-man’s land.

Noah then sent a dove, to search for a spot,
But it came back to Noah, a little distraught.

Noah brought it back in, then waited a week,
Then sent it back out to fly and to seek.

The dove soon returned with a plucked olive leaf,
And Noah sighed with a sigh of relief.

For Noah now new that the water was leaving,
And that soon new life everywhere would be springing.

So on the first day of Noah’s 601st year,
Noah opened the door of the ark with a cheer!

All the water was gone, the earth was now dry,
To the ark that had saved them he now said good-bye.

The birds and the animals, all the creatures that move,
They all left the ark and got on their groove.

And God commanded all the creatures that day,
“Be fruitful and multiply; now be on your way!”

So Noah came out, his sons and his wife,
And together they started to start a new life.

Then Noah built an altar for thanking the Lord,
For His saving grace on Noah outpoured.

Noah offered his offering, his thanks truly sincere,
And prayed to the Lord, his words loud and clear.

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said,
“Never again will I do what I did.”

“Never again will I curse the ground,
Never again will I let mankind drown.”

“And never again will I destroy all the creatures,
For I’ve come to love each one’s unique features.”

“Summer and winter, daytime and night,
Never again will they see such a sight.”

Then God blessed Noah, his wife and his sons,
But He had more to say, He wasn’t quite done;

“Be fruitful and multiply, fill all the earth,
Mankind depends on your plans for rebirth.”

“The fear and dread of man will now fall
On the animals, they’ll be afraid of you all.”

“Every creature that moves, every fish on the sea,
They’re now in your hands, on this I decree.”

“Everything that lives and moves can be food,
So go out and begin your new livelihood.”

Then God said to Noah, “There’s just one thing more,
I’ll establish my covenant with man evermore.”

“Never again will I destroy with a flood,
Never again will I turn earth to mud.”

“My covenant I give to you and your kin,
I promise that I won’t do this again.”

“And this is the sign of my promise to you,
A rainbow I place in the sky so blue.”

This colorful rainbow way up in the sky,
Is to help you remember that I never lie.”

“So remember when clouds and raindrops appear,
My rainbow promise; you have nothing to fear.”

So God did as He said, placing His rainbow above,
A sure sign of promise, of grace, and of love.

And Noah began his life on dry ground,
Him and his wife were once more earthbound.

And Noah’s sons, Japheth, Shem and Ham,
Moved out and began to repopulate the land.

And from these three sons every person of worth,
Was born and in time populated all of the earth.

And all of the animals moved out and grew,
And grew and grew; they knew just what to do.

They covered the earth, each species did roam,
And eventually settled and made their new home.

And God smiled a smile, and His spirit soared!
For Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.