Living Replications of God

If the world is ever threatened by a massive flood of epic proportions, it now seems the first place to head to is Williamstown, Kentucky. There between the rolling hills of Cincinnati, Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky sits the town of Williamstown and a massive replica of Noah’s Ark.

Called the Ark Encounter, this Ark is based on dimensions found in the Bible and stands at 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. It contains lifelike models of people and close to 100 sculpted animals, including dinosaurs. There is even an animatronic Noah. All at a cost of $100 million. I’m not sure what that would calculate out in “Noah Dollars” for the actual time period, but it seems like a lot of money. The Ark Encounter opened on July 7th.

I’m sure there are well-meaning folks behind this project and I’m sure it can be a positive experience for those who choose to visit the Ark Encounter and have a visual experience of something they have read about in the Bible. But it does leave me wondering and asking, of all the things we can replicate from the Bible, is this what we really need to replicate? Does our society need replications of an Ark or does it need replications of the Kingdom of God and the way of Jesus?

The past few months have been violent for America. On the heels of celebrating Independence Day, there were two controversial police shootings and the killing of five Dallas police officers and others injured. Anger and fear seem to be running rampant and when you mix them together they produce a very toxic atmosphere. Consequently, we seem to be losing a vision for the common good. We are unable to see “that of God” in others and, instead, we only see each other through the grid of our fears, stereotypes, anger, and hate.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “…imitate God like dearly loved children.” (Ephesians 5:1, CEB) If we need to replicate anything, we need to replicate the presence and character of God. We need to replicate the way of Jesus and the way of God’s Kingdom. We need to replicate the way of love and forgiveness. We need to replicate the way of peace and nonviolence.

When God came to this earth, God came in the form of a human person. God came enfleshed in Jesus. You see Jesus, you see God. God continues to come to this world through you and I. We are all created in the image of God and thus hold the possibility of being living replications of God’s grace, mercy, and love. Let us see that in one another. Let us honor that in one another. Let us do what we can to bring peace and wholeness to a very chaotic and fearful world.

Scott Wagoner is presently in his 14th year as Pastoral Minister of Deep River Friends Meeting (NCYM-FUM). He also serves as the Clerk for the North American Ministries Committee of Friends United Meeting.

‍