You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. (Genesis 6:19)

Dear church family.

I am Pastor Sophia. Have you ever noticed how often water shows up in our lives?

We begin our day by washing our hands and brushing our teeth. We make coffee or tea with it. We take showers. We water our gardens. We carry water bottles everywhere we go.

Without water, we cannot live.

Water reminds us of God’s presence, God’s provision, God’s cleansing, God’s salvation, and God’s promises.

This Sunday, we will reflect on Genesis 7:6–12, the beginning of the flood story. Noah’s story is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. Children love animals. Adults often wonder how Noah managed to care for all animals. Personally, I have always wondered who got stuck cleaning up after the elephants!

The ark is a much deeper story. It is a story about God’s heart.

This ark story tells us that even when humanity wandered far from God’s purpose, God continued to work toward healing, restoration, and new beginnings.

If we are honest, there are times when we become impatient—with ourselves, with others, and sometimes even with God’s timing. We live in a world that wants everything immediately. We want quick answers and quick results. Yet God often works differently. God is patient, persistent, and faithful, continuing to guide us even when we cannot yet see the whole picture.

As a church, we are also learning what it means to trust God’s patience. Some days progress feels exciting. Other days it feels slower than we would like. But Noah did not build the ark in a weekend, and God’s work among us is not completed overnight either.

The good news is that God is not finished with us.

So I invite you to join us this Sunday as we worship together, sing together, pray together, and listen together for what God might be saying to us through this ancient story. Come with an open heart. Come ready to discover again that God’s patience is greater than our failures and God’s love is stronger than our fears.

This week, whenever you pour a glass of water or hear the rain, take a moment to thank God for the gift of life and for the God who never gives up on God’s people.

See you Sunday.

Sophia (Seung Hae) Yoo-Hess
43987 Little River Turnpike, Chantilly, Virginia
Office) (703)3274461