First Sunday Of Lent

God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.”

God added: “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.” (Genesis 9:8-15)

Our first reading has us remember rainbows as God’s promise not to flood the Earth again.  Oops!  Sorry God, our seas are rising due to climate change and melting ice especially from glaciers and Antarctica.  People of the Earth along the coasts of all nations and living near sea level elevations eventually will be flooded out.  God, your bow in the skies is a wonderful gesture and signal, but we humans are bending and breaking your bow.

Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Our second reading is about Noah and the ark.   Only eight were saved!   Now, we are to think of those few saved and to join them spiritually though the waters of our baptism.  According to Peter, “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.”  If only all authorities and powers believed this. Many do through their faith and Church or place of worship.  Many only wish to be one of the eight at the expense of everyone else.

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:12-15)

Our Gospel speaks of the desert, 40 days, and Satan. Today is the first Sunday of Lent.  Many of us feel like we are among wild beasts and Satan heads and drives the herd.  The kingdom of God seems more like a distant Narnia, and we cannot get through the closet to enter.  

Still, many of us have hope.  Many of us repent.  Many of us believe in the Gospel, and we try our best to make it come to life though our words and deeds.  We are the rainbows serving as God’s covenant between God and all living beings.

Deacon David Pierce