1st Sunday of Lent

Readings: Genesis 9v8-17; Psalm 25v1-9; 1Peter 3v18-end; Mark 1v9-15.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

A Word: In the reading from Genesis we hear about Noah. This is the man from ancient times who lived a godly life, listened to God, built an ark and filled it with pairs of animals and birds. By his obedience to God, Noah saved the animals and his family at the time of an ancient catastrophic flood that wiped away wicked people. Now in our reading, the flood is over and the water has receded. God is speaking to Noah and making an everlasting and binding promise in which God says that whenever He sees a rainbow, God will remember His promise to Noah and never again permit floods to destroy the whole of humankind.

In the letter from Peter, we hear that after dying as a sacrifice of himself for humankind that Jesus went, alive in the spirit, to make an announcement to all the spirits who were imprisoned from Noah’s time; because they did not obey God and were wiped away by the flood. Peter tells us that because of Jesus and his death for the unholy, wicked and sinful; that the sin of every human being can be wiped away; in order to make us respectable, honourable and blameless in the presence of God. The letter also tells us that through baptism we are saved because through it we appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus.

In Mark we hear that like so many of us, Jesus was baptised too. In Jesus’ case, he was baptised by his cousin John in the River Jordan; and as Jesus was baptised the heavens were torn apart and the spirit of God descended like a dove and a voice pronounced to Jesus that he is God’s son, the beloved, the one who God was well-pleased with. Then after his baptism, the Spirit of God thrust Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days and nights with wild beasts to keep him company, with angels to wait upon him and Satan there daring to tempt him. A reminder to us all that we spend our whole lives trying to evade and side-step temptation.

But what does all of this mean for us, here and now? I believe that it tells us that not only does God know we are limited and frail creatures who Satan is always trying to trick into sin; but also that God wants to save us and make us clean and spotless. It is a plan through which God invites us to come and be saved by Jesus, who in Mark calls all who will listen to repent and believe that God’s promise has been fulfilled and the Kingdom of God come near. And, all we have to do is dare to return to God and be his people.

Let us pray: Almighty God, father of Jesus, your Son who came to earth to be tempted as we are and remained clean of sin. Give us grace to know our weaknesses, to be able to control ourselves and obey your Spirit. Through Jesus: teach us your ways, nourish our faith, increase our hope, strengthen our love and empower us to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. For only through your power can we be saved from our weaknesses. Amen

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