Sunday, February 18, 2018 | Lent
First Sunday in Lent
Year B
Old Testament Genesis 9:8–17
New Testament 1 Peter 3:18–22
Gospel Mark 1:9–15
We started our journey with ashes, Remember you are Dust and Dust you shall return.
Reminded of our dependence upon God.
Maybe that is difficult to take in or for some maybe it is difficult to be reminded that God is the one in charge, not them…..not us.
All three readings today contain violence. They speak to the condition of the world then and now. Violence is a reality but it also does not have to rule, nor does it have to have the final say. Instead Love can be the final say. It is all about the Love. The Love of God for us, in God’s Son, The Light of the World, Jesus Christ.
From the Genesis reading:
Death and destruction because of all the sin in the world, God sends a flood. God wipes out and starts the slate new.
In verse 15, is this promise:
For us or for God?
I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.
We benefit but, this covenant is for God.
God will remember God’s covenant, the covenant of Love that God has for God’s people. We benefit in this because God will do all things for us in God’s love for us.
God is the one taking action for us. God is the initiator.
1 Peter:
In 1 Peter, we are reminded that our baptism saves us though the resurrection of Jesus.
God does for us in God (The Son) in making us new in baptism so that we can do for others in our new lives in Christ.
In order for Christ to be resurrected, He needed to die. God allows, Jesus allows for His death for us because of the covenant that God remembers. The one that reminds God of God’s love for God’s creation. Not just us humans but all creation. In turn, Jesus’ death is for all creation in making us new and all of creation new.
God is the one taking action for us. God is the initiator.
From the Gospel reading:
We go back to the baptism of of Jesus.
There is violence in this reading as well.
Jesus is baptized and the heaven were TORN apart.
Jesus sees the Holy Spirit and hears “You are my Son, the Beloved…”
Naming and assurance of Jesus’ status. This is for Jesus and later through this gospel, for us.
Jesus is then driven into the wilderness and is tempted by Satan.
This is not like being driven by car to a location. Not told to walk out to the wilderness. No, this is its own form of violence. It is being thrown out to the wilderness and being tempted by Satan, who is the epitome of evil and violence.
All this so that Jesus can come out proclaiming to us the Good News, the Gospel. Jesus comes and says, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news. “ Mark 1:15
God is the one taking action for us. God is the initiator.
Love is the most powerful force in the universe.
Love created the world
Love makes the promise to creation following the flood.
Love raised Jesus from the dead
Love turned Saint Paul from killing and persecuting Christians to becoming Christianity’s greatest theologian.
Love is the one taking action for us. Love is the initiator.
All three readings today contain violence. They speak to the condition of the world then and now. Violence is a reality but it also does not have to rule, nor does it have to have the final word. Instead Love will be the final word. It is all about the Love. The Love of God for us, in God’s Son, The Light of the World, Jesus Christ.
It will take our active love and God’s in Jesus Christ, to slow this cycle of increasing violence that we have in our world today.