First Sunday of Lent Genesis 9: 8-17 Mark 1: 9-15

How often have you tied a knot in your handkerchief to act as a reminder. You pull it out of your pocket and then spend the next period of time racking your brains trying to remember what the reminder was about. Another good method which acts as a prompt for the memory is to put something so ridiculously out of place that it triggers a memory. Again, the problem remains of trying to recall what it was that you are trying to remember.

You and I are not alone in employing something to act as a reminder for us. God also used a reminder. He set in the sky a rainbow. All he needs to do is look at the rainbow and remember the covenant, the promise, that he made to all of mankind through out all ages. But it was a promise made not to just us as humans, but to all animals, all birds.

He set his bow in the clouds as a sign of that promise. The promise was that, never again, would a flood cover the earth, a flood that would destroy all living animals and humans. God would see the rainbow and remember his promise made to us all.

It is reassuring to know that God has made such a promise to us all. To know that we are in his thoughts. That he will for ever care for us by not covering the face of the earth with floodwaters. Yes, we will still endure flooding but not on a universal scale. But to those who experienced flooding, the loss of property resulting, the in some cases total loss of everything that they own it may as well be the end of the world.

But we have hope. When we look into the sky and see a rainbow, it is not the ‘pot of gold buried at its foot’ that we should try to find, but it is the memory of the promise made to us all by God. When we read the gospel reading we again have the reassurance from God of great things. A voice is heard proclaiming of Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”. The ministry of Jesus is launched. The period of temptation in the wilderness begins. A period of temptation by Satan, of being surrounded by wild beasts, and cared for by angels.

Following this Jesus came back into the community proclaiming the Good News of God. He came encouraging us to repent and to believe in the Good News.

Twice we have been given reassurance from God that he cares for us. The rainbow we see in the heavens, stretching from field to field is the reminder of how God loves each one of us, and the baptism of Jesus where the voice from heaven announces Jesus as the Son of God, leading him onwards in his ministry.

The rainbow is a wonderful sight and so full of colour. All of the colours we can hold in our palette as we stand in front of an empty canvas can be spread before us just as a rainbow in the sky. The empty canvas can be as our life ready to be laid before us. If we repent and believe we too will be led forward.

Collect for the First Sunday of Lent.

Almighty God,

whose Son Jesus Christ fasted forty days in the wilderness,

and was tempted as we are, yet without sin:

give us grace to discipline ourselves in obedience to your Spirit;

and, as you know our weakness,

so may we know your power to save;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.