Daily Readings - Wed Feb 20 2019

⁶At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made⁷and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.⁸Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.⁹But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.¹⁰He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark.¹¹And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.¹²Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.¹³In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.²⁰Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.²¹And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.²²While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease."

Mark

Chapter 8

²²And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.²³And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?"²⁴And he looked up and said, "I see men, but they look like trees, walking."²⁵Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.²⁶And he sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."

Sermon

The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of trust, patience, and the transformative power of God’s grace. In the first reading from Genesis, Noah’s story unfolds as he waits for the floodwaters to recede. Sending out the raven and then the dove, Noah demonstrates his trust in God’s promise of renewal. The dove’s return with an olive branch signals hope and new life, while Noah’s act of building an altar expresses gratitude and a desire to reconnect with God. This passage reminds us that even in uncertain times, God’s plan unfolds in His own time, and our response should be one of faith and thanksgiving. In the Gospel, Mark presents a unique healing story where Jesus restores a blind man’s sight in stages. The blind man first sees people as walking trees, and only after a second touch does he see clearly. This narrative suggests that spiritual sight, like physical sight, may come gradually. The man’s journey from darkness to light mirrors our own journey of faith, where God reveals truth step by step. Jesus’ instruction to the man to tell no one about the healing adds another layer, reminding us that true faith often begins in quiet, personal encounters with God before it is shared with others. These readings call us to embrace patience and trust in God’s timing. Like Noah, we may face periods of waiting, unsure of what lies ahead, but we can trust that God is working to bring new life. Like the blind man, we may experience moments of partial understanding, but with persistence and openness, God will deepen our vision. Let us allow these stories to inspire us to trust in God’s plan, to wait with hope, and to seek His transformative grace in our lives.