Daily Readings - Sun Feb 21 2021

⁸And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,⁹And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;¹⁰And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.¹¹And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.¹²And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:¹³I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:¹⁵And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

1 Peter

Chapter 3

¹⁸For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:¹⁹By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;²⁰Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.²¹The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:²²Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Mark

Chapter 1

¹²And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.¹³And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.¹⁴Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,¹⁵And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Sermon

In today's readings, we journey through themes of promise, salvation, and mission. The first reading from Genesis recounts God's covenant with Noah, a promise of renewal after the flood, symbolized by the rainbow. This story reminds us of God's enduring faithfulness and the hope of new beginnings. The second reading from 1 Peter draws a parallel between the salvation of Noah's family through water and our salvation through baptism, highlighting the transformative power of faith. The Gospel from Mark describes Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and the beginning of his ministry, illustrating his commitment to God's will and the call to repentance. These readings are interconnected through the themes of covenant and salvation. Noah's covenant represents God's promise to humanity, while Jesus' journey symbolizes the fulfillment of that promise through his ministry. The connection between the flood and baptism underscores the idea of salvation as a divine act that transforms and renews. The wilderness temptation shows Jesus overcoming challenges, setting an example for us to face our own trials with faith. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to trust in God's promises, especially during difficult times. Just as Noah trusted God's plan and Jesus endured temptation, we are called to live out our faith with courage and hope. The moral lesson here is one of renewal and trust—reminding us that through our baptism, we are called to a life of faith and service, living as children of God, and sharing the Good News with the world.