Today is the first Sunday of lent and I want to talk to you about covenant relationship; for lent is all about a covenant relationship. Our Psalmist tells us; “Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.” God’s plan for mankind is covenant relationship. In the beginning, full of grace, man lived in direct covenant relationship with God in the Garden of Eden. This basic covenant relationship was: “I am your God and you are my people, the work of My hands, whom I sustain out of My love.” Unfortunately, when tempted and tested, man chose to turn away from God and shatter this covenant relationship. Throughout history, God has provided man with the opportunity to re-establish this covenant. It started with Adam, man, as God promised to crush the head of Satan and remove the barrier of sin separating man from God. Next, God made a covenant with Noah, a family. The next major covenant was with Abraham, a clan, next was Moses, a nation, then with David, a kingdom. Notice how His covenant is ever increasing, including more and more people until, in His final covenant, He includes all of mankind.
Since Lent is all about God and His covenant, it is appropriate that today’s scriptures include a discussion about God’s covenant. In our reading from Genesis, we are told about God’s covenant with Noah. In review, after the fall, mankind became increasingly more evil, causing God to decide to purge His creation and start anew. This He did with a great flood. This flood represents a mighty tearing of the fabric of creation, which God had originally pronounced “very good”: but now had turned very evil. All were purged; all but one family; one family that was upright and just and willing to respond to the word of God. By their faith, they were brought through the floods of water to new life. This granting of new life through the waters of the flood is seen as a prefigurement of baptism where, through water and the Spirit, we die to self and sin and are raised to new life with Jesus.
In our second reading, Peter tells us that God waited patiently in the days of Noah and, through water, saved eight people prefiguring baptism. I think there is something significant about the number of people saved. Early Christian writers point out that the eight saved people symbolize the eighth day, a day outside of time in which God brings our ordinary week to an extraordinary perfection. You see, in the Jewish calendar, the last day of the week, the Sabbath, the day of rest, God’s day, is Saturday. After His death on the cross and burial, Jesus is raised to life in the Spirit on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath. These early writers view this, not as the first day of the week, but as the eighth day, one beyond seven. To the Jew, seven represents perfection. This eighth day of the resurrection is one beyond perfection; an extraordinary perfection. Sunday is referred to as the day of Baptism. As we participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus through the baptismal waters, we die to sin and are raised to new life in the Spirit and receive extraordinary graces. We are now in covenant relationship with God through the sufferings of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Now, I would like for us to look at this covenant with Noah. God says “I” will establish “My” covenant with you, that never again will I destroy mankind by a flood that devastates the earth. We do not see a corresponding responsibility required of man, such as maybe remain faithful; or, maybe enter into holiness; or some similar action. This covenant and the responsibility to keep this covenant rest entirely with God. We can reason that God is going to maintain this covenant made with Noah regardless of how evil man becomes. At this point, God establishes a sign of His covenant; a bow in the clouds. And what is the purpose of this bow? God says, “When I see the bow, I will recall the covenant I have made.” The bow is a reminder for God and not for man. Although God is totally responsible for this covenant, I suggest that when we see His bow, we are reminded of His faithfulness, mercy, and love. When you see the bow, remember your covenant made at Baptism, “You are my God and I will be your child, O Lord”. Peter tells us that this covenant made with Noah prefigured our covenant of Baptism which saves us now. It is through Baptism that we receive salvation and enter into the life of Jesus and His Church. Both baptism and His Church are a covenant relationship. Peter goes on to tell us, “This Baptism is not a removal of dirt from the body, but an appeal to God for a clear conscience.” Is this not the objective of Lent; to clear our conscience and enable us to re-establish our Baptismal covenant with Jesus? It is this covenant that we will celebrate at the Easter Vigil. In light of this, in His light, we must prepare ourselves through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We must recognize our sinfulness and allow God to wash away our sin that we might have a clear conscience.
Our Psalmist today is acutely aware of his sinfulness and the need to seek repentance and God’s ways. “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior.” If only he could have known Jesus. “Good and upright is the Lord, thus He shows sinners the way. He guides the humble to justice and He teaches the humble His ways.” Jesus is our model of humility; and how do we know He is humble? He allows God to show Him his ways and guide him to justice. You see, Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, although God is also fully human. As such, He must learn the ways of God just as we do.
In our Gospel reading today, we see Jesus learning the ways of God. Mark tells us that the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. The word used here for drove is the same word used when Jesus drove out the evil spirits. This does not represent a physical driving or herding but more of an exercise of authority. Jesus, as man, yields to the authority of the Father through the Holy Spirit. So immediately after his Baptism, Jesus is led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to ready Himself to be tempted and tested by Satan. Now, the third person of the Trinity is only going to do the loving thing for the second person of the Trinity. It is not out of anger that the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert but out of love. Jesus must learn that the Kingdom of God that He will preach cannot be established with the wisdom and power of this world but only through the power of God manifested in the Holy Spirit. Jesus had to discern the will of the Father and cling to God’s way while rejecting the way of Satan in order to establish his Kingdom on earth. So He was tempted and tested by Satan. He enters into battle; a battle for the lives and souls of all mankind. His battle continues to the cross where, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He is victorious. He has won for us our salvation. Where his battle ends ours begins for, if you are baptized, you will be tempted and tested by Satan. But always remember, we also, just like Jesus, have the power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and bring us to victory. The Holy Spirit will minister to us just as the angels ministered to Jesus.
After his time in the desert, his refining process, his learning to choose God’s way instead of Satan’s way; He came to Galilee to proclaim the Gospel, the good news. The first words of his public ministry were, “This is the time of fulfillment.” This is the time to make available to all of mankind God’s final covenant relationship. “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus, the word made flesh, God made manifest, is among us. The Kingdom referenced here is not some geographical location but a dominion or reign, the reign of our heart and the hearts of all who believe. In this sense,it implies a covenant community; I will be your God, you will be my people. Therefore, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” And what is the Gospel? It is not a something but a Somebody. The good news is the fulfillment of God’s promise, the means of our salvation, the word made manifest, God with us, the final revelation, God’s final covenant --- Jesus Christ. God has given us his all to manifest His love in covenant relationship. What should we give Him in return; a clean conscience, our love, our very self? The bow reminds God of his promise. What does it remind us of; his love for us, his faithfulness, our need for Him, his likeness in those we meet, our sinful state, our need for repentance? I suggest we use this period of Lent to clear our conscience, to consume the word and His Body and Blood, to open our eyes of faith to see Him as He is; our Lord and our Savior; and by this faith, enter into this final covenant that leads to Easter --- resurrected life with Jesus for all eternity.
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