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Humankind became so corrupt that Yahweh had to destroy it
except for eight people in Noah's family. In obedience to
Yahweh's orders, Noah built an ark as a means of saving them and
every earthly creature. Eventually the flood subsided and the ark
was emptied of its contents. What now? Yahweh comes to Noah with
a covenant in which he promises never again to destroy the world
by water, the sign of which is the rainbow. Yahweh gives humanity
a second chance.

Lesson 2: 1 Peter 3:18-22 (C, E, RC); Romans 8:31-39 (L)
Christ, the righteous, died for everyone's sins that he might
restore us to God. Though he died in body, at the resurrection he
was made alive in the Spirit. As Spirit he preached to the dead
in Sheol, the disobedient since Noah's time. With his family he
was saved through the water. This is a type of baptism through
which we are saved today by the resurrection of Christ who is now
living in glory and honor at the right hand of God.

Gospel: Mark 1:9-15 (C); Mark 1:12-15 (L, RC); Mark 1:9-13 (E)
This pericope contains three essential elements related to the
beginning of Jesus' ministry: baptism -- ordination; temptation -
- determination of the direction of his ministry; and the actual
beginning of his public ministry. God calls him, tests him and
commissions him. Mark does not give the nature of Jesus'
temptations, but he was apparently victorious evidenced by the
ministering angels. The immediate cause of his ministry was the
arrest of his forerunner, John. His ministry began with preaching
the gospel.

Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 25 (E); Psalm 25:1-10 (C) -- "Make me to know thy ways,
O Lord." (v. 4)
Psalm 6 (L)

Prayer Of The Day
"O Lord God, you led your ancient people through the
wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide now the
people of your church, that, following our Savior, we may walk
through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the
world to come."

Hymn Of The Day
"Who Trusts In God, A Strong Abode"

Theme Of The Day: New Beginnings
Gospel -- Jesus proclaims a new kingdom.
Lesson 1 -- Humanity begins a new era through covenant.
Lesson 2 -- Christians begin a new life through baptism.
Traditionally the first Sunday in Lent dealt with Jesus'
temptations in the wilderness. The new Common Lectionary focuses
upon the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Galilee upon the arrest
of John the Baptist. The Gospel now gives us his baptism,
temptation and inauguration of his ministry. The focus could be
on baptism: Jesus' baptism (Gospel), Noah's rescue from the flood
(Lesson 1) and Christian baptism as the means of salvation
(Lesson 2).

If one were to make it the theme of the day, there would be a
duplication of Epiphany 1, the Baptism of our Lord. Rather, we
should see baptism there as a subordinate theme with the major
theme of new beginnings. Although Lent officially opens on Ash
Wednesday, for many the First Sunday In Lent is the beginning of
the Lenten season and thus the theme of beginnings would be
appropriate. In the Gospel Jesus began his ministry. In Lesson 1
humanity is given a new beginning after the flood through a
covenant. In Lesson 2 baptism is the means of grace in which the
believer gets a new life in Christ. The Psalm points to God's
guidance as we begin a new life. The Prayer asks for God's
guidance as we march to the promised land of new life. As we
begin a new life, a new era and a new humanity, we sing in the
Hymn for the Day about trusting in God who is "our shield from
foes, or balm for woes."

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Mark 1:9-15
1. Spirit (v. 12). Jesus has just been baptized and received
the Spirit who came down upon him like a dove. The Spirit
immediately drives him into the wilderness where he is tempted.
The Spirit is always given when a call has been issued to a task.
At his baptism Jesus was ordained to be the Savior of the world.
The Spirit in a sense of urgency -- "immediately drove" -- takes
Jesus into a wilderness where he will have solitude to think
through the method he will use to accomplish the task. He is
tempted to take the devil's way.
2. Tempted (v. 13). The Greek word here is peirazein, meaning
"test." For 40 days Jesus was tested before he began his ministry
of Messiahship. When we are tempted, our faith is tested. Mark
explains that Jesus was "tempted by Satan." Many think God tempts
us because we pray, "Lead us not into temptation." This is
impossible, for God desires us to do only what is right and good.
Another popular myth is that temptation is a sin. The truth is
that yielding to temptation is sin. Every Christian is tempted,
even Jesus was. In addition, many hold the opinion that the
better Christian you are, the less temptation you have. The
opposite is the case: The better you are, the more you are
tempted. Temptation is a trying time, requiring a spiritual
struggle. It is a wilderness experience in which one fights with
wild beasts.
3. Angels (v. 13). In Mark the angels did not come at the
close of the temptations, but they were with Jesus throughout the
period. The Greek word for "ministered" is in the imperfect tense
to denote prolonged or continued action. Though the Spirit drives
us to a place of testing and though God does not tempt us, God
does not leave us alone to resist the devil. His angels, his
messengers, continually support and comfort us in our trials.
Paul assures that God will not permit us to be tempted above what
we are able.

Lesson 1: Genesis 9:8-17
1. I (vv. 9, 11, 17). It is Yahweh speaking, "I establish," "I
make." The covenant is not a human project. Yahweh took the
initiative and came to Noah with a covenant. It was a sign of
grace, God's love for his creation. Through the covenant Yahweh
binds himself for all time to care for his creation.
2. Never again (v. 11). Here is one of the Bible's greatest
promises. Yahweh promises "never again" will he destroy the earth
by water. He has had a change of mind and heart. Apparently
Yahweh must have come to the conclusion that destruction or death
would not cause humanity to return to him or be obedient to him.
Never again will he punish us for our sins, but we will be
punished by our sins. The holocaust, Hiroshima and wars are not
God's doings to wipe out humanity, but man's sinfulness.
3. Remove (vv. 15, 16). Yahweh remembered Noah in the ark. He
promises to remember the covenant for all time. To remember
implies prior forgetfulness. When Yahweh forgets, the world
experiences his wrath as in the flood. To remember is to be kind
and merciful to his people. This is expressed by the repentant
thief who on the cross said to Jesus, "Remember me."

4. Sign (vv. 12, 17). Yahweh gives Noah and his descendants a
sign of the promise in the covenant. It seems humanity needs more
than a word from God, but some tangible thing that can be seen or
touched. Yahweh gives the sign of the rainbow. A rainbow results
from the reflection of sunlight on water in the sky, and it
promises that the rain will be brief, not another flood. Water in
baptism is a sign also of God's covenant with a believer.

Lesson 2: 1 Peter 3:18-22
1. Bring (v. 18). Through the flood God learned that force
would not make people obedient and loyal. Never again will he use
destruction as a method of salvation. God's primary and ultimate
purpose is to reconcile people to himself, to bring them back
from unbelief to belief, from sin to holiness. His final effort
was the destruction of his Son on a cross in order to move
humanity to return to him.
2. Prison (v. 19). Here and in 4:6 Peter refers to Jesus as
spirit going to the realm of the dead (Sheol) to proclaim his
victory over death and to offer salvation to all disobedient
people awaiting the final judgment. This doctrine is expressed in
the Apostles' Creed: "He descended into hell." The teaching
assures us that there is no place in life or death, in heaven or
hell that Christ cannot go. He is sovereign of the living and the
dead.
3. Appeal (v. 21). Another word is "pledge" or "seal." At
baptism God pledges his saving love to the repentant and
believing sinner. Baptism is a sacrament. In Roman times a
soldier made a "sacramentum," a pledge of loyalty to the emperor.
Baptism is the seal, pledge or sacrament of loyalty between God
and the believer.

PREACHING POSSIBILITIES
Lent: A Time To Begin!
Need: Since Vatican II the church year no longer provides
three Sundays of the Lenten season, a miniature Lent designed to
prepare for the observance of Lent. Now the church year leads us
to a pinnacle of festivity in the transfiguration and three days
later Lent begins in the deep valley of ashes. How and when are
we preachers going to motivate and persuade our people to take
Lent seriously as a time of self-discipline, fasting and
increased personal and corporate devotions? As Jesus began his
journey to Jerusalem, with him we begin our pilgrimage on the
first Sunday in Lent. It is a time of new beginnings as we see
them in the Lessons.
Outline: Lent is a time to begin --
a. Begin a new humanity -- Lesson 1.
b. Begin a new personal life in Christ -- Lesson 2.
c. Begin a new ministry -- Gospel.

Gospel: Mark 1:9-15
1. Getting started in ministry. 1:9-15
Need: When Jesus heard that John the Baptist was arrested, he
apparently felt a call to begin his ministry as a continuation of
John's work. A crisis or the departure of a leader is an occasion
for one to fill the vacancy. In recent times the church has been
emphasizing that all members of the church are ministers. Each is
called to serve and is ordained at baptism. Before Jesus started
his Galilean ministry, there were certain preliminary and
essential steps he had to take. As we begin our ministry we need
to follow his example.
Outline: How to get going in your ministry --
a. Begin with a personal relationship with God -- vv. 9-11.
b. Begin with finding the proper method of ministry -- vv.
12-13.
c. Begin with a message -- vv. 14-15.
2. A life with a mission. 1:14-15
Need: Every life to be meaningful needs a mission, a reason
for living. What are you living for? To what cause are you giving
your life? Up to this time Jesus had no cause or

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mission, but now he begins a ministry that preaches, teaches and
heals. It is the cause of redeeming humanity and it costs him his
very life. In our text we see how we, too, need and can have a
mission.
Outline: Have a mission --
a. The need of a cause -- "After John was arrested."
b. The urgency of the cause -- "The time is fulfilled."
c. The nature of the cause -- "The kingdom of God is at
hand."
3. The truth of temptation in two verses. 1:12-13.
Need: The whole account of Jesus' temptation is given in two
short verses. They tell us the basics about temptation. Today's
congregation needs this information because several myths exist:
1. God tempts us; 2. Temptation is sin; 3. Good people are not
tempted.
Outline: What you should know about temptation --
a. It is God-allowed -- "The Spirit immediately drove him."
b. It is Satan-conducted -- "Tempted by Satan."
c. It is danger-saturated -- "He was with wild beasts."
d. It is angel-ministering -- "Angels ministered to him."

Lesson 1: Genesis 9:8-17
1. The day after. 9:8-17
Need: Whenever a tornado, flood, fire or other major disaster
strikes somewhere around the world, the media shows the
devastation "the day after." Following such events, often the
landscape shows total destruction, dead animals, emotional
survivors and ravaged communities. There was a totally different
day after the flood. God came to Noah and made a covenant which
lasts until this day. What was this covenant and how is it
related to contemporary society?
Outline: Marks of the first covenant --
a. Covenant of grace -- "I establish my covenant" (vv. 9, 11).
b. Covenant of promise -- "Never again" (v. 11).
c. Covenant with a sign -- (vv. 12-17).
2. Never again! 9:11, 15
Need: God said to Noah, "Never again," would he destroy
creation by a flood. This indicates a change in the mind and
heart of God. Did the flood show him that judgment, force and
death will not rewin humanity to love and serve him? If
destruction comes to earth, it will be because people are
punished by and not for their sins. If nuclear war incinerates
us, if a race is exterminated by another holocaust, don't blame
God -- blame humankind!
Outline: Never again --
a. Will God forget us -- "I will remember" (v. 15).
b. Will God destroy us -- v. 11.

Lesson 2: 1 Peter 3:18-22
1. How God saves you today. 3:18-22
Need: How does God save us today as he once saved Noah's
family? Or, how did God save us? Do we know what "save" means?
Are we sure we are saved? Do we need to be saved again? In this
passage, Peter has some answers for us.
Outline: How God saves us today --
a. Christ earned our salvation -- v. 18.
b. Salvation is for all, even the dead -- v. 19.
c. Salvation is received through baptism -- v. 21.
2. A new kind of flood. 3:18-22
Need: Peter understood baptism in terms of the flood in Noah's
day. The flood was a type of deliverance fulfilled in Christian
baptism which is a covenant with God and a covenant

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which God in Christ makes with each believer. As life began anew
in Noah's time, so life today begins with baptism.
Outline: Our experience with the flood --
a. Destruction of sinful self by drowning in the water of
baptism.
b. Regeneration through baptism -- "eight persons" (v. 20)
(The traditional shape of a baptismal font is an octagon. The
eight-pointed star is the star of rebirth.)

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