Lent 1

Genesis 9.8-17; Mark 1.9-15

Genesis this morning opens with God establishing a covenant with Noah and his sons.

Ever wondered why it's a covenant? Why not an agreement? Or a gift? Why is this a covenant?

Partially, something covenantal implies that the divine is present. This is not just a contract, or a promise: this is holy. It's a sacred commitment between God and Noah and his sons. So, given that the entirety of the world is seen to be populated by these gentlemen, this is God's commitment of holy promise with all of humanity.

It's also something that can't be broken. Breaches of contracts can happen; a breaking of the covenant though, that carries significantly more powerful - and eternal - consequences.

And finally, let's note that God's covenant is not restricted to humanity. God makes this sacred and unbreakable vow with Noah, with Noah's offspring, and with every living creature. There's a beauty to this inclusion, and a reminder that the rest of the created order will never receive God's punishment on behalf of human error and sin.

Definitely some powerful stuff going on here, the promise of eternal relationship and interconnectivity with all of the cosmos being celebrated as precious and beloved by the divine creator!

So... what is the human responsibility here? What is Noah meant to learn and do and pass on by his children? Just before the passage we heard this morning, it was God demanding of Noah that he care for creation. That he and his family would be responsible creatures, respecting one another and all of what God had made; to be grateful and conscientious stewards of creation.

Clearly, this is a wondrous arrangement, and not one that should *ever* be forgotten! But God, being gracious and knowing us humans so well, knows that sometimes, especially when things are going well, we tend to forget God, or think we've got it all figured out on our own.

So God sent a sign, of the cessation of violence, and hung it literally in the sky - so humans throughout time and space could see it and remember. A bow - a hunter's weapon, hanging in the sky.

It's what we now think of, in our Sunday School minds - the rainbow. Hanging there, to remind us that whatever storms come our way, they will not destroy us - because of God, and God's covenant.

So... how is that working for you? Does a rainbow still instill in you a calmness of heart, a peace of the soul? Does it make your soul rejoice because it affirms a deep and communal relationship with the holiest of holies? Does it remind you of the ageless commitment that God has made WITH us? Does it inspire you to find new ways to live out our en of the bargain?

Or has it become so commonplace, that we no longer celebrate the truly amazing nature of what it means - and instead is just a pretty collection of colours, the effect of light shining through a prism?

And if the sight of a rainbow is no longer having that awe-inspiring, drop-to-your-knees-and-worship kind of effect on you, what is? What symbol do you have in your life that helps you to focus on the overwhelming presence of God? What is the sign for you?

That can be a tough question. And it's one that, I'm guessing, at some point in time would stump any of us. Because, if we're not careful - we forget. We forget to praise God.  We get so caught up in all the worldly goings-on that we forget God. We become ambivalent. Indifferent. Neutral.

And I dare say, that is when we all face temptation. Not necessarily because of any particular spiritual evil that plagues us: because we have turned our hearts and minds and souls to the stuff of this earth, the values that 'society' suggests we should focus on.

Despite his baptism, Jesus faces temptation. I think is important for all of us: we who are baptised do not get a free pass; we do not become exempt: temptation is always going to be there. And the temptation of Jesus is the same type of temptation we all face.

Jesus, hungry, is tempted to eat bread; just as we, when we are not focused on God, are tempted to satisfy ourselves by whatever means we think worthy to satiate the hunger.

Jesus, placed atop the temple, is tempted to focus on his own physical safety; just as we, when we do not focus on all of God's community, are tempted to get stuck in thought, word, and deed which benefits only ourselves.

And finally Jesus, shown all the kingdoms of the world, is tempted with authority and materialism; just as we, when we do not focus on God's world, can be tempted by greed and desire to control.

Temptation is there: in these 40 days of Lent we are challenged to face it, to acknowledge it, and to admit what it means that we have succumbed to it.

Jesus sums it up perfectly, then, as after these 40 days he announces that the Kingdom of God has come as near: at least as near as we will let it to our hearts. He invites us to repent: to turn away from the attractions and distractions of the world, and instead to focus our belief not on this world might offer, but on God, as has been revealed to us through the Good News.

And this Good News of God - it is not new. It is not complicated. But it IS covenantal. It IS relational. It IS something that we have all agreed to.

And so this Lent, we are invited to return to that covenant: to look for whatever signs we need - be it a rainbow or whatever else captivates our spirits. And when we see those signs, may we be awed by God, turning our focus to God and God only, engaging with the world in new and exciting ways to tell the ages-old story of God's abundant love and grace.