First Sunday in Lent

The First Sunday of Lent presents the love and patience of God for and with mankind. In our first reading today, we learn that after every calamity God renews his covenant with mankind. In order for God to we have to turn towards God. A covenant is made between parties and can never be one-side. God needs us to put our trust in him completely. God made a Covenant with Noah and his descendants at the time of the great flood. We could call that a total lock-down and isolation. We during this pandemic can imagine how Noah must have felt locked up in that Ark.


However, that is how God saved Noah and his family in the great Ark. The story of Noah shows us that the rainbow will appear after the storm is over. We are going to hard times during this pandemic but God will lead us through it. Eventually the rainbow will appear….in Gods timing. In the story of Noah we are saved also. He reaffirmed the fundamental truth that God truly loves us, no matter what where we come from or what we have done. If we turn back to God he will turn back to us. When you read the Book of Genesis you could get the impression that the Ark was build over night. Or at least in a short period of time. But of course we know that would be merely impossible, looking at the size of the Ark. It is more likely , and is also documented by research, that it took years or maybe even decades to build. And the great thing is that God throughout that time, probably kept on calling people back into his loving arms. He used Noah himself and his building of the Ark for that. But we know from Genesis that the people did not return. Only Noah and his family were righteous in the eyes of God.


no one wanted to change their lifestyle and to embrace God. They rejected him and his mercy, as so many people do in our world. It is not something that God chose but that mankind chose. The Symbol of the Ark could not come on a better time for us. This the right time to use the symbol of the Ark to give hope to people. It looks like we are stuck in the Ark of our homes and shut of from the world and others. But God manoeuvres the Ark through the stormy and most difficult challenges of this time. God will lead those that he has called and chosen. However, for some reason many are also called back into his loving arms. The reason for that we do not know. It is a painful experience that we have to give so many people into the mercy of God. People we love and that were dear to use didn’t survive the Covid storm. And we pray for them to be home in Gods love. In Genesis God chose eight people, the family members of Noah, and kept them from the raging waters of the storm. Why? We don’t know exactly God motivation but this is a learning story to remain close to God.


God saved Noah’s family. They kept their faith, and in the end, God rescued them and made a Covenant with them. The Early Church taught us that through the waters of baptism have been forgiven in Christ. Baptism that countless people had received from the very beginning of the Church. In that way we are called and gathered into the Ark of God, his One Church. It is Christ Himself who is the head of that Church and the Holy Spirit is his Vicar. Christ as the Head will Guide us and navigate us through the stormy ‘seas’ of this world. Even through the stormy ‘seas’ of this pandemic. In the Gospel we hear that Jesus isolated himself from the world and went into the desert. In a way it was not voluntarily but he was led by the spirit. He had to social distancing for a while to overcome the temptations that we are all prone to. The Lord Jesus Himself was tempted by Satan in the desert just right after His baptism at the Jordan. He stayed for days and forty nights in the desert the Gospel tells us. The same amount of time as Noah in the Ark. This is a symbol of a very long time and not necessarily the literal number. The enemy wanted to persuade the Lord to prevent him from doing the will of God. Satan struck hard with his efforts in trying to tempt the Lord.


Satan's temptations were temptations of power, physical needs and egoism. Through this we are also called to resist the temptations, which is not an easy thing. But no one ever said that being a follower of Christ is easy. This is why, during this season of Lent, all of us are called to control our desires and remain ever faithful to the Lord. That is why we are all called to remember our Christian faith and calling in life, to be genuine followers and disciples of the Lord. Especially in this season of Lent. We are all called to follow the Lord with a renewed faith and conviction and love one another as he loves us. We are called to be more Christ-like in our actions. We should be more loving and compassionate towards others. We are called to Christian charity and love.


Let us all make this season of Lent meaningful and fruitful. May the Lord continue to bless us and guide us, and may He strengthen us to fulfill his call. God made a Covenant with us. In order for the covenant to work we need to stay close to the Lord and answer his call to go out in the world and make it a better place. Amen.