[RCL] Genesis 9:8-17; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15 Wilderness, we have arrived. On this first Sunday of Lent, the texts thrust us quite suddenly into the wilderness. To start, there’s the story of God’s promise to Noah after the great flood. This is a beautiful passage of hope and promise, and what church…

Father Abraham had many children.Many children had Father Abraham.I am one of them, and so are you.So let’s just praise the Lord! Perhaps many of us will think of this old-fashioned summer camp song when we hear these lessons about the promise made to Abraham in his old age. God had made these promises to…

Today’s readings might make us wonder what season of the church year we are really in. We hear the stuff of rainbows in Genesis, the great signs of baptism in Peter, the skies opening and the Spirit descending in Mark. The theme is ever the same: God’s Word is shattering the remnants of an old…