Feb 18 - Lent 1

Christ among us - Repent and Believe

Mark 1:9-15 (CEV)

9 About that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As soon as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky open and the Holy Spirit coming down to him like a dove. 11  A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”

12 At once God's Spirit made Jesus go into the desert. 13 He stayed there for 40 days while Satan tested him. Jesus was with the wild animals, but angels took care of him.

14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and told the good news that comes from God. 15  He said, “The time has come! God's kingdom will soon be here.[b] Turn back to God and believe the good news!”

I Peter 3:18-22 (CEV)

Christ died once for our sins.
An innocent person died
    for those who are guilty.
Christ did this
    to bring you to God,
when his body
    was put to death
and his spirit
    was made alive.

19 Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison. 20  They had disobeyed God while Noah was building the boat, but God had been patient with them. Eight people went into that boat and were brought safely through the flood.

21 Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you. But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death. 22 Christ is now in heaven, where he sits at the right side[a] of God. All angels, authorities, and powers are under his control.

Reflection Notes:

We begin our Lent worship in thinking about Christ among us. Today we are again reminded that in Jesus’ baptism God calls him beloved. He enters the wilderness, his own spirit quest, and faces temptations to the point of telling Satan to get behind him. We recall the message of Jesus to Repent using the word in Greek “metanoia” which is more about amending our thoughts and our lives to follow Jesus. What kind of amendments in our life do we need to fully accept Christ among us? How does that change how we live and what we do?