February 21, 2021, Lectionary

God's promise to Noah was that never again would all human and animal life be ended by a flood that destroyed the earth. Some people today think this promise strange because the history often thought of has never seen a flood of that size.  Genesis 9:8-17

Psalm 25 is a beautiful way to express it when you feel really bad about something ill that you did or helped to happen. This is awesome for everyday repentance, kindly and promisingly written so it can be prayed for others besides yourself. Psalm 25:1-10

Peter tells the story of the flood to show eight people being "saved through water," and compares that to baptism where believers are "saved through water." I take from this that it's not the water that saves us, but God. 1 Peter 3:18-22

Could it be that because Jesus was led by God into the wilderness to be tempted, that very fact authorizes and invites us to pray that God lead us NOT into temptation, seeing Jesus bore it for us? Compare Matthew 6:9-13. Mark 1:12-15

Thoughts about Listening

Sometimes it's not easy to listen to another person's promises, if that person has in the past broken many promises. Listen to your inner wisdom to know whether to keep on listening to empty promises. Genesis 9:8-17

You might think that while listening you're not taking control, proving your worth, or accomplishing anything. The opposite is what might be true. Psalm 25:1-10

It's not always the insight of the listener that saves the day, but more likely it's the insight of the one being listened to, brought out by the listener's act of keeping quiet. 1 Peter 3:18-22

So you started something with great hopes and it didn't turn out well. You can decide not to blame yourself or someone else, adjust, and keep going. Mark 1:12-15