Reflection for the 1st Sunday of Lent (Cycle B)

Image of a rainbow.Reading I: Genesis 9:8-15
Reading II: 1 Peter 3:18-22
GOSPEL: Mark 1:12-15

The Rainbow Connection

When my brother was a toddler, he surprised us all one day. It was bath time and we heard a splash. There was my brother, playing in the bathtub in his footie pajamas. He couldn’t have been happier. During this first week of Lent, we all could learn a lot from my little brother.

Clothed in the Spirit

All of today’s readings have to do with water. For Christians, water is the sign of our baptism. It is a sign of our commitment to God to be Christ for the world. But oftentimes, we forget. Many of us were baptized as babies and do not remember that special day. We forget that we are sealed with the mark of our baptism; we are made God’s children.

The image of my brother in the tub with his clothes on is a good reminder to me of what it means to be baptized. For me, his clothes symbolized that mark – the mark we get at baptism of being priest, prophet, and king. He was no different from any other baby. He was splashing around in the water and having fun; yet I could still see the sign.

Hopefully, the same is true with us. Hopefully as we go about our everyday, normal lives, people will see that sign and know what our mission is.

I Saw the Sign

But baptism is a two-way street. It’s not only God’s mark on us, but also a sign of our covenant with God. This means that God has a part to play as well.

In the story of Noah and the ark, God explains that He will no longer destroy the earth. I love how God puts it. “When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.”

The rainbow is a reminder to God. It is not a reminder to us, the ones who’s evil apparently brought on the flood. It is a reminder to God not to wipe us out again. This seems so amazing. God realizes that destruction is never a way to heal conflict. God is showing us that, no matter what, He will keep the covenant. No matter what happens on the earth, no matter how undeserving any of us are, the covenant still stands. We are God’s people. That’s a pretty refreshing thought.

It’s Not Easy Being Green

In the first Muppet Movie, Kermit the Frog sang a song that has now become a pop classic – “The Rainbow Connection.” The song is about finding our place in life and living our dreams. When we see a rainbow, we should remember this song – and God’s covenant with us. Most importantly, we should remember our baptism. Some of the words are especially poignant:

“Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lover’s, the dreamers, and me.”

For Christians, the rainbow connection is uniting their belief in God with what they do in their everyday lives. This is what it means to be baptized and to be Christ’s presence in the world. So let’s all put on our footie pajamas (the Lord’s mark on us from our baptism), happily splash around in the tub (revel in our covenant with the Lord), and live the Rainbow Connection (you get the idea)!

Life Applications:

In what ways am I living out my baptism?
What signs can I find of God’s presence in the world?
How good am I at keeping my promise to others?


Check out the REAL Word Podcast for the 1st Sunday of Lent (Cycle B):

Original article by Nick Popadich, 2003-2021.
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