Quiet Devotions is a daily devotion based on one of the readings from the Daily Lectionary (as it appears in the back of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Augsburg Fortress, 2006). All biblical quotes are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) unless otherwise noted. May these devotions help bring you in closer relationship with the Triune God.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Year B, First Sunday in Lent


Inspired by Genesis 9:8-17

“When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”  Genesis 9:16

As we go about our ordinary days, surrounded by ordinary people and ordinary things, it is easy to lose sight of the extraordinary God who walks with us.  We long to see something extraordinary that reminds us of his presence.

God certainly can and does use the extraordinary to bring our focus back to him, but much more often he uses the ordinary to remind us that he is with us even at the most mundane times.  Every time we encounter water, we are reminded that we have died, been buried, and have risen with Christ through baptism.  Every time we encounter the ordinary elements of a basic meal—bread and wine—we are reminded that the God of all became man and gave his body and his blood for us.  Every time we see a rainbow in the sky, we are reminded that God has promised all the creatures of the earth to never again destroy the earth with floodwaters.

And God himself is reminded of his promises by these same elements—water, bread, wine, a rainbow.  These are all earthly elements, and the Lord God walks with us on earth, in our earthly lives, and sees these reminders with us.  And it is his presence with us that makes the ordinary extraordinary.

Let us pray.  Faithful God, you have promised us many things, and given us many signs to accompany those promises.  Help us to recognize those signs, that we may trust in your faithfulness.  Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment