Readings for Sunday, February 18, 2018 — First Sunday of Lent

Genesis 9:8-15; Ps 25: 4-9; 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15

Suggested Reflection Questions:

• God gave Noah the rainbow as a sign of the covenant. Maybe a certain image, object, even a sound or a smell, reminds you of God’s presence in your life. What serves as a sign of God’s love and faithfulness to you?
• Read the psalm once more and pick a noun that stood out to you, such as compassion. Why do you think that stood out to you today? What message do you think the psalm’s writer is trying to convey by using the word that you chose?
• As we begin the season of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus going out into the desert for 40 days. What has been a “desert time” in your life — a time where you’ve felt as if you were in a desert and far from God or a time when you sought God through silence and solitude?
• Jesus emerged from the desert with a clear sense of his mission. What experiences in your life have helped to clarify God’s call for you?