“I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 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.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’” (Genesis 9:11-17)  In this first Sunday of Lent, the Old Testament reading is powerful.  It is in Biblical theology the establishment of the first covenant and boy, is it a doozy!  God makes it with everyone whether you believe or not.  God makes it with everything whether you are a human being or not.  (Share this with your pets, if you have any!)  Noah, his family and the animals have been saved from the flood and now God promises never to do it again.  The sign of the covenant is God’s bow which he has placed in the heavens.  Note well, the Hebrew word for bow here is the warrior’s bow.  God has declared a unilateral cease fire and the sign to us is that he has laid down his weapon.  Odd is it not?  We begin this season of repentance with the knowledge that our Lord has committed himself to peace with us.  We may want to keep the pot stirred, we may want to live as if God is out to get us.  But he begins this season with putting down the weapons of conflict.  One last thing, the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, noted that the bow is directed up.  Picture that.  Spurgeon reminds us that any arrows shot will now go heavenward.  And here at the beginning of Lent, we are already reminded of its end.  The natural storm has ended for Noah and the rest of us, but this season will climax with another storm, marked by darkness and an earthquake on a hill outside Jerusalem.  His Son now takes the arrows that should be directed at us. I do not know about you, but I need to be reminded of such a love repeatedly.  May you have a holy Lent knowing in a new way just how deep and profound God’s love is for you.  Have a great week!