Sunday of the Flood (Thurs: NTA)

1 Peter 3:8-22

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For 

“Whoever desires to love life 

and see good days, 

let him keep his tongue from evil 

and his lips from speaking deceit; 

¹¹  let him turn away from evil and do good; 

let him seek peace and pursue it. 

¹²  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, 

and his ears are open to their prayer. 

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. 

God has washed you in the waters of Baptism. He has claimed you to be his very own child. He has rescued you from the devils Kingdom. He has done all this so that you would lead a holy life. God desires you to love your life. Christ desires you to act and speak deceitly. The Holy Spirit continues to work in you to strengthen you for good works. It is our duty to serve our Father in righteousness.

We are sinful human beings. We desire our own way or the highway. We want God to make everything our way. We want to choose what to love and who to root for, and likewise to revile the other side. We don't want to suffer or put ourselves out there. We want to follow our own path.

But you were formerly these things. Christ has come! He came to redeem you and set you free from who you once were. And if you are not willing to listen to Christ, you will end up in the same place as those who did not listen to Noah. God waited patiently as Noah built the ark for people to repent. God waited patiently for Egypt to Love and care for his people. God waits patiently for you. But Judgment Day is coming.

God has sent you a savior. He has sent you a counselor to call you to repentance. He has even provided you the way of salvation. Like the Israelites walked through the Waters of the Red Sea, Noah and his family were brought through the water in an ark, you have been raised out of the waters of Baptism. You have been granted a new life in Christ Jesus.