Given that this coming Sunday is listed as the Baptism of the Lord on liturgical calendars, the lectionary passage from Luke 3 is a pretty easy choice. However, the reading from Isaiah 43:1-7 is a true gem and worthy of our reflection.
I don’t know about you, but the past two years have felt like living in exile. Some of this is related to the pandemic. Other aspects are the vicissitudes of life. Being present with friends and family has been contracted as infection rates have increased. While I have seen many faces on my computer screen through Zoom meetings, I cannot say that I have truly connected with the person behind them. My family has experienced the sting of grief, with the death of my father. We have faced some medical issues, but they have been resolved (thankfully). These are just a few realities of my sense of exile.
While COVID may have exacerbated some things, the truth is that, even without a pandemic, there are seasons in our life that relocate us from what’s “normal” and “routine” and relocate us to what is “novel” and “different.” Some of these experiences are sudden and tragic, others are a slow erosion of what is familiar.
Isaiah 43 represents God’s word to a people in exile. The promises are meant not only for the Israelites after 587 BC, but to all who find themselves in strange and foreign circumstances. As such, it is a word that still touches lives today.
The passage begins with an affirmation that God is the creator Israel and the source of their life. Moreover, there is a tenderness to God’s activity, as God calls them by name. This intimates that the Prime Mover is also the Prime Lover, that the First Cause of all causes is also the cause of grace. When experiencing exile, we must remain resolute in believing in the benevolence of God and God’s intimate knowledge about us.
After establishing God’s loving and creative activity in the formation of Israel, God affirms that their situation will not overcome them. They will not drown in their circumstances or be consumed by their troubles. Why? Because God is not only their Creator, God also is their Savior. Not only will the exiles be sustained, but they also will be restored. God declares that those who cast away into foreign lands will be gathered again in the land of promise. To do this, God will deliver the people from any and all things that would hinder them from the experience of redemption.
One thing worth noting is that though restoration is promised, it is not simply a returning to what once was. “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing … (18-19).” This is not a restoration of the past, but a restoration of possibility and new life. Post-exilic existence is not the same as pre-exilic existence. However, it is still a blessed existence, filled with potential.
The end of God’s promise of renewal is a question, “Do you not perceive it? My hunch is that at the time the people received this prophecy, their response was, “No, we do not yet see it.” However, the people had a divine promise and God’s word is trustworthy and true. In the end, they did experience a migration back to the Promised Land.
For anyone and everyone who is living in exile, remember God’s rejoinder twice spoken at the beginning of the passage, “Do not fear.” While we may not know, or even perceive, how God will bring restoration, we can trust that even now God is at work bringing redemption and healing. Thanks be to God!
If you would like to view past editions of Moments with Mike, follow this link: https://corridordistrictnc.org/category/from-the-ds/