Remembering hope past and hope to come

Linda Pollock August 23, 2023 1 2

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Isaiah 51: 1-6 (NRSVA)

1 Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
    you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
    and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 Look to Abraham your father
    and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
    but I blessed him and made him many.
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion;
    he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
    her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
    thanksgiving and the voice of song.

4 Listen to me, my people,
    and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
    and my justice for a light to the peoples.
5 I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
    my salvation has gone out
    and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
    and for my arm they hope.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
    and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
    the earth will wear out like a garment,
    and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be for ever,
    and my deliverance will never be ended.

The people being addressed in this passage from Isaiah have been in exile in Babylon and are now back in Jerusalem or en route there. They are seeking God, they have come from a recent history of abandoning Yahweh, hence their captivity. By God’s grace, they are home in the holy city once more. But they are discouraged, the beautiful city they left behind is no more, it lies in ruins. The Prophet tells them to look back, to remember that they have come from Abraham and Sarah – who also were called out of the same geographical region (Mesopotamia) as Babylon. They were a childless couple until God gave them children more numerous than the stars. This same God chooses to dwell with the exiles as they return to Jerusalem, and creates a habitat of hope in a city, but also on the road. They won’t see their new habitat of hope unless they remember their stories and participate in creating a new habitat of hope for others who will come after them.

I wonder, does the habitat of hope that we are creating for future generations build upon the rock that we are hewn from? Time will tell, it always does…

PRAYER:                                                                                                                                                    

Gracious God, call us back to You afresh this new day. Remind us of the “cloud of witnesses,” that surround us, and strengthen us with the hope we have in Your steadfast love to live in, for, through and with You, creating habitats of hope for those who will come after us. Amen.