Restoration or transformation?

Fiona Reynolds January 11, 2018 0 0

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Isaiah 60: 1-6

1 Arise, shine; for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth,
    and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
    and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around;
    they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
    and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
    your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
    the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
    the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
    all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
    and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

In this passage, the prophet is promising that Zion will be restored to her previous glory.  People dispersed under foreign rulers will return to the Promised Land. Poverty will be overtaken with wealth. Light will shine brightly where once there were clouds and darkness. It is a joyful and hopeful promise, but I am not convinced it is a restoration as much as a transformation.  

We can never go back. Not really. We will always be changed and shaped by our experiences, whatever they are: good or bad, sought or unbidden. The invitation in Isaiah is to use our past to bring light, not darkness, into the future. Our future, and the future of the world.

Transformative God,

When you step in, nothing is ever the same again:

You transform poverty into abundance,

Despair into hope,

Death into everlasting life.

Take who we have been—

Good,

Bad,

Indifferent—

Take what we have learnt

and transform us into someone beautiful,

Radiant with light,

Resplendent with hope,

Replete with joy;

For nothing is wasted in your sight,

Nothing is unredeemable,

Everything has the potential to be transformed

For the coming of your Kingdom;

And in that we rejoice, Amen.