Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
One of the most cataclysmic events for the Jewish people remembered in the Hebrew Scriptures was the wrenching experiencing of being driven out of their homeland into exile in Babylon. For centuries, the Jewish people lived in Babylon, pining away for the day they would ultimately return to their beloved homeland.
In the beautiful passage in today’s liturgy from the Prophet Isaiah, the Prophet speaks to the hearts of the exiled people, a word of promise and hope from the Lord. “…I am about to create new heavens and a new earth…” Isaiah placed before the people of the covenant a living reminder that God would not and could not forget them, for they were the loving works of his hands.
That day of promise and hope came in 539 BCE when the Persian king, Cyrus the Great permitted the exiled Judeans to return to Judah with their hearts filled with rejoicing.
All of us, at one time or another, experience homelessness. For some, that may be a literal reality. Yet, for many it might be a sense of not belonging, being marginalized by society because of ethnic or cultural differences. For millions of the world’s refugees, homelessness is a constant nightmare.
To all who experience the dread and emptiness of homelessness, the Lord’s words are spoken to you this day, Lo, I am about to create new heavens, and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create. Let this promise become a reality.