Isaiah 55:12
Stop.
Take a deep breath. As you breathe in say, “Lead me in joy.” As you breathe out say, “Send me in peace.” Repeat as many times as you need.
Listen.
For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. – Isaiah 55:12
Reflect.
This beautiful passage from Isaiah 55, which we’ve been reading from all week, would gone to the exiles living in Babylon. Their time of exile is coming to an end and God calls them back to their land – even though it hasn’t been their land for 70 years. God’s people remember the pain and suffering that led to their exile and persisted with them through their time away. Grief stays close to them.
But when God invites them to come back home, God speaks of a journey and arrival filled with hope and joy. The very land they walk on will burst into song. The trees will applaud. Creation receives and leads them in great hope and expectation; the people may not feel it yet, but this is a good thing.
This can be a strange time of year filled with the burden of going home. For some, going home is a joy and privilege. For some, it’s burden and struggle. For others, going home isn’t an option and may never be. For still more, they can go home – but the person who made it feel like home won’t be there. The pressure of there being “no place like home for the holidays” can be overwhelming.
For the exiles, “going home” would not have felt much like home. The land hadn’t been theirs in generations. But what made it their home was God’s invitation. God assures them that this is where they need to be. God promises to be with them and provide for them. Their presence in this place will make the world rejoice.
May we all know the same truth. Home isn’t a predestined or dictated location or group. It’s where we’re welcome. It’s where God’s love is known. It’s where we can go out in joy and be led back in peace. May this gift of God be true for all people.
Pray.
God, your love is my true home. Guide me with that love into places where I am truly valued, cared for, and respected. Make my home into this place for others. Amen.
Carry On.
Who has always made you feel welcome? How can you reach out to them this week? Can you lift up their love and welcome in your life?