RCL: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8 Isaiah 43:16-21 Have you had the opportunity to visit an arid landscape? There is a rich and complex ecosystem here, but to someone who is unfamiliar with the terrain, it might be hard to see the complexity of the webs of life. When the rain comes,…

Isaiah 43:16-21 Water. It is life-giving, and the offer of it in the desert is literally hope bubbling up or flowing from the ground. In the context of the Babylonian Exile, this prophetic oracle of Second Isaiah, the image of water in the midst of the desert that would need to be crossed in order…

Isaiah 43:16-21 The writer of this portion of Isaiah calls us to lift our vision far beyond our self-imposed limits to God’s care for us. Yes, there are the chariots and horses of military might. Yes, there have been hard times in our collective and individual journeys with God. But God is greater than all…

Isaiah 43:16-21 After reading this section from the prophet Isaiah, I find myself immediately struck by verse 19. The prophet writes, “I am about to do a new thing … do you not perceive it?” This is a feeling I am all too familiar with. We trust that God is always re-creating and re-forming the…