Not Forsaken
Stories
Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit
Series V, Cycle C
Object:
For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. (vv. 1-5)
In Daily Guideposts 1995, Susan Schefflein recalls riding the subway in New York City one Sunday while attending a weekend spiritual workshop. As she boarded, she immediately noticed the number of homeless men and women on the train. It was cold. Their coats were ragged and they were undoubtedly riding from station to station just to keep warm.
She was reminded of the Ship of Fools from medieval times when the unwanted people wandered the seas helplessly looking for a port to stay. She cried as she wondered, "Dear God, why have you forsaken these people?"
Just then the subway stopped and on came a young man carrying a battered shopping bag. He cheerily boomed, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" Schefflein wondered what con he was pulling in the midst of all the misery.
Then the young man reached into the bag and pulled out oranges and sandwiches. He smiled warmly as he went up and down the car gently touching people's shoulders and distributing the food.
Schefflein wrote, "I should have stayed and spoken to the young man, found out who he was. Looking back now, however, I think it doesn't matter what his name was. God had not forsaken these weary travelers ... God was there, right there on the number six downtown local."
God was there.
The world can be cruel -- cruel to us; cruel to those we love. But closing our eyes to the cruelty doesn't make it go away. It may shield us from seeing the horror, but it doesn't shield us from the horror itself. Sooner or later, we find ourselves face-to-face with life's harsh realities -- death, failure, loss, rejection, and grief.
At those moments, we may wonder where God is. We may feel deserted. The people of Israel -- God's people -- felt that way. Their enemies had defeated them and taken them away to live in exile. Only a remnant remained in Israel. And yet, Isaiah assures them, God has not deserted them.
God, through the prophet Isaiah, brought a word of comfort and hope. He said, "You shall no longer be termed Forsaken." I like the way Eugene Peterson has paraphrased Isaiah's words: "Regarding Zion, I can't keep my mouth shut, regarding Jerusalem, I can't hold my tongue ... You'll get a brand new name straight from the mouth of God ... No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined."
No more will you be called "Rejected" or "Forsaken" or "Deserted." These words tell the feelings of the people. They felt cut off from God. In the midst of that, Isaiah says those feelings are coming to an end as God is coming near and is poetically renaming them "My Delight" and "Married." The new relationship with God is like a wedding celebration.
These words spoken to the people of Israel at that difficult point in their history still apply to God's people. If you feel deserted, rejected, or forsaken today, hear this word of comfort and assurance. God has not abandoned you. God comes in Jesus to marry us -- calling us names of affection like "honey" and "darling."
We are not deserted. Don't let the few bad things in life tell you any differently. Those things will pass. God will not desert you. When things are at their worst, God will call you darling and renew the vow to be with you forever.
(Daily Guideposts 1995 [Carmel, New York: Guideposts Associates, 1994], pp. 82-83)
In Daily Guideposts 1995, Susan Schefflein recalls riding the subway in New York City one Sunday while attending a weekend spiritual workshop. As she boarded, she immediately noticed the number of homeless men and women on the train. It was cold. Their coats were ragged and they were undoubtedly riding from station to station just to keep warm.
She was reminded of the Ship of Fools from medieval times when the unwanted people wandered the seas helplessly looking for a port to stay. She cried as she wondered, "Dear God, why have you forsaken these people?"
Just then the subway stopped and on came a young man carrying a battered shopping bag. He cheerily boomed, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" Schefflein wondered what con he was pulling in the midst of all the misery.
Then the young man reached into the bag and pulled out oranges and sandwiches. He smiled warmly as he went up and down the car gently touching people's shoulders and distributing the food.
Schefflein wrote, "I should have stayed and spoken to the young man, found out who he was. Looking back now, however, I think it doesn't matter what his name was. God had not forsaken these weary travelers ... God was there, right there on the number six downtown local."
God was there.
The world can be cruel -- cruel to us; cruel to those we love. But closing our eyes to the cruelty doesn't make it go away. It may shield us from seeing the horror, but it doesn't shield us from the horror itself. Sooner or later, we find ourselves face-to-face with life's harsh realities -- death, failure, loss, rejection, and grief.
At those moments, we may wonder where God is. We may feel deserted. The people of Israel -- God's people -- felt that way. Their enemies had defeated them and taken them away to live in exile. Only a remnant remained in Israel. And yet, Isaiah assures them, God has not deserted them.
God, through the prophet Isaiah, brought a word of comfort and hope. He said, "You shall no longer be termed Forsaken." I like the way Eugene Peterson has paraphrased Isaiah's words: "Regarding Zion, I can't keep my mouth shut, regarding Jerusalem, I can't hold my tongue ... You'll get a brand new name straight from the mouth of God ... No more will anyone call you Rejected, and your country will no more be called Ruined."
No more will you be called "Rejected" or "Forsaken" or "Deserted." These words tell the feelings of the people. They felt cut off from God. In the midst of that, Isaiah says those feelings are coming to an end as God is coming near and is poetically renaming them "My Delight" and "Married." The new relationship with God is like a wedding celebration.
These words spoken to the people of Israel at that difficult point in their history still apply to God's people. If you feel deserted, rejected, or forsaken today, hear this word of comfort and assurance. God has not abandoned you. God comes in Jesus to marry us -- calling us names of affection like "honey" and "darling."
We are not deserted. Don't let the few bad things in life tell you any differently. Those things will pass. God will not desert you. When things are at their worst, God will call you darling and renew the vow to be with you forever.
(Daily Guideposts 1995 [Carmel, New York: Guideposts Associates, 1994], pp. 82-83)
