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“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O
LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by your name; you are mine. Do not
fear; because I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior”. says God to a
community of exiled people.
Before we go deeper into the promise of restoration that the prophet Isaiah wants to bring to the
Judean community exile in Babylon.
I want to share my special connection with the promise of reassurance and comfort in this
passage of Isaiah.
My special connection occurred twenty years ago when my parents decided it would be a good
idea to migrate to this country. Of course, as a child, I did not want to come to a place I did not
know because I did not want to leave my friends.
I remember praying to God and asking why I needed to go to another country. And I also, in my
conversation with God, I told God if this is what you want me to do, give me a sign.
When I opened my bible, I saw the passage Isaiah Chapter 43. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed
you: I have called you by your name; you are mine. Do not fear;
Okay, God, I will go then” because I believe God will be with me in this journey of exile as I
come to a place I did not know.
But as we go back into the text of Isaiah, who talks to the Judeans who were forced to go to
Babylon exile. Of course, they felt hopeless and abandoned by God.
This bible passage brings hope of restoration to the community that for a long time felt hopeless
and abandoned by God, suffering in a system of oppression.
I wonder
How many people in our society today feel that they are constantly living in exile, and how does
our social system, which is supposed to be helping our fellow brothers and sisters to have hope
for a better future, the social system look for ways to complicate their lives even more?
As a church and a community of faith, I also ask, what should be our response to the promise of
restoration, an invitation to be in a relationship with God? Because God tells us
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.”
I know, and I do understand that.
God is not telling us that it will be a simple job to dismantle the system of social oppression in
our communities that is forcing our brothers and sisters to be in exile because of their emotional
and physical health.
God is not telling us that it will be a simple job to help our incarcerated brothers and sisters to
reenter society.
God is not telling us that it will be a simple job to bring hope to our broken humanity and
creation, as we know it is crying for help.
The communities of Los Angeles.
What I do know is that.
God is inviting us to accept the promise of restoration and the invitation to be in a relationship
with God through the Baptism of Jesus.
God also invites us to accept our identity As God’s “beloved Children.” And with the promise of
the “Holy Spirit.”
To begin our public ministry as Jesus did, to dismantle the system of oppression
as a church, and because of Jesus’ example
we can fulfill the expectations of our “Baptismal Covenant.” We re-affirmed today
as we welcome our Brother Albert
Will you seek and serve Christ in all people, loving your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God’s help.

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human
being?
I will, with God’s help.
Will you proclaim the Good News of God in Christ by word and example?
I will, with God’s help.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, let us feel reassured that this year, we will continue to spread
the Good News of God in Christ by word and example by serving all members of our
community, especially those in exile.
Amen.

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