I feel like an exile in my own land. Like many, I can get bogged down in despair, unable to see a way forward, a way to hope. Yet hope is what God always calls us to—what Jesus longs for us to root deeply in our very being.

Today's reading from Isaiah comes from what scholars call Trito-Isaiah, or Third Isaiah, reflecting the time after the Babylonian exile. The Jewish people were returning home, rebuilding their community after years of displacement. Their story is our story too.

I need to hold onto this prophet’s words as I wrestle with feeling like an exile in my own nation. So the question remains: Do I despair, or do I hope in God? Do I do nothing, or do I work for “a future not our own”? I choose hope.

At 63, I often look back and say, “Thank God I am not the person I was X years ago.” I stand in awe of what God can accomplish—not just in me, but in the friends, colleagues, and communities that have shaped me. Can the same not be said of our nation?

But hope is not passive. Just as the returning exiles rebuilt their community, we too must labor for a nation that reflects God’s justice. Are we building a society that welcomes or excludes? Do we hear the cry of the poor, or do we silence them and strip away what little they have? Do we create a world where dignity is for all—or just for a select few?

Jesus, heal us—and as sinners called by you under the banner of the cross, give us the courage to labor with you for your kingdom.