If something you loved was ever taken away from you, you know the feelings of loss, invasion, injustice and confusion. “Why would someone take from me the desire of my heart? Why would someone hurt me? How can this happen when I lead a good life? How will I continue in the face of this loss?.”

The one who suffered a loss in this passage from Baruch was not a person. It was a city. Jerusalem had lost many of her inhabitants to invaders, many of her treasures to thieves. The entire city was cloaked in mourning and misery.

But Baruch urges the people to stand on the heights and look east. There they will see their scattered children brought together again. Carried away by enemies, they return on thrones. God promises that the hills will be leveled and the valleys will be filled. Those returning will speed their way on the road home.

Jerusalem suffered immeasurable loss. Those returning had been changed by their experience of exile and redemption. Those at home had been changed by their hurt and their hope.

During Advent, we celebrate God’s promise of restoration. If we have suffered a loss, God can make things new again. We might be changed by what we experience. The memory of our ache may never fade, but God can restore trust, hope and confidence for all who have lost what they most loved.

From Sourcebook, 2004