Isaiah 65: 17-25
God promises a new heaven and a new earth.
For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD--
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent-- its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.
The Carol
“The desert shall rejoice” by Malcolm Archer, sung by the choir of Wells Cathedral, conducted by the composer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMSJQSSXOh8
Text - The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as a rose: it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with praise and singing. For the ears of the deaf shall hear, and the eyes of the blind shall be opened. For the tongue of the dumb shall sing, and the lame will dance for joy. For the ground will become a pool, and the dry land will become springs of water. As the ransomed return to the Lord, they shall come back singing unto Zion with joy.