The makeover show is a staple of reality TV – whether it be rust-bucket cars turned into shiny cruisers, falling down houses renovated into modern day palaces or fashion victims turned into style icons, TV is full of the old things being made new. As viewers we sit there as judges agreeing with the hosts that, ‘yes that is a truly awful house, best pull that down’ and ‘yes, we DO wonder how he thinks he could get away with wearing that?’ and ‘what WAS she thinking?’ We are moved by the tears of the freshly made over when they see the experts finished work and we agree, ‘yes that’s much better’. We are drawn to the disaster that has been chosen and impressed by the skill of the experts in equal parts. That’s the common ingredient to all those kind of shows.

But there is, in the better shows, a theme of grace. Someone receives an unexpected gift that they could never afford or imagine by themselves. They are without the resources, ability or imagination to turn it around. They are stuck in the old and they know it. Most of them look at their old car, their old house and their old clothes and they wish it were otherwise. They want the style, the speed, the look but they can’t get it – it’s out of reach. So when they receive what they always dreamed of but could never get then the tears begin to flow – they have been graced. And as we watch it, we are moved too. Grace is beautiful wherever you find it.

Yet, here’s the thing this second chance, this new beginning, this new life if it is just surface, if it is just skin deep it won’t last. As Glenn Packiam says, “new relationship, new job, new city, new chance, same you.” A new opportunity is not good news if you’re just going to get it wrong again. It is why it is so hard for those who are struggling with a sin they cannot be free of or an addiction that they cannot control. There is this hope but if something hasn’t changed then it’s only a matter of time and opportunity before we find ourselves back at the start, feeling ugly, guilty and ashamed and worse than ever.

But what about for those of us who are kind of in the middle? We’re not going to get an extreme makeover because we don’t really need one. We don’t identify with that, you might be thinking, ‘that doesn’t seem to describe me’ so what about me? But sometimes events out of our control affect us and disaster overtakes us. The Taliban sweep into your capital, your allies desert you, the earthquake sets off a tsunami, the cancer is too advanced for treatment, the company is restructuring without you, your partner just one day announces they are leaving, an accident leaves you reeling, a pandemic breaks out killing millions.

These things happen, historically & globally speaking they are as common as they are devastating. Sometimes it shows us that our faith has been based on the idea that somehow we deserve an exemption from God for hardship. But the Bible’s testimony is very different – it says this world is beautiful AND broken, and the question is not whether you will experience hardship but whether you will know God IN your hardship and whether you have hope in your hardship. And that is an excellent question – where do you find hope? Where will we, as a Christian community find hope? What hope of renewal, of being made new, of being raised up will we proclaim? And will, our lives back up our words? Our hope cannot be in being allowed to travel, it can’t be in vaccines, or politicians, or jobs, or normal life (whatever that is) because we know, perhaps better than ever those things cannot be trusted, they are fickle friends.

So when we look at Isaiah 61 we read a description of a people who find themselves destitute, depressed, defeated, despairing, destroyed, disgraced and dishonoured. They are poor, they are prisoners, they are grieving, they are weak, their cities are rubble, their hope has gone.

Hundreds of years later these words were read out to a people who were oppressed, under occupation, surrounded by enemies who despised them and their faith and they heard the words, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.” A promise comes and it comes with a deliverer. One who is clothed with the garments of salvation, who wears the robe of righteousness, a bridegroom. One who loves justice and hates theft. And he says to the destitute, depressed, defeated, despairing, destroyed, disgraced and dishonoured – trust in me, listen to me, believe in me, and you will be restored, revived, redeemed, renewed, repaired, reinstated & released.

There’s something about new things that we just really like – newborns, new cars, new homes, new jobs, new toys, new look, new shoes – something fires in your brain and gives you that little rush of endorphins and you get a buzz. New is good. But as good as those earthly new things are the heavenly new things are better; new hope, new promises, new covenant, new life, new birth.

And Isaiah 61 promises us a little glimpse of heaven: a place where we will be priests of the Lord, enjoying the wealth of the nations, with our shame removed, with our tears wiped away, with our hearts full of everlasting joy, with a home in a rebuilt city inhabited once again by with its true king on the throne. But here is the thing your devastation became his and his robe of righteousness became yours. Your shame and dishonour was put on him and his garment of salvation was put on you. And your weakness was put on him but a garment of praise was put on you.

So today, right now, where is your hope? Do you need to be renewed, do you need to know again the Spirit to breathe life into your soul and lead you back to the one alone who can restore you and give you hope? Come to Jesus.