Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8
Trinity Sunday (May 31,
2015)
Here's the video link to this sermon:
Here's the video link to this sermon:
Pastor Karen Crawford May 31, 2015
https://vimeo.com/129427406
"Pastor Karen's Sermon for Trinity Sunday."
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***
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne,
high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in
attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces,
and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one
called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is
full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices
of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is
me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of
unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a
live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The
seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your
lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard
the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And
I said, ‘Here I am; send me!’”
***
My friend, Marylynn, had already been driving 3 and a half hours from
her home in Rochester, some of it in the pouring rain, before she pulled into
my driveway at 9:15 Tuesday morning. My suitcase was packed and ready to go, but
I had a few butterflies in my stomach. Our journey would take both of us to
places we had never been and involve another 6 hours of driving northwest
through parts of Minnesota and into north-central North Dakota. Sometimes we
traveled on smooth highways, but mostly we traveled back roads, some of them
poorly marked and full of bumps and ruts. After making some wrong turns and
circling back a few times, we learned that you can’t rely solely on maps, Siri,
or Internet driving directions, at least not when your ultimate destination is
a little church on an Indian Reservation. Lord willing, Marylynn and I will
lead a team of about 18 volunteers from our church and First Presbyterian in
Rochester to Bdecan Presbyterian Church on Spirit Lake Tribal Nation Aug. 5
through 9. Our journey this week was a 2-day, “up and back” pre-mission,
mission trip--a time for us to meet the youth pastor and people in the church
and community, check out the facilities and grounds, make lists of items
needed, and plan the details of our August trip. We plan to host VBS at the
community center in the tiny, unincorporated town of Tokio on the reservation and
make some repairs to the church and manse.
That might be the short answer we would give if someone were to ask us
why we are going. But that isn’t the “real” reason.
The real reason we are going is because God has stirred in us compassion
for this very needy group of people--especially for the children. While some
other volunteers will also be coming to Spirit Lake to do repairs and bring other
aid, we are the only group to offer Vacation Bible School this summer. Now some
people might question the usefulness or effectiveness of a 3-day VBS for a
community plagued by poverty and high rates of drug and alcohol abuse, child
abuse, suicide, teenage pregnancy, and unemployment. Some might say, “What’s
the use of even trying to help when the problem is so huge--and there is only a
few people going--and staying only a few days?” They might even ask, “Why
aren’t we focusing our full attention to compassionate mission to needy people
living right here, instead of driving to serve people in a different culture in
a community 6 hours away?”
Our answer is the call of God--the one who loves the whole world--not just this community or
our near neighbors. John 3:16 tells us that God SO loved the whole world that
He gave His only Son so that all who believe on Him would not perish in their
sins, but would have everlasting life. We go because we feel called. We go because of our faith and desire to be
obedient to Him. If we are truly Christians as we say we are, then we believe
in the power of God’s Word and Spirit to change lives and heal brokenness of
every kind, including broken relationships between God and human beings and
people with one another. We go because the same Spirit that convicts us of our
own sin and unworthiness compels us to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ
and our hope in Him with people living without hope. We go because God has
given us so much and we have more than we
really need--and there are people who lack comfortable housing, adequate clothing
to wear, and sufficient nutritious food to eat. In Matthew 25:37-39, when Jesus
tells the parable of the sheep and the goats, the “righteous” ask the King,
“ ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or
needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to
visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of
mine, you did for me.’ ”
We go because God asks us, ‘Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us?’ and we, like Isaiah, although we are
anxious and feel unworthy, respond in faith, “Here I am; send me!”
***
Isaiah’s vision of the
Lord described in Isaiah 6 happens soon after King Uzziah dies around 740 B.C.
The king, as Second Chronicles 26 tells us, ruled Judah for 52 years. Under his
reign, the kingdom experienced economic prosperity and grew in military power
and political influence. But Uzziah
“forgot” that he was just an earthly king and challenged the sacred worship of
the temple. His arrogance led to his death. Some call this passage Isaiah’s call
or commissioning, while others point out that it isn’t placed at the beginning
of the book of Isaiah; he is already a prophet! It is also possible that Isaiah
was not given this vision of the Lord in His temple until after King Uzziah’s death
because of the king’s sin.
In any case, the passage begins with the sharp contrast of the earthly
king who dies because of his sin and the divine King of Kings, seated on his throne,
winged seraphs standing in attendance and calling out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the
Lord of Hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory!” The vision is a stark reminder to us that God is
not human, the Lord is distinctly other; and we are not holy. No matter how hard we try to be good, we can never make
ourselves worthy before the Lord.
Isaiah sees the Lord in all His glory and is both terrified that he is
going to die and amazed to look upon God’s holiness. The prophet, through whom
God wishes to speak, is especially keenly aware of the sins of his mouth. It
brings to mind when Jesus tells the Pharisees in Matthew 15:11 that it is not what
a man puts into his mouth that defiles him--but what comes out of the mouth
that defiles--what he says! Isaiah realizes in an instant that, in spite of his
devotion to the Lord, he is a sinful man living in a sinful world. “Woe is me;
I am lost!” he says. “I am a man of unclean
lips and I live among a people of unclean lips. Yet my eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of Hosts!”
But God doesn’t leave Isaiah in his sinful state. God has a plan to use
Isaiah, but the Lord must first transform his prophet before he can be used. The
Lord sends a seraph--one of his winged, celestial creatures that forever sings
God’s praises --to hold a live coal from the altar fire to Isaiah’s mouth. Interestingly,
the word “seraph” or “seraphim” occurs only 6 times in the Old Testament and
only here in Isaiah 6 describes a celestial being; the other 5 times, “seraph” describes
a serpent, such as the poisonous serpents that afflict Israel in Numbers 21:6-8
when they are grumbling in the wilderness. Only after the winged creature
purges Isaiah of his sin and guilt does God deem Isaiah “ready” to hear His
call.
“Whom shall I send, and who will
go for us?” the Lord asks.
Isaiah answers, “Here I am! Send
me!”
***
Friends, I wouldn’t be honest if I told you that Marylynn and I aren’t
anxious about this mission trip. We feel called to organize and lead this trip as
we feel compassion for the Native American community living on Spirit Lake.
Still, it is very hard to feel “ready.” There are so many unknowns and things
beyond our control! This is the first time our two churches have gone on a
mission trip together; none of us have ever served the Spirit Lake community.
We are strangers to them! How will the children and families respond to us? We
are also still waiting to hear confirmation from a few prospective volunteers; we
still have room for a few more enthusiastic, faithful people to help with VBS. Unfortunately,
we don’t know how many children will come, what their ages will be, or if they
will have special needs and require assistance. We plan to serve a light
breakfast, lunch and snacks for the children each day and have an ice cream
social for the children and their families on the last day. But because we
don’t know what our attendance will be, we don’t know how much food we need--or
how much money we will need to buy the food.
Our anxieties about a short-term mission
trip seem very small, however, when we consider how big our God is--so big that
“the whole earth is full of his glory.” So distinctly other is the “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Hosts.” The compassion we feel for the needy children
and families living at Spirit Lake is nothing compared to the compassion that the
God who SO loves the world feels for them. And God’s Word teaches us that being
“ready” for what God has called us to do is NOT up to us. We can make all our
plans and our lists, but only God can prepare our hearts and minds for the
labor that lies ahead.
We are all a people of “unclean lips”--sinful people, living in sinful
times. For God to use us, we must first humble ourselves before Him, and allow
Him to transform us. And He will, by
His mercy and grace, just as He did for Isaiah, who responded in faith when he
heard the Lord say, “Whom shall I send,
and who will go for us?” “Here I am;
send me!”
Let us pray.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Hosts, we praise you
for your glory that fills the earth! We thank you for loving the world SO much
that you gave your only Son so that all who believe on Him would not perish but
have everlasting life with you. Thank you for your call to all of us--a people
of unclean lips--and your promise to transform us, more and more, into the
image of your Son so that you may use us for Your saving work. Forgive us if we
ever respond to your voice with anxiety, doubts, or fear. Build up our faith
and strengthen us with your wisdom, joy and peace to walk in the ways you lead
us. Help us to know how to minister to people in need, especially the children
who live at Spirit Lake. Prepare their hearts to receive your Word and be
filled with new hope as you prepare us to proclaim your gospel through acts of
kindness, generosity, and love. In Christ we pray. Amen.