“A man of unclean lips”

Meditation on Isaiah 6:1-8

Trinity Sunday (May 31, 2015)
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!’”

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      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!”

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      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!”

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     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.