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Full of God’s Glory!

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“Full of God’s Glory!”

Isaiah 6:1-8 (6:3) – May 26, 2024 

Have you ever visited a really beautiful church? Magnificent, with lovely stained glass windows, carved pews, high, vaulted ceilings? What comes to my mind is the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., or St. Paul’s Church in London, or perhaps one of the great Gothic cathedrals in the Rhine valley in France or Germany. Think of a church like that, only magnify the beauty and wonder of the building ten times. I cannot even imagine a place that spectacular.

Yet that is just what Isaiah is trying to describe for us in our scripture passage today. A church—or, more specifically, a heavenly temple—so magnificent that he can hardly even begin to describe it.

That is only the beginning! What is even more magnificent, more awe-inspiring is what Isaiah sees inside that heavenly temple. The prophet says he “saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Isaiah finds himself in the throne room of heaven in the presence of the Lord of creation. Awe-inspiring, terrifying, humbling, overwhelming. I don’t know about you, but God’s magnificence and glory can knock me off my feet when I least expect it. God can bump me and shake me up. God can turn my self-sufficiency inside out. Has that happened to you, too?

Perhaps you recognize the words from our opening hymn this morning: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!” Today is Trinity Sunday, that day in the church year, the week after Pentecost, when we lift up one of the ineffable mysteries of the Church: the holy Trinity itself. I love this passage from Isaiah for several reasons. First, this is Isaiah’s call story, how the Lord God reached out to Isaiah and touched this man with the power of God, and placed him on the road of being a prophet for God.

Such a moving story, and one that resonates with anyone who has been similarly called by the Lord into a God-ordained calling or vocation. (And not necessarily just a “churchy” vocation.) Some people feel very strongly that they have been called to be doctors or nurses, teachers or social workers, farmers or mechanics. God can call people to a variety of positions, all to serve to God’s glory and for the good of humanity.

Yet, this reading today is much more than that. Not only is Isaiah’s experience one of marvel and awe. This reading is one of the sources for our worship service today.

As Dr. Lisa Hancock advises, “The whole encounter begins with Isaiah showing up at the temple. So, consider taking some time to welcome and orient the congregation toward showing up to God’s presence in their midst. Acknowledge all that we bring with us into worship, the burdens and joys and everything in between.” [1] We as a congregation strive to tune into God’s presence with us even as we have come to be present to God and one another. The most amazing part is, we come into God’s presence each time we gather to worship!

            Orthodox Christianity confesses the Holy Trinity each time a congregation repeats the Apostles Creed. Confessing belief in the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit – or in more modern language, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer – is an intellectual, static form of statement of faith. Yet, as we consider the Trinity more deeply, even more theologically, we often are thrust into the midst of relationship! This awe-inspiring, terrifying Presence that Isaiah saw in the heavenly temple is also a vibrant Three-Persons-in-One. Difficult for us to even comprehend, but the idea of a Divine Relationship, companionship, a heavenly Community-in-One is the beginning of our understanding. As complex and mind-blowing as it can be.             

            Just as those seraphim sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts!” and just as we are welcomed into God’s presence each time our congregation enters into worship, so the Holy Trinity is here in this place. The Three Persons of God are in beautiful relationship with one another, and we are invited into that heavenly relationship, too!      

            We are cautioned, however. God does not only want the people from this particular neighborhood as a part of that heavenly relationship. God does not only belong to this particular church. God also is God of our Catholic friends, and of Holy Name Cathedral in downtown Chicago, and of Trinity UCC and San Lucas United Church of Christ. God is also God of the Quaker meeting in Evanston as well as Chinese Christian Union Church in Chinatown, and our Korean friends Love Sharing Disciple Church in Morton Grove. A whole multitude of different faith traditions, too, from every tribe, every nation under heaven.

            As my online friend Rev. Bosco Peters says, “We live in a world that so often fears difference. We bully them, persecute them, will not employ them, do not want to live in their neighbourhood, kill them, go to war with them. Yet the universe…holds wonderful diversity in unity. This beautiful multiplicity held in harmony in our universe is no accident because the source and heart of all reality is the one we call “God” – three in one. To live the Trinity life is to rejoice in diversity and to work towards holding it in unity.” [2]

It does not matter to God – the awe-inspiring, humbling and overwhelming God is above all and over all. Just as the Holy Trinity is in relationship and in heavenly community, Triune Three-in-One, our God wants a relationship with each of us! The Lord desires to develop an intimate relationship with every person, in beautiful diversity, promoting harmony and unity regardless of color, creed, cultural difference, language or nation of origin.

We are encouraged to enter into relationship just as we are encouraged to enter into worship each week! With God, yes! And with every other person in diversity, regardless of color, creed, cultural difference, language or nation of origin. God created each one of us to live the Trinity life! Rejoice in diversity and work towards holding it in unity. That means each and every person, each and every child of God. Including you, including me. Alleluia, amen.

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/ascribe-to-god/trinity-sunday-year-b-lectionary-planning-notes

[2] https://liturgy.co.nz/trinity-sunday-2024?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR30CzSonnCEtgz7V1bvjxP9SYmzEmRrJj2NYa4L3R2dl-dmA1nf3cPFzL4_aem_ATWps3Va7lMKpyFuppPtoxnznrMJ8apyP_Fq3to2Rlo1zOv7fsosZJtrIT-639n4JB33Yo04O1K_sCdt-hhKevdp

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Choose Someone Else!

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“Choose Someone Else!”

Isaiah 6:1-8 (6:8) – May 30, 2021

            Have you ever had a really vivid dream? Colorful, psychedelic, surreal, even? Sort of like what we just heard in the Scripture reading this morning. I suspect that people first hearing about Isaiah’s vision from chapter 6 may have thought the prophet was going way overboard with such vivid, descriptive language!  

Let’s take a few giant steps back, and gaze upon the big picture of this vision. We see the immense Holy One, and we see little, tiny Isaiah. “God’s presence is so large, the hem of the Lord’s robe alone fills the temple space. This is vastness. Strange but faithful creatures envelop the throne. Smoke obscures the whole scene. We are used to the images of fire and smoke, cloud and height being associated with God. It is all here.” [1]

            Some might think that Isaiah was exaggerating a lot when he described the Almighty God, seated on a throne in the heavenly temple. Yet, that vivid, glorious scene from the heavenly temple is the template of what goes on in many worship services today.

            The first hymn many people think of when they consider Trinity Sunday is “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” This hymn’s verses either refer to or directly quote this Scripture reading from Isaiah 6 – the first line, “Holy, holy, holy,” “Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee” and “all Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.” This Scripture reading from Isaiah does not give us any information at all about the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, but has been used effectively as a backdrop and assist in helping Christians get some understanding of this mystical, almost ethereal doctrine that is so difficult to understand.

            What’s this about comparing Isaiah chapter 6 and worship services? Most worship services begin with a hymn of praise. Look at Isaiah 6:3 – “And [the seraphim] were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” If that isn’t a hymn of praise, I don’t know what is. What’s more, some contemporary churches have several hymns or an extended praise time at the beginning of their services.

Many worship services then move to a confession (or admission) of sin. Let’s check out Isaiah 6:5 – Isaiah cried, 5 “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” We here at St. Luke’s Church have a confession of sin at the beginning of every worship service. I consider this vitally important! Just as Isaiah realized his sinfulness in the light of everything happening in that heavenly Temple, so we ought to confess our sins, too. We need to make ourselves clean on the insides before we can possibly come near to God.

After the confession and admission of sin comes an assurance or forgiveness of that sin, in Isaiah 6:6-7 – “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’” Just as we follow the prayer of confession in our worship with the assurance of pardon – Believe the Good News of the Gospel! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

This template for the worship service from Isaiah does not have a reading of Scripture, but many other instances in the Hebrew Scriptures do, where the minister gives further instruction and exhortation using the Scripture. (This is exactly what I am doing right now! Exhorting the congregation, based on the Word of God.) What follows is all-important, the whole point and reason for it all! Isaiah 6:8 holds a call to service extended from the Lord God Almighty. This call is the focal point of the retelling of this vision. “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

When I first felt that call from God, I was in my early 20’s, attending an evangelical Christian college as a music major. Women were definitely frowned upon as ordained clergy. I heard that call, and I even reflected upon it, turned it over in my head and heart, and talked about it with some other students at my school. However, not much came of it – then – yet.

As we take a look at another call narrative, the one from Exodus 3 involving Moses and the burning bush, we get a whole different response to the question “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Moses certainly does not want to lead the people of Israel! “Choose somebody else!” is his response. And, even after God says God will empower Aaron as Moses’ right-hand man, Moses still drags his feet.

Isn’t that like us, sometimes? Don’t we often drag our feet when God calls? Aren’t we more likely to say, “Choose somebody else!” when God taps us on the shoulder?

When you and I hear the Word of God rightly divided and expounded, when we breathe in the Holy Spirit-inspired Word, that divine response and possibility is there, for all members of the congregation, for each believer in the Good News. The heavenly touch of the Holy Spirit may well come upon each of us, bursting forth into fiery life! That Trinity, that Triune God can empower you and me, and help us to do things, to say words, to dream dreams that go far beyond what we could even think or imagine – like Isaiah.   

Yes, worship is wonderful, and the Lord has great joy in the worship of God’s people! Yet, what is the focal point of worship? Responding to the call of God. When God calls, can you respond, “Here am I, send me!” That is what God truly wants, an open heart, and a willing spirit.

Say with me, with Isaiah, “Here am I, send me!”

(Thank you to John Holbert for his Patheos commentary from 2015. I took several extended ideas from that article. https://www.patheos.com/progressive-christian/choose-somebody-else-john-c-holbert-05-28-2015

 “Choose Somebody Else!” John C. Holbert, Opening the Old Testament, 2015. )

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/the-holy-trinity-2/commentary-on-isaiah-61-8-3

Commentary, Isaiah 6:1-8, Melinda Quivik, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.