The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY (Retired)
In the past six months, since the beginning of this Church year, we have had
readings from Scripture about the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
things and creatures that dwell in them; sin and its consequences; the promise
of a Messiah and the coming of Jesus the Christ; his ministry, suffering and
death; his resurrection and ascension, and, finally, the coming of the Holy
Spirit, the Comforter. We have learned a great deal about the things God has
done, first as God the Father, then as God the Son, and finally as God the Holy
Spirit. Today, the Church wants us to focus on God himself, and learn something
about the characteristics and nature of our Lord.
We begin with Isaiah's awe-inspiring vision of God enthroned as King of
Heaven. You will note that it is a vision, not an actual face-to-face
confrontation. This, I think, shows God's grace and mercy, because the Old
Testament tells us that to see God is to die. Isaiah's vision of
the glory and wonder and awe of God's presence is not detailed; he doesn't see
God face to face, but only a vision, which probably preserves his sanity as well
as inspiring within his mind and heart an immense awe and respect. John's gospel
tells us that John believed that this vision of Isaiah was actually a vision of
Jesus, God the Son, reigning from his heavenly throne. Whether John is right or
not, we will find out some day, but in the meantime, we can learn some things
from Isaiah's description of what he saw.
First: the immense importance of God. Most of us probably do not give much
attention to God himself. We call to him for help when we need it, and we pay a
formal respect to him in our bowing at the altar and at the cross, but we do not
give much attention to reflecting on the awesomeness of the power of the One who
created all things, the One who is all-wise and all-knowing, the One who knows
each of us intimately and is always there to help if we only ask, the one who
loves us more than our parents, our children, our lovers or even ourselves.
God's power cannot be measured or limited, and so he is Spirit, because the
power of a being with a body is measureable and limited to the place that Being
happens to be at the time. God knows no such limitations. His power, knowledge,
love and creativity are all infinite, limitless, filling all times and all
places.
Then we are told that the creatures in heaven are forever chanting his glory
and lauding and exalting him. Traditionally, at the Eucharist, the server would
ring a bell at three times during the service: at the time we join the hosts of
heaven in singing Holy, holy, holy; at the consecration of the
bread and at the consecration of the wine. The ringing of the bell at these
three points was intended to focus our attention on the fact that the holy God
is coming among us. First, we sing his praises, and then he comes and changes
the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, which we will shortly
receive. There is a well-known hymn which describes what our attitude and focus
should be at these points in the service: Let all mortal flesh keep
silence, and in fear and trembling stand; ponder nothing earthly-minded, for
with blessing in his hand, Christ the Lord to earth descendeth...
Thirdly, we might give some attention to Isaiah's reaction to all this. At
first, he worries that seeing this vision may mean the end of his life:
see God and die, as the Old Testament puts it. And then he hears the
call to service, but regrets that he cannot answer it, for he is only a sinful
man, a man with unclean lips and unclean heart. After the angel takes a burning
coal from the altar and uses it to purify Isaiah's lips, he immediately puts
himself forward to serve the Lord. Do we share Isaiah's awe and respect for the
Lord, his glory and his majesty and his power? Do we hear the call to serve God,
to go forth and do his will? Do we recognize our own sinfulness, the way that
our language makes our lips unclean, the way our sinful attitudes and actions
fill our hearts with sin? Do we recognize that we need to be purified if we are
to serve the Lord as we ought? Do we accept the cleansing power of God's
forgiveness, turn away from sin, and enter immediately into God's service?
The second reading, from Paul's letter to the church at Rome, makes it very
clear that when we accept the Spirit of God into our hearts, and accept baptism
into the death and resurrection of God the Son, we take upon ourselves the
responsibility of letting the spirit of God, not the spirit of the world, guide
us and shape our attitudes, desires and actions. Once we have been born
again, or born above, (the Greek can be translated either
way) we can no longer live selfishly and allow "I want" to be our guide and
motto. Instead, we are to allow Jesus to transform us into his followers; we are
to put on Christ's way of thinking, seeing, understanding and behaving, and
leave behind the self-centeredness that characterizes the world's views and
attitudes and actions. Like Isaiah, we have been purified...not for our own
pleasure or pride but so that we can go forth on the lord's business and serve
God in the world.
The well-known story of Nicodemus and his visit to Jesus is a fitting summary
of the things we have learned from Isaiah and Paul. God loves us. We are
challenged to accept that love...not in a "ho-hum, that's nice" way, but
eagerly, grasping the gift of God's love with both hands, letting it transform
us into actual children of God, letting it re-form us into his own image, as we
were made to be, letting it inspire us to serve him in whatever way he sends us
to serve. We are his beloved children, and he expects that we will love him in
return, love him enough to obey him, love him enough to realize that he has only
our own good at heart and knows more and better than we do about the reasons he
sends us forth in his name into the world. Hopefully, our response will be like
that of Isaiah: Here I am, Father, send me. Amen.
