| JUNE 6, 2009 - TRINITY - YEAR B |
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Psalm 29 This Sabbath is referred to as the Trinity Sabbath following the one after Pentecost. I found again many interesting things about the history and meaning of the Trinity. I did that homily some time ago. However, as I meditated on the Scriptures for today, I kept going back to the passage we read in Isaiah. I will read them again in a contemporary version and dwell on this majestic scene. It is so powerful! Listen . . . In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting on the high and lofty judgment seat, in a robe whose train filled the temple. Seraphs were stationed above; each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They cried out one to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is JHWH Omnipotent. All the earth is full of God’s glory.” The doorposts and the thresholds quake at the sound of their shouting, and the temple kept filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me! I am doomed. I have unclean lips, and I live among the people of unclean lips! And my eyes have seen the Ruler, JHWH Omnipotent.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which had been taken with tongs from the altar.The seraph touched my lips with the ember and said, ”See, now that this has touched your lips, your corruption is removed and your sins are pardoned.” Then I heard the voice of the Holy One, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” “Here I am.” I said, “Send me.”(The Inclusive Bible, The First Egalitarian Translation, by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc) Do you imagine this scene? Do you have a mental picture of a high a lofty judgment seat? Do you suppose it looks anything like the throne of the kings and queens of England? Is it ornate? Is everything on it symbolic? And a robe with a train that filled the temple! What color was it? Was it made of gold and jewels? Was the train heavy, or did it float? Can you picture these beautiful beings, the seraphim with six wings each? Wings that could cover face and feet and could fly? And when they cry out “Holy, Holy, Holy is JHWH Omnipotent, all the earth is full of God’s glory” the doorposts and the thresholds quake at the sound of their shouting! And the temple filled with smoke! I wish I could paint what I see in my mind’s eye, and I have no idea what the temple and the almighty omnipotent God really looks or sounds like. Nor can I experience the sweet smell of the incense smoke. Isaiah can give only human terms and words and pictures. What could he really compare it to? Or how could we? Have you seen the latest pictures from the Hubble spacecraft? They are awesome! Maybe the throne room looks a little like some of those scenes. The grandeur and the vastness of space –are they anything like heaven? Is heaven above or in these scenes? These are only human pictures. What must the real thing be like? No wonder Isaiah was frightened! I believe God wanted Isaiah to catch a wider vision than merely what he saw taking place about him. God wanted him to remember that in spite of all the might of Assyria, God was still supreme upon his throne and in control of the affairs of earth. In the previous chapters Isaiah had been pronouncing woes on the people. Now, when he saw God on the throne, he realized just how human he was. He cried out, “Woe is me! I am doomed. I have unclean lips, and I live among the people of unclean lips! And my eyes have seen the Ruler, JHWH Omnipotent.” This morning I wish to impress on us the majesty and power of our Creator God. I can only give you Bible descriptions and human images. However, it staggers my mind that this same God, this being who is part of the Trinity, this same God who created you and me, and the heavens and the earth, came down to this crazy, filthy, dirty earth and died a horrible death. How on earth can we understand the God of this wonder? Let me talk a little about what Isaiah saw. The seraphs, or seraphim, intrigue me. This very short description is only found in this passage in Isaiah. In looking up various commentaries, they are described as “burning ones” generally depicted as fiery beings surrounded by serpentine flashes of lightning. Perhaps the fire symbolizes their burning devotion to God. They flew, they covered their faces, and they covered their feet. They were stationed above the seat. They cried out to one another “Holy, holy, holy, is JHWH Omnipotent.” And their cry made the doorposts and thresholds shake. There are many descriptions of God’s throne in the Bible. Moses saw a similar vision of God. The prophet Micah saw the Lord seated upon his throne. Amos also saw the Lord standing by the altar in the Temple court. Daniel and Ezekiel did. John on Isle of Patmos saw a wonderful vision of the throne and heaven and God’s people entering. I’m reading from Revelation 4:2-8  Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a carnelian in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. 4 And around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; 6 and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME."John, as Isaiah, only had human words to describe what he saw. Ellen White saw wonderful, beautiful, awesome scenes also. All the descriptions help me imagine heaven with awe. Did Isaiah need a reality check? Had he been so surrounded by the wickedness of his people, that he forgot what was real and important? Do I need a reality check? Do you? I believe we need to rediscover God’s holiness. Our daily frustrations, society’s pressures, and our own shortcomings surely reduce and narrow our view of God. We need – I need – the Bible’s view of God as high and lifted up to empower. When we do have this mental picture, it will help us deal with our problems and concerns. We need to be reminded of what is really important. Surely God’s moral perfection, properly seen, will help us see sin for what it is and will cleanse our minds, and enables us to worship and to serve. We do need a reality check! Have we been too engrossed in the dirt around us? There is one phrase in Isaiah’s vision which has made me stop and wonder. The seraphim said “All the earth is full of God’s glory.” They are talking about our earth. This very earth we live in that is so full of sin. The one we read about and wonder at as we hear and watch news. Filled with God’s glory? When? Where? Do we neglect to experience the glory of God? Because of sin, maybe we forget that the mountains and the rivers, the heavens and the farmlands, the oceans and the deserts all declare God’s glory. Do we remember that all creatures are created by a divine being? When we hear birds sing in the early morning, or watch a baby smile, or experience the love of a mate, or hear a cat purr, do we see God’s hand in that? We must remember to what is important and real! Above all, we are to reflect God’s glory. In our humanity, we are to reflect God’s glory. Does my neighbor realize I worship a mighty and awesome God? Does my family see me reflecting the character of Jesus? I find that an awesome task. One which I cannot do in my own power. No wonder I find myself crying out “Woe is me! I am utterly sinful, and I live in a sinful place. Please show me your glory, God.” The miracle in all this is that God has promised us his Presence. His Presence in us is God’s glory. As Isaiah was touched with a hot ember and given power and words, so we may experience that same gift. Experiencing God’s glory, even in our limited imaginations, will give us humility and strength. God’s ember can touch us and take our guilt away. Forgiveness is ours. The gift of grace is ours. Let us always remember that it is what God promises to do for us. Not in our own strength, but it is the gift of the Almighty Omnipotent JHWH. The Psalm (29) we read this morning speaks of God’s voice: The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; What a description of something we cannot imagine or hear. What glory and splendor! Think about it . . . Imagine it . . . The courts of heaven are waiting for us. You and me, the sinful ones . . . “God pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance. He does not stay angry forever, but delights to show mercy. He will have compassion on us. He will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” He delights in mercy. Carry these words with you today and this week. I will. |