The Chosen

Scripture Passage

Isaiah 6:1–8 (NLT)

1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” 4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Focus Statement

Today is the day we hear God’s call…

Today is the day we recognize God has chosen us…

Today is the day we are humbled by that calling

And today is the day that we are going to respond! Amen.

Point of Relation

Friends, I want you to think about the Olympic torch relay. ..as we have the Summer Games about to commence.

Every few years, a flame is lit in Olympia, Greece,

and begins its journey around the world,

carried by thousands of torchbearers.

Each one is chosen for this honor,

representing the spirit of the Games.

Imagine the feeling of being selected as a torchbearer.

It's a tremendous honor,

but also a great responsibility.

Each torchbearer must carry the flame with care and humility,

knowing they are part of something much bigger than themselves.

Things to Consider

Now, there are some things to consider as we dive into the Scripture today.

First, a majority of Scholars now believe that the book of Isaiah was written over a long period of time with multiple authors contributing pseudonymously…

meaning they wrote as if they were Isaiah…a common practice in the ancient world.

With that said, Isaiah 1- 39 is considered to be Proto-Isaiah,

meaning that it was the first Isaiah…

containing the words of the original prophet Isaiah.

That means, that very probably have the call statement of the prophet Isaiah in our hearing this morning.

Second, we have to understand that Isaiah was very much a human being like us.

His humility came in the form of fear…

He was afraid before the presence of a holy God.

Meaning, Isaiah was a sinner like the rest of us…

but his recognition of that led him to humility and eventually to respond.

What Scripture Says

Alright, let me set the scene.

The year is about 740 B.C., and the Kingdom of Judah is in a real state of flux.

King Uzziah, who had been on the throne for over fifty years, has just died.

Under his rule, Judah had experienced a lot of prosperity and peace,

but towards the end of his reign,

Uzziah became proud and ended up with leprosy,

which was seen to be the result of his disobedience to God.

Now, with Uzziah gone, the nation is on edge.

There’s a lot of uncertainty about who’s going to lead and what’s going to happen next.

Plus, the Assyrian Empire is on the rise,

and their expansion is a looming threat to all the smaller nations around them, including Judah.

It’s in this tense and uncertain time that Isaiah, a prophet, is CHOSEN by God to have a life-changing vision…

He goes into the temple in Jerusalem,

probably seeking some comfort or guidance.

Suddenly, he’s transported into this incredible scene:

he sees the Lord sitting on a throne,

high and lifted up,

with the train of His robe filling the temple.

Surrounding the Lord are seraphim, these angelic beings with six wings, and they’re calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of His glory!”

This vision is overwhelming…like not just mind-blowing but soul-captivating.

The whole temple quakes like North Jersey did nearly two months ago,

and it’s filled with smoke, signaling God’s presence.

Isaiah, realizing he’s in the presence of God’s pure holiness,

is struck with HUMILITY by his own sinfulness and the sinfulness of his people. He cries out,

“Woe is me! I’m ruined! For I’m a man of unclean lips,

and I live among a people of unclean lips,

and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!”

Then, one of the seraphim touches Isaiah’s mouth with a hot coal and says, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

This act of cleansing prepares Isaiah for what’s coming next…his own RESPONSE

For, Isaiah hears the Lord’s voice saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And even though he’s just been through this intense experience, Isaiah steps up and says, “Here I am. Send me!”

Isaiah’s vision and calling come at a crucial time for Judah.

It’s a moment that highlights God’s holiness and the fact that we have been CHOSEN

need to find HUMILITY,

and RESPOND to the mission to bring God’s message to the people.

Isaiah is chosen to be God’s messenger during a very critical period in their history.

nod to Christie

What This Means for You

Friends, in case you have not noticed…

we too are in the midst of a critical time in our history.

I don’t need to go down the list of everything,

but our congregation is faced with multiple challenges

Some of those challenges, as it was in the case of Judah, have to do with our own past shortcomings…

Many of those challenges have to do with circumstances outside of our control.

Regardless, we are being called to recognize that God has CHOSEN us…regardless of our shortcomings…

That recognition should lead us to HUMILITY…

for our sins…yes, all of us…our sins are many. Amen?

And this is what I mean by humility:

CUE: Christie take it away.

So again, we need to recognize that God has CHOSEN us…

Which should lead us to HUMILITY…

Which WILL lead us to RESPOND.

What This Means for Us

My question friends is…

are we there?

Are we at a place where we can SEE that God has chosen us…

Are we humble enough to recognize our shortcomings and GIVE THEM TO GOD?

And are we READY TO RESPOND: “Yes, here I am Lord!”

My word to you is this: We need to be there. Amen? We need to be there.

For if we’re not, who is!

I have faith in you all.

Even as I am about to transition out and my time here is coming to a close,

I have faith that you will rise to the occasion and, under new pastoral leadership,

flourish in ways I could only dream of.

I have faith in you because God has faith in you…and God has faith in me…and God is calling all of us…CHOOSING ALL OF US…

To be God’s mouthpiece to the world.

Friends, we’ve got work to do on this Trinity Sunday and all days…

Let us do that work in the blessed name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen? Amen!