Isaiah 6:1-8

Holy in Christ

Trinity Sunday B

May 31, 2015

 

Judah had known no king like Uzziah since the time of Solomon.  He was an effective administrator and military leader.  The county had grown in every way under his kingship.  How easy it must have been to trust in such a person and in the county at the time.  A country that prospers, a people who are proud of their heritage and future.

But what happens when that time is past?  When the king is dead, the country is going downhill in terms of the economy, the morality, and an enemy from the East is pushing nearer and nearer?  In moments like these, it is easy to lose hope and trust, at least for this life and in earthly rulers.

It is in the middle of such conflicted times, that God calls Isaiah to serve as His prophet to His people.  At a time when God’s people are in serious trouble, the Lord reveals Himself.  Isaiah looks and sees the Lord sitting upon His throne.  And as He is revealed, we hear the voices of the seraphim, those heavenly beings, singing out, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.”

This word of holy is often misunderstood in today’s world.  The word “holy” in Hebrew means “separate” or “set apart.”  Holiness is a state of being, from which flows an ethical behavior.  God is not just holy, He is thrice holy, He is completely set apart, different from His creation in His perfection, power, glory, and loving-kindness. It is in His character. In His morality.  In His very being. Which is why the only natural reaction to being in the full presence of the holiness of God is one of fear and trembling.  This is not the lovey-dovey God of pop-culture.  This is the Lord of Hosts, the General of the armies of heaven, sitting on His throne where just the train of His robe fills the entire heavenly temple and His glory fills the earth!  This Holy One of Israel is uncompromising in His holiness and in His expectation of faithfulness from His people, anything less brings destruction.

Isaiah understand this all too well.  As the seraphim fly back and forth about the throne of the Lord singing of God’s glory, the sound of their voices cause the very foundations to shake.  Naturally, this scared Isaiah, “Woe is me!” he cries out.   He knows that no one can look upon God and live.  Isaiah is very aware of His sinfulness, of his unholiness. The sin and guilt which Isaiah recognizes is that same as ours.  It is that arrogant self-centeredness which refuses to bow the knee to the King of kings.

And what depths of God’s grace!  Isaiah has no hope, no way out, nothing but unclean lips.  Even though he does not actively seek purification, purely out of the grace of God, it is given to him.  Out of the smoke comes a seraph with a purifying coal, taken from the altar of God.  Isaiah does nothing, but stands there in shock and awe as the seraph touches his mouth with it.  “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”  Likewise, in Holy Communion, a messenger from God takes from His altar and delivers those same blessings as the body and blood of Christ touch your lips. In this act we see the proper work of the Lord of hosts – that God does not reveal Himself to destroy us, but to redeem us! He comes to His people to make them holy, to set them apart, as He is holy!

This is radically different than anything else in the world.  Over and over again, we hear that the Church must change or die.  That we must change the way we worship or it won’t appeal to younger generations. That we must change the way we believe about the sins of homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia. The thing is, this is backwards, and it just isn’t true nor does it work.  Conforming to the culture will bring about death, not prevent it.  The church cannot conform to the world and be holy.  Holiness comes only from God-from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.  It is God in Christ who conforms people to Him.  He who is holy, who is separate, separates others for Himself. 

As the Lord calls Isaiah to be His prophet, so through Baptism and His Word He has called you to share that good news of Christ crucified and raised from the dead to take away the guilt and atone for your sins.  He has called you to proclaim the mighty deeds of the Lord of Hosts who makes holy ones, saints, out of sinful, broken, and unholy people through that same Word and Sacraments.  The answer for His people’s sinful lives, for our sinful lives, for a struggling economy, a struggling nation, broken families, hopeless situations, and an uncertain future is to receive the salvation that He offers.  In His holy love for His people, He gives His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  Through Jesus, we have complete and pure forgiveness of our sins, for as St. Paul declared to the Colossians, “He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him” (Colossians 1:22).

So that as the one, holy, Christian and apostolic church, we might act differently, for different we are.  We have been set apart by Christ and so we act separately from the unredeemed.  We are to love more, serve more.  We ought to behave better than the rest of the society.  You are not of the world, so stop acting like it!  Repent! And this is the mark of one who has been made holy by our Triune God-repentance and faith in Christ. It's not that we are "better" than everyone else, but that we are holy . When we mess up, because we will, we return to the Holy One of God in repentance to receive His forgiveness and power to make us holy again and again and again and to keep us in His grace.

As you strive to live as the saints, the holy ones, God created and redeemed you to be, you are not alone.  Your old sinful nature urges us to give in to the unholy trinity-the devil, the world, and your sinful nature.  But the thrice holy God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-is with you always.  When your sins burden your soul and your hope in this world is failing so that you cry out, “Woe is me!” consider Psalm 16:8–11 for our Introit this morning drives one beyond the poetic confidence of a long-dead king and to a living confession of the Christ who though crucified has now risen: God will not let His holy one see corruption.  He did not with His Son. He will not with you who are holy by faith in His Son. With Isaiah, with angels and archangels and all the company heaven, you laud and glorify His glorious name, evermore praising Him and saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.”  In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!