Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. Alleluia! Amen.
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "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."
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then 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!"
Dear friends in Christ,
It has been described as “the most famous poster in the world.” And it may very well be. James Montgomery Flagg’s portrait of “Uncle Sam” was first published as the cover of the July 6, 1916 issue of Leslie’s Weekly with the title, “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?”
Over four million copies of this poster were printed between 1917 and 1918 alone, as the United States entered World War I and began sending troops and supplies into war zones. Because of its overwhelming popularity, the image was later adapted for use in World War II. For years, Uncle Sam's name and face have evoked American identity, loyalty, and patriotism.Its meaning is clear. Uncle Sam, the United States government, wants you. Uncle Sam is calling you into service.
I am reminded of this famous poster, because our text for today shares this same message. No, it’s not a recruitment call to serve in the U.S. military; but it is a call to serve. It is a call to serve in God’s kingdom. Therefore, may our Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to heed:
A Call to Serve
1. Acknowledge your guilt
2. Recognize God’s grace
3. Respond in faith
Our text for this Trinity Sunday is taken from the prophet Isaiah. It was sometime in 740 BC, the year in which King Uzziah died, that God appeared to Isaiah and called him into service.
During Uzziah’s fifty-two year reign, life was good. Crops grew and trade flourished. The age created a sense of national pride. It was a time of prosperity and peace, and the boundaries of Judah once again extended to their ancient frontiers. The Northern Kingdom also experienced a period of national independence and power.
But now Uzziah was dead. The good life was about to change. Because the people of God seemed more interested in themselves then in serving their God, judgment was on the way. Twenty years later the Assyrians would bring an end to the Northern Kingdom. The Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem 130 years later.
With such gloomy judgments waiting to take place, Isaiah was privileged to witness an extraordinary event. He said, "I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple" (v.1). He went on to say that he also saw seraphs, angels, who called out to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (v.3). We're told that it was an amazing sight. The sound of the angels filled the temple so that doorposts, walls and floors shook. And the entire temple was filled with smoke.
This wasn't something that happened every day! Isaiah's reaction to this incredible event seems normal. He said, "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" (v.5). In other words, he said, "I'm dead. I'm a sinner. I live among sinners and here I am looking right at God. Who can look at his glory and live?
The Lord's appearance to Isaiah led the soon to be prophet to very quickly recognize the difference between himself and God. From Scripture, Isaiah had learned that God is holy (Lev. 19:2). He hates sin (Ps. 61:8). He's perfect. While Isaiah knew that he was none of the above. He had to acknowledge that he was a man of "unclean lips." He was a sinner. He admitted to living among sinners. So he was right to ask how could he stand before God and live?
Like Isaiah, aren't we led to the same conclusion? We too are sinful human beings who "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We too have been led to see that because of our sin and inability to meet the demands of a perfect and holy God, we deserve to suffer the consequences. We deserve to die. We deserve to spend eternity in hell. How then can we ever expect to stand before a perfect and holy God?
The answer is, on our own, we can't. Our sins separate us from God. But here comes the really great part: our perfect and holy God, who does not tolerate sin in his presence, is also a merciful God who shows us his holiness by an act of pure grace.
Isaiah did not die like he thought he would. Instead, one of the angels took a burning coal from the altar and as Isaiah said, "With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for" (v.7).
Can you imagine that? The live coal to Isaiah's lips was a symbolic act that assured him his sins had been forgiven and that he now stood pure and blameless before God. God had taken away Isaiah's sin. What had he done to deserve it? Nothing. It was an act of pure grace.
Isaiah lived 700 years before the Savior was born, yet he clung to a promise: one day God would send a Savior into the world. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have seen that promise come true. We know that Jesus came into this world, suffered, died, and rose again so that our sins might be paid for in full. As a result of what Christ has done for us, we have been justified. We have been declared not guilty of our sins and have been made heirs of eternal life.
When you know that, when you have been led by the Spirit to believe that is true, Lord willing, what happens is, it compels us to respond in faith, just as it did for Isaiah.
After the angel touched Isaiah's lips and assured him of forgiveness, Isaiah wrote, "Then I heard the voice of God saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" Isaiah replied, "Here am I. Send me!" (v.8).
What a response of faith! Notice - Isaiah agreed to serve before he even knew what the mission was. He didn't have to. He saw God in his glory, experienced firsthand his grace, his undeserved love. He had been assured that his sins were gone. He was a child of God. He was an heir of eternal life. Because he knew that, Isaiah didn't need to think. He didn't need to weigh the pros and cons. He didn't need to check his busy schedule. His response of faith was immediate. "You need someone Lord? Here I am. Send me!"
The Lord was calling Isaiah into service. He would serve as his prophet. He was to go out and call the people to repentance, lead them to confess their sins, and to worship the true God. He was to warn the people that unless they changed their sinful ways, their enemies would defeat them. He warned them of exile in Assyria and Babylon.
Did his message get through to the people? As a whole, no. Isaiah's call to repentance only led the people to harden their hearts. God's judgment would come. And yet, he would preserve a remnant of believers. This wasn't a grand and glorious job God was calling Isaiah to. But the Lord promised to grant him the grace to undertake this task willingly and to carry it out faithfully.
Has not the Lord also called us to serve? That's what we've been talking about for some time now, isn't it? Our Lord has also called us into service. We are to serve him by sharing the gospel, both inside and outside the walls of Trinity.
The Lord has called us to teach, to encourage one another, to discipline one another by speaking the truth in love. We are to pray for each other, for our church and its leaders. We are to pray that his word continues to be taught in its truth and purity, that we remain united in mind and thought, and that we continue to build each other up in love.
Yes, we too have been called to serve. The question is, will ours be an immediate response of faith or will we turn a deaf ear to his call?
Knowing what we know, how can our response be anything but immediate? We've been given a call to serve. We serve our Lord here at church: by being faithful in worship, faithful at the Lord’s Table, and faithfully supporting the work that together we have been called to do: teach, preach, and reach out to those who don’t yet know the message of Christ.
Parents and grandparents, you have also been called to serve your Lord within your own families. Raise your children to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Set an example for them not only here at church but also at home. And then, also answer the Lord’s call to serve by how you live and work and socialize with people beyond these walls. It is what Christians are meant to do.
You could say, yes Pastor -- that's true. But you're preaching to the choir. The people who are here are ready and willing to serve. What about the hundreds of souls whose hearts have yet to be motivated by the gospel? What about those who aren't here? What about those who aren't hearing the word, partaking in the Lord's Supper? What about them? We can't do it alone!
And you know what? You're absolutely right. Everyone has been called to serve. Everyone has been called to be in the word on a regular basis and our communicants to the Lord's Table. We have all been called to support the Lord's work with our time, talents and treasures.
The Lord is calling. Will you turn a deaf ear to his call? Will you be one who says, "It can't be done." "It's not my problem." "It's not my mission." Or will you respond in faith and answer, "Here am I. Send me! Use me!"
Where do we start? What do we do? First take a look in your own heart. Are you and the Lord on the same page? If so, great. If not, let God's word touch your unclean lips. Remember what it is he has done for us. Once the Holy Spirit leads you again to see that, Lord willing, you will be ready with your response.
Then, for those who aren't here, we need to go to them. We begin by praying for those that aren't in the word on a regular basis, that the Spirit might continue knocking on the door of their hearts. Then, you can join us by talking with each other about the work we do. And finally, encourage each other. Start with your own family members. Then move on to your circle of friends and neighbors. Remember, we are all blood-bought souls of Jesus Christ. We are blood-bought souls who have been called to serve.
If only there was a way to remember that? Maybe we need to come up with a poster too. Maybe we need a poster like that of Uncle Sam, calling us into service. Then we could put it on our walls, doors and windows. We could put it everywhere so we’d never forget the important job we’ve been given. If only someone could come up with something. Anything. Wait a minute. There is something we can use. It’s been here all the time. It’s already here and in our homes.
Look to the cross of Christ. Remember what it means. Every time you look to the cross remember what he did for you…and you… and you. He gave his life so that you might live. That’s why we come here, isn’t it? We come here week after week because we need that reminder. We need to be reminded of what our triune God has done for us.
Once again, you’ve been reminded. Now respond in faith. Be ready when he calls. Answer him, "Here am I. Send me!"
Amen.
And now may the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.