Listen

In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, the edges of his robe filling the temple. Winged creatures were stationed around him. Each had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew about. They shouted to each other, saying:

Isaiah 6:1-3

Think

Wow… what a stunning and frightening introduction to this text. Can you imagine walking into your place of worship next week and being greeted by such an entourage: six-winged creatures that can hide their feet and faces with two pairs of wings each, then fly with the extra set? The opening of the text is not designed to impress or scare us, but rather to expose us to the act of worship before God. As one who has planned and led worship as a worship minister and pastor, I can assure you I didn’t have the resources that Isaiah experienced in the temple.

Stacey Simpson Duke, in her commentary on this passage writes: “We can manufacture neither the grandeur nor the intimacy that Isaiah encountered in the temple, yet his vision invites us to consider the invisible reality toward which all our hymns, prayers, and sermons point; the dazzling, devastating presence of a holy God.” (Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year C, Volume 1)

Tom Baynham

Question to Ponder:

What comes to mind when you consider being in the “dazzling presence of a holy God?”

Pray

Holy God, may I not take worship with you for granted. In my singing, my spirit of prayer, and the testimony of my spiritual sojourn, grant me the wisdom to acknowledge and glorify you. Amen.

Go

“To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission.
The spring from which our service overflows.
Across the street or around the world, the mission’s still the same.
Proclaim and live the Truth in Jesus’ name.”

Jon Mohr and John Randall Dennis, “The Mission”