“Holy, Holy, Holy LORD"
Isaiah 6:1-8
Epiphany 5C
In the Name of Jesus
Imagine the awesomeness of the sight—seeing the Lord sitting on His throne in heaven. Can you imagine standing there in the throne-room of heaven viewing God with your very own eyes? I can’t.
In fact, very few people have ever seen God in the first place. The few holy men of God who had the privilege of seeing into heaven have written down for us what they saw, but it’s very difficult for them to describe it in human words, and when you and I read their descriptions, they’re very weird to us. Like the six-winged seraphs who are flying around—what kind of creatures are these? They’re nothing like we would see on earth! Ezekiel and Daniel in the Old Testament, and the apostle John in the New Testament, also got glimpses similar to Isaiah’s, and they also saw these weird creatures in the presence of God. And Ezekiel describes other weird things, too, like wheels all over the place, with eyes on them.
But you know, what’s scary about seeing God in His glory is that it really gives you a new perspective as you see yourself. Have you ever stood outside on a very clear and starry night? Have you looked up at the sky and seen the thousands of stars and maybe the moon, too, and then considered yourself—that underneath all these awesome heavenly bodies millions of miles away you’re really just a speck of dust on a tiny rock? It’s true. That’s all we are—just dust on a tiny rock. Now think of yourself, just a speck of dust, standing in front of the Lord God almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It really makes you realize that you’re nothing—even less than dust—just worthless compared to the splendor of His power and glory! And I’m not talking about just size—you also feel dirty and unclean, but taking a shower won’t help. In the presence of the holy God we come to realize that we are sinners, that we have not lived the holy life of His people. We have failed Him. We’ve failed others. We’ve failed ourselves. We’re dirty and rotten. And He is pure and holy and perfect.
That’s exactly what Isaiah was feeling as he was standing there in the presence of the holy, holy, holy Lord. “Woe is me!” he cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord almighty!” He knew in an instant that he was unworthy to stand in the presence of the holy, holy, holy Lord.
Peter, too, in our Gospel reading for today, came to know what it’s like standing in the presence of the holy, holy, holy Lord. Jesus had borrowed Peter’s fishing boat for preaching, and afterward told Peter to take the boat out for a catch of fish. And when they caught so many fish—it was like the fish were just jumping into the boat at Jesus’ command!—it was then Peter realized that he was standing in the presence of the holy, holy, holy Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Peter fell to his knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Peter knew that he wasn’t worthy—that he was a sinner. And he knew that Jesus is holy, and that sinners are not compatible with the Holy One. Peter knew that he was unworthy to have anything to do with Jesus, much less to have Him be in his fishing boat! “How, Lord, how could you, the Lord God almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, have anything to do with me? How could I possibly be worthy to stand beside You or to talk to You? How could I possibly be of any help to You who created the world and everything in it? How could I possibly have anything valuable to say, standing here next to You, who by the power of Your Word spoke and everything came into being? How could You, the source of all Love, find anything at all in me worth loving?” And the questions could go on all day—questions not just from Peter, but from you and me, too. How could you and I possibly have anything to do with the holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty?! His holiness makes it obvious how sinful and unholy we are, and we’re stricken with terror in our hearts. That’s why Peter cries out, “Go away from me, Lord!” Otherwise, Peter was about ready to dive into the water to run away from the presence of the Lord.
You and I run away from the Lord, too. Think of all the times we avoid praying to Him or spending time in His Word. Think of how we so often ignore the fact that He’s right here with us and we go on sinning. Think of how we try to handle difficult situations without drawing upon His mighty power to help us. It’s like we’re running away from Him because we don’t feel worthy to stand beside Him.
Standing in the presence of the holy God is good reason to be terrified, but it’s the worst of reasons to run away from the Lord. This is our heavenly Father who sent His Son into the world to save sinners. Our brother, Martin Luther said, “The more that you feel that you are a sinner, the more you want to run away from God, but nevertheless, so much more should you run into His arms.” Just a shallow and passing knowledge of my own sinfulness may drive me away from God and from Jesus, but the deepest conviction of it, when it cuts to the heart, will send me right into His forgiving arms. We must say, “Against You, You only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight. And therefore, to You, You only, will I go.”
And so we are encouraged not to run away from God, but to run TO Him for the forgiveness that we need. But someone might ask, “But I can’t even see God, at least not like Isaiah or Peter saw Him face to face. How am I even going to find Him?” But that’s where there’s even more good news! You don’t have to find Him. Before you can even take a step in His direction, He comes running to You.
Remember the story Jesus told about the Prodigal Son? He was so afraid to go back to his father—he knew that he had sinned terribly against his father. The son knew that he didn’t even deserve to be called a son anymore, and that he’d be lucky even to become a servant. But before the son even got home, the father came running out to the son with open arms.
God comes to us today. Yes, the holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty comes to poor, miserable sinners like you and me. He comes in Holy Baptism and says, “You are a sinner born into death, but now I am placing My name on you and making you alive and making you My own.” He comes to us through the good news, the Gospel, in Holy Absolution when He says to us, “You have sinned against Me and deserve nothing but punishment. But I will give you what you DON’T deserve—forgiveness through My Son, Jesus Christ.” He comes when we celebrate His Holy Supper, and says to us, “I share My love and My own life with you. Come, eat with Me, eat of Me, and you will have life and forgiveness.”
Our God comes running to us with open arms and a smile on His face. No, we aren’t worthy to be in His presence, except that He makes us worthy. No, we don’t deserve His forgiveness, but we receive it as a gift.
And as another undeserved gift on top of all that, He says to us, “Now that I’ve taken away your sin and made you worthy, I have a job for you—you can share in My work.” Whoa! We never would have imagined hearing those words! But He speaks them to us. God touched Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal and put a message on those lips. Jesus made Peter a fisher of men, giving him and all his disciples the power of the Holy Spirit. And now He touches us with His forgiving love and sends us back out into our everyday lives. “Go,” He says, “and share my Word with your family and friends. Go, and touch them with My love.”
“Who am I to take part in God’s holy work?” we might ask. But God says, “You are one whom I have touched and made holy, just like Me. And now I will give you the words to say and the strength to do what must be done. Don’t be afraid, I am with you always.” And with those wonderful words still ringing in our ears, we go forth with that same Word on our lips.
To God Alone Be Glory