Isaiah 6:1-8 on November 17th, 2024
Above is audio of the sermon pulled from the video and amplified.
Below is transcript pulled from the video and formatted by artificial intelligence. There may be inconsistencies or errors.
Here I am, send me. That is not the usual response that we have, unless it is for an all-expenses-paid trip to some tropical island. But that is in a typical scenario discussed in a sermon that now is it. Instead, sermons are much more about God or the spirits or the pastor calling. And even then, rarely do we jump at the chance to say, here I am, send me.
Yet that is what happens today in our lesson from Isaiah. Isaiah is given this overwhelming view of God in the heavenly throne room, the fiery winged seraphs are there covering their feet and their faces, perhaps out of fear of God's devastating majesty. The throne room itself is almost overcome as the foundations shake with this eternal praise of God. The room fills with smoke and we sense that that even heaven is being ripped apart by God's awe-inspiring presence. God is simply too much. The angels cannot bear it. The heavenly courts cannot bear it and Isaiah certainly cannot bear it. And still, God called and Isaiah said, here I am, send me.
It seems so heroic and awesome. And maybe you looked at me here up front wearing these fancy robes and you think to yourself, well, you obviously said yes, you're a pastor, huh? I'm just little old me here in the pew. Well, we'll get to little old you in a minute, but let me just tell you that my journey to becoming a pastor wasn't at all like Isaiah's calling or like Jonas or Moses's or John the Baptist. It wasn't like anyone else's. It was much more mundane.
We as a family had always gone to church and inside from when my dad was stationed in the Philippines, we had always gone to a Lutheran at church. I have fond memories of being an acolyte and attending youth group. I felt comfortable at church. In college, I had the opportunity to be a camp counselor at Lutheridge, the camp that I keep talking about in my sermons and the one that we had a collection for due to hurricane, halene damage. It was a place that I enjoyed with good friends and intentional community and opportunities to lead, to work with kids and pastors and church leaders to live out and to try and make connections between God and what we were doing at camp.
And in my second year on staff, a few pastors who were there for the week pulled me aside during one of the sessions and asked, have you ever considered going to seminary? And so I said, here I am, sinned me. No, I didn't. I said, no way. Get out of here with that. You have gifts. They told me. Gifts. And I was just putting chocolate pudding on my face and making up silly hand motions to songs. But somehow that conversation stuck with me. It didn't leave my head or my heart as I returned to Newberry College when the summer was over. I decided to check out a religion class or two. They were pretty interesting. And as the next two years developed, so did this nagging feeling that a seminary actually made a little bit of sense.
And so one Sunday afternoon, driving from my parents' house back to Newberry, I decided I was going to figure it out. Come up with an answer. So I turned off the CD player in my car and I thought, I guess one could say that I prayed since I was kind of asking God to let me know what to do. And over the course of that 30 minutes or so, I came to my conclusion. Sure, why not? Sure, why not? Was my here I am, send me. Do you see how unamazing that is? How I basically just hedged my bets and gave in? There was nothing miraculous. There was no burning bush, your big fish, your searing coals. It's just that God worked through people and places in my life. And well, that is pretty amazing. And it's not like anyone else's story.
See, there are amazing special things in our lives when we stop to look at them. There are things that are unique to us. You need to the way that God comes to us. You need to the ways that God uses us and calls us and is working in us and through us and with us, even before we say, sure, why not? With Isaiah, he was already called and equipped. He just didn't feel that way until that coal touched his lips. With me, I was already called and equipped. I just didn't feel that way until the phrase, you have gifts became I have gifts. With you, little o' you and the pew, you were already called and equipped too. And what's going to make you feel that way? Well, that is up to God and you. But God has worked and continues to work in people and places in your life. And that is pretty amazing. And yours, yours is not like anyone else's story.
You have gifts, gifts that are wonderful and awesome. And God calls you to use those gifts to be hands, feet, and lips proclaiming Christ crucified in rhythm. Our responses might be a little less dramatic, but God is calling us just the same. And we all do that in different ways, but one particular way is through this community of faith. For me, like I said last week, in this community, my job is to point to a God who loves you, who is gracious and merciful, who has claimed you and gifted you in the waters of baptism, who feeds you and blesses you in the communion meal, who calls you to be who you are in a world that needs you. And if I can say that in a way that someone appreciates or is inspired or hopeful or uplifted, even just a little bit, well, that is amazing. It is grace upon grace.
For you and for us, God calls us to be community, to use all of our gifts, to love and serve the Lord. And I have seen God do amazing things with your gifts. We are gifted with musical gifts. So we praise God in holy, exciting, and awesome ways. We are gifted with food. So we share meals monthly with those who are hungry. We are gifted with resources. So we provide food, clothing, and school supplies to kids in the poorest neighborhoods. We are gifted with open hearts. So we created a community that welcomes people from all walks of life and from all places, even Ohio. We are gifted with a vision for the future. So we are working to renew this space. Also the gifts that we have already identified can be used further. We are gifted with listening ears, supportive shoulders, helping hands, warm hearts. Also that we can continue to embody God's call to be Jesus's hands and feet. And I can tell you, in each of those ways that your gifts have been used, someone has been helped, touched, inspired, brought closer to God. And that is amazing. It is grace upon grace.
So even if your response to God's call is something less enthusiastic than here I am, send me, know that God still works through you. God still calls you. God still gives us the gifts and the talents that we need. And then through ways that are awesome and amazing, God gives us the opportunity to say again, here I am, send me. Amen.
God, created us and we, in Bibleיו, Son,ام, Beloved, we sing his grace". I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, who was crucified, died, who was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of the Father and he will come to judge the living in the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of saints, the resurrection of the body and the life of the last day.
Rooted in God's abundant love for the world, let us pray for our neighbors, the church, and all in creation. Please sit or kneel for prayer.
O God in the washing of water, you set us free from the power of sin and death. You night all the baptize in the covenant you have made with us as we strive for your justice and peace in all the earth. Merciful God.
By your merciful might you sustain all creation, stir us from complacency with the harm we inflict on the earth and urge us to adopt sustainable ways of life to protect and restore our planet. Merciful God.
With the selfless power you protect all who take refuge in you. As nations rise against nations, defend all who were displaced or affected by war or violence, especially those in the Middle East and Ukraine. Empower all people and nations to pursue peace. Merciful God.
In your presence you give fullness of joy. Care for all who feel joy feels distant. Be present with persons experiencing depression, anxiety, addiction, or any mental illness. Bring them healing and wholeness. Merciful God.
Through the years you have gathered your church and this community for worship, fellowship, formation and service, enable us to look beyond the walls of our building to perceive where you are calling us forward. Merciful God.
Lord you always hear and answer our prayers. Help us to open our ears, eyes and hearts and be guided by your answers. Merciful God.
With thanksgiving we remember Elizabeth of Hungary and all saints and angels who delight in your everlasting presence. As their lives inspire ours, provoke us to always to love, holding fast to the confession of our hope in you. Merciful God.
We offer our prayers to you, gracious God, trusting in your boundless love for all that you have made through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
The peace of Christ be with you always. Let us share a sign of Christ peace.
In the stillness of my heart, long that I will let for you, when you deliver me from the heart. Upon the rock you have said, in my steps, when the song you put into my heart, here I am, Lord, in your hand, and in my hope, reach the wisdom in your stillness of my heart. I have no pain in your love and your truth to all that we pray. Not with all your compassion, Lord, Lord, come and rescue me from all. We have our hope in you, stay with me, and come to your hand. I delight God with the wisdom in the stillness of my heart. I delight God with the wisdom in the stillness of my heart. I delight God with the wisdom in the stillness of my heart. I delight God with the wisdom in the stillness of my heart.
Let us pray, bless our EO God, maker of all things, through your goodness, through your goodness, through your goodness, through your goodness, through your goodness, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.
The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you Almighty and merciful God through our Savior, Jesus Christ, who on this day overcame death in the grave and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
Holy, holy, holy, holy, light, God of paradise, heaven of our glory, O, God of paradise, O, God of paradise, O, God of heaven of our glory, Oα, God of paradise, You are indeed holy, Almighty and merciful God. You are most holy and great is the majesty of your glory. You so loved the world that you gave your only son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. We give you thanks for his coming into the world to fulfill for us your holy will and to accomplish all things for our salvation.
In the night in which he was betrayed our Lord Jesus took bread. He gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, take and eat. This is my body given for you do this for the remembrance of me. And again, after supper, he took the cup. He gave thanks and he gave it for all to drink, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me. For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again.
Remembering therefore his salutary command, his life giving passion and death, his glorious resurrection and ascension, and the promise of his coming again, we give thanks to you, O Lord God Almighty, not as we ought but as we are able. We ask you mercifully to accept our praise and thanksgiving and with your word and Holy Spirit to bless us your servants and these your own gifts of bread and wine so that we and all who share in the body and blood of Christ may be filled with heavenly blessing and grace and receiving the forgiveness of sin may be formed to live as your Holy people and be given our inheritance with all your saints. To you, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be all honor and glory in your Holy Church now and forever. Amen.
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as our Savior teaches. Our Father. And we must not be temptation like the leader of us to be all for our enemies to be human and our glory forever and ever. Amen.