Isaiah 6:1 In the year of King ‘Uziyahu’s death I saw Adonai sitting on a high, lofty throne! The hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 S’rafimstood over him, each with six wings — two for covering his face, two for covering his feet and two for flying. 3 They were crying out to each other,
“More holy than the holiest holiness
is Adonai-Tzva’ot!
The whole earth is filled
with his glory!”
4 The doorposts shook at the sound of their shouting, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then I said,
“Woe to me! I [too] am doomed! —
because I, a man with unclean lips,
living among a people with unclean lips,
have seen with my own eyes
the King, Adonai-Tzva’ot!”
6 One of the s’rafim flew to me with a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said,
“Here! This has touched your lips.
Your iniquity is gone,
your sin is atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of Adonai saying,
“Whom should I send?
Who will go for us?”
I answered, “I’m here, send me!” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Have you ever experienced being unclean? I'm not talking about being physically dirty, because you can wash away dirt and grime and be clean again. I'm also not talking about those who are sometimes labeled unclean because of their physical or sexual appearance. Being a leper, having a physical abnormality, being black, gay, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or a woman doesn't equal being unclean. Throughout history, these people have suffered the insults of society, even being killed because they were labeled unclean. Being unclean often goes hand in hand with being an outcast.
Isaiah doesn't define being unclean in this way. For Isaiah being unclean relates to your sin--what you do to hurt others. Isaiah says he is unclean, lost and in desperate need of forgiveness. In this moment of confession, God hears Isaiah and Isaiah is forgiven. Isaiah proclaims God's promise that those who have seen the Lord and confessed their sin are forgiven and made free.
O God, I am unclean, yet you love me, forgive me and send me out to do your will. Guide me so that I may hear your life-giving news and enable me to proclaim it to others. Amen.
Micah Pearson, '14
Pastor at Woodlake Lutheran Church, Richfield, Minn.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple.
2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.
3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.
5 And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out."
8 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!" (New Revised Standard Bible)
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