Do you ever screen your calls? By that I mean do you look to see who’s calling before you answer? I answer most of my calls right when they happen unless it’s tagged “scam likely” or I’m driving (I haven’t hooked up my Bluetooth yet) or if the phone is in the other room or if I accidentally left it on vibrate – well, I have voice mail, anyway. If it was important, they’ll call back, and if it wasn’t, I’ve just been spared another nuisance.
How you respond to a call really depends on how important it is, doesn’t it? If you pick up the phone ready to snap at the umpteenth telemarketer and it turns out to be your mother or your husband or your best friend your attitude changes in a hurry.
And that is why two of the most famous “call” passages in Scripture begin with a description of the caller. It’s not that Isaiah didn’t know who God was, or that after the resurrection the disciples were in any more doubt about who Jesus was. Isaiah was a professional religious figure, a court official, possibly even related to the royal family. By the time he received his first vision he would have been around thirty, the time when Jewish men took up their public responsibilities, well educated in Jewish law and tradition. He would have had a profound respect for YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the giver of the covenant and the law, and no doubt believed himself to be a conscientious and observant Jew.
But apparently that’s not enough. For the job God is calling him to do, Isaiah needs something more than head knowledge. He needs to meet with God in a more profound and personal way. He needs to be touched, and he needs to be changed.
And so do we. That is one of the reasons we gather to worship, to meet with God, to be touched and changed and equipped to hear and then carry out God’s call upon our lives.
Each Sunday millions of people around the country gather together to worship God. They come to all kinds of churches—big churches, small churches, city churches, country churches. Some meet in multimillion dollar sanctuaries, some meet in inner city storefronts. Some worship services are exuberant and energetic, others are contemplative and prayerful. Some churches sing only traditional hymns; others sing contemporary worship choruses. Some light candles and incense, some clap hands and dance. Some preachers wear robes; some don’t.
But in spite of the many differences there is one common denominator: millions of people have gathered today to worship Christ. And all of these millions fall into only two categories: those who truly expect - or at least hope - to encounter God, and those who simply go through the motions.
I expect that most those in category two would really rather be in category one - why else would they come to church? But, for some reason, there are obstacles in their way. Maybe they don’t even know how much more profound and meaningful worship can be. Maybe it's a temporary condition, doubt, or confusion, or fear, or unconfessed sin. Whatever the reason, there are many people who go to church getting nothing out of it but meeting their friends and repeating a familiar and comforting pattern. Others come hoping to get something more out of it, but leave disappointed, wondering why week after week they go home feeling just as empty as when they came. “Maybe it’s the preacher,” they’ll say to themselves, or “I wonder if it’s the music.” But in the very same services there will be many who go home exhilarated, knowing that they have been in the very presence of God.
You see, the single most important element in any worship service is the heart of the person attending the service. If your heart is open toward God when you walk in the door, it will much more likely to be full of God when you walk out. Jesus said, “those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth.” [Jn 4:3] Meeting with God takes more than just showing up; there’s also a small matter of preparing yourself. Isaiah 6 is a lesson on how to meet with God. From this passage we see that we need four things, and they come in two pairs. The first pair is about having the right attitude.
First, we need to have the right attitude about God.
Coming into God’s presence begins with an attitude of reverence or respect. Some people think of God impersonally, as a distant, abstract “higher power.” Too many others refer to him casually as “the big guy” or “the man upstairs.” That’s better than disbelief, of course, but what does it say about our relationship? God is neither impersonal nor chummy. God is God: great, powerful, good. It is true that he has made himself known to us. In fact, God has invited us into his household and given us his name. But that doesn’t mean that this joyful intimacy should turn into disrespect.
You see, there are two sides to God’s nature. On one side we have what theologians call the transcendence of God, which is the fact that God is beyond anything earthly or finite. “Trans,” in facts, means beyond. On the other side is the immanence of God, the fact God is everywhere - even right here - all the time. These are two extremes, and both are absolutely true. Psalm 138:6 says, “For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly.”
One phrase used to describe God is “wholly other” - meaning that God isn’t one of us, or like us - which is one reason so many people had trouble understanding how Jesus could be God as well. God is beyond anything we can imagine or understand, more magnificent than we could ever describe. He is good beyond description, powerful beyond description, holy beyond description. As Isaiah puts it later on in “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” [Is 55:9] God is Wholly Other. Isaiah recognized this side of God in his vision. He was overcome with an awareness of God’s...
Majesty “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty...”
Greatness “...and the hem of his robe filled the temple...”
Power “...Angels were in attendance above him...”
Holiness “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts...”
Glory “...the whole earth is full of His glory.”
As far as is humanly possible, before we come into God’s presence, we must recognize him for what he really is: powerful, holy, pure, and good. That is why we begin our worship service with words and songs of praise. But part two changes focus.
Second, we also need to have the right attitude about ourselves.
In Luke 5, Jesus told Simon to put his net into the deep water. Simon answered by saying that they had worked all night and had caught nothing, and continued by saying, “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” Simon didn’t exactly sound enthusiastic about it. But you know what happened next: “they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.” (Lk 5:6) In fact, when they began to load the fish into the boat, there were so many that the boat began to sink. Peter realized that he was in the presence of not just a man, but the Messiah himself. "...He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.’” (Lk 5:8)
There is something about being in the presence of God that makes us aware of our own inadequacy. That’s what happened when Isaiah found himself in the presence of God, and said, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips...” (v.5)
Isaiah recognized what he was, a flawed being who wasn’t worthy to come into the presence of God. Just like Simon Peter, his response was to confess. The word “confess” in Greek is a compound word, "homologeo," taken from homo “the same” and logeo “to speak or say.” Literally, it means “to say the same thing.” Confession is agreement with God. When we confess, we are “saying the same thing” about ourselves that God says.
Seeing God as he really is, and seeing ourselves as we really are, leads naturally to confession. And that brings us to the second pair, which are actions rather than attitudes. The first action is God’s.
Next, we need to be cleansed.
Meeting God is not a favor we do for God, it’s something God offers us. We can’t worship without help. Just knowing the appropriate words and actions won't do it. Actually getting into God’s presence is something Jesus does for us. We aren’t pure or holy in ourselves, and if we try to pretend that we are, we will stay separate from God. In fact, if we think just anyone can just waltz into God’s throne room whenever they want, without so much as wiping their feet at the door, we prove that we have no understanding or experience of God at all. However, if we’re willing to admit that we need God to clean us up, He will. That familiar passage from 1 Jn puts it quite simply: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins.” (1 Jn 1:9)
A simple definition for grace is "undeserved mercy." When Isaiah admitted his own sinfulness, the angel touched the coal to his lips. This is what Christ has done for us. Through his death our sins have been blotted out, and our guilt has departed.
After we have been cleaned up, we’re ready to hear from God. Isaiah couldn’t hear God’s voice until the seraph touched his mouth with the coal. In just the same way, we can’t hear God until we have come to him honestly with our failings and failures and received forgiveness. But just hearing what God has to say isn’t enough. Part 2 of the second pair is our responsibility.
Finally, we need to respond to God.
Meeting with God requires a response. In fact, it is impossible truly to encounter God without responding. It isn’t just a Sunday event. It’s a lifestyle. This is what Isaiah learned. When God asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah answered, “Here am I; send me!” (v. 8) Until you have responded, you haven’t worshiped. More is required than just listening. You have to answer the call. The last act of worship is the response, “Here am I, Lord, send me!”
When two people get married, they publicly vow to love, honor, and cherish one another until they are parted by death. The success of the marriage depends partly upon the couple’s commitment to this vow, but partly on how clearly they have seen each other beforehand. It doesn’t matter how much money was spent on the ceremony; it doesn’t matter what color the bridesmaid’s dresses were; and it makes absolutely no difference how many people showed up. These are all irrelevant: the wedding ceremony is not the marriage. If the bride and groom are pursuing a romantic dream or don’t take the vow seriously, then the whole event is a charade and a waste of everybody’s time. The wedding may be a single event and an important event - but marriage is a whole life’s journey in a new direction. In the same way, the worship service - music, prayers, scripture reading, and message - are all so many unanswered calls if you leave without a renewed commitment to serve God during the week. It is recognizing who God is that determines our response.
When Isaiah saw the majesty, greatness, power, holiness and glory of God, and heard what God wanted from him, he responded with his entire heart and mind and will. He was forever changed and sent off in a different direction.
When the disciples met with Jesus the last time before he ascended into heaven, he reminded them of who he was. This was no longer simply the man, the beloved rabbi and master they had followed about Galilee for three years, learning from, yes, but arguing with as well. Although some still doubted, this was the risen Christ, and they worshiped. Jesus makes sure they have it clear exactly who it is who is talking to them, before he gives them their parting instructions: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” he says. [Mat 28:18] It is on the ground of that authority that he calls them to their task. “Therefore,” says Jesus. “Because God has given me this authority, do what I tell you.” It isn’t an option, something that they can answer or not as they feel inclined, or as they have the time. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Who has the strongest call on your life? Is God’s call one that you answer immediately, or do you listen to the message and promise to get back to it later, when you have time? If the latter, which do you need more, a clearer view of God, or a clearer view of yourself?
