Isaiah 6:1-8 (NRSV)
Read Isaiah 6:1-8 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 6In 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. Verse 2Seraphs 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. Verse 3And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." Verse 4The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.
Verse 5And 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!" Verse 6Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. Verse 7The 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." Verse 8Then 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!"
Devotion
On the heels of the Pentecost experience, the faithful are sent out into unfamiliar and hostile territory to share the awesome and mysterious love of God made known in Christ Jesus. Like the apostles before us, we are called, gifted and sent.
Coming from a small-town Midwestern college to metropolitan New York, with new responsibility at a high school for at-risk youth, was for me a ?wilderness? experience. It was humbling to teach young people who considered me a foreigner. Who am I to do this and speak about the great mystery of God?s love in ways that will help them?
Following Jesus sends us into unknown places with unexpected consequences. Feeling less-than-able, or ill-prepared, is very human. The God who sent Isaiah goes with us in unexpected, dynamic ways. God?s call is not based not on our ability. It is based on our AVAIL-ability.
Prayer
Awesome God, shape our lives in your love. Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.