Woe Is Me—Standing in God’s Presence—Lectionary Reflection for Trinity Sunday (Isaiah 6)

Isaiah 6:1-8 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

6 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!”

******************

                We live at a time when many Christians are experiencing a moment of deconstruction when it comes to their view of God. For many the view of God taught to them has proven damaging. That “God” is perceived to be judgmental, vindictive, and even hateful. It’s a vision that can run counter to what we know about the world and each other. The traditional view of God may not provide an adequate response to the evil that we experience or see present in the world. If God is all-powerful, why do wars take place? We could attribute it to sin, but why can’t God step in to protect the innocent? So, perhaps God is not all-powerful. As Tom Oord puts it in the title of one of his books: God Can’t. So is it possible that God is not omnipotent (all-powerful)? As we ask these questions, many of which emerge from life experiences, we may be seeking to find a better answer to our questions about God than have been offered to us [For a discussion of deconstruction see God After Deconstruction by Tom Oord  & Tripp Fuller, review forthcoming]..

                The Sunday after Pentecost is traditionally designated Trinity Sunday. While most Christians affirm the proposition that God is one in substance but three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). That concept that emerged during the early years of the Christian movement as it sought to make sense of the biblical testimony about Jesus and the Holy Spirit has proven difficult to comprehend. It has proven challenging to conversations we might have with Jewish and Muslim friends, whose form of monotheism is somewhat less complicated. Theologian Joe Jones helpfully speaks to this somewhat complicated view of God, writing that “the doctrine of the Trinity is simply that set of rules and concepts proposed for understanding of the self-revealing God witnessed to in the Bible” [A Grammar of Christian Faith, 1:151]. Therefore, Christians use the theological term “Trinity” to speak of the one we encounter as the one who covenanted with Israel, was incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, and empowers the church as it carries out its mission in the world. When we speak of God as Trinity, as Joe Jones puts it: “Everything pivots around the issue of the divinity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is not essential to the identification of who God is, then the doctrine of Trinity is unnecessary” [Grammar of Christian Faith, 1:151]. So, when it comes to understanding the activity of God who is Trinity, Kathryn Tanner notes that all three make distinctive contributions: “Father as source, Son as power or shape, Spirit as effecting, conveying, and completing—they also act as one ad extra in virtue of the single power and operation that characterizes their self-same concrete substance or essence. From the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit, is the world created, saved, and brought to its consummation” [Jesus, Humanity, and the Trinity, p. 40]. One God, three persons, blessed Trinity!

                While our reading from Isaiah 6 doesn’t mention Jesus or the Holy Spirit, Isaiah does offer us a picture of God’s transcendent glory, such that the prophet, when placed before the throne of God declares: “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!” (Is. 6:5). Scripture offers different pictures of God, with some portraying God’s immanent presence, such that God is described as being in intimate relationship with creation. That is not the picture here, which emphasizes transcendence. It seems wise to keep these two pictures of God in tension, lest God become completely disengaged as with Deism, or God becomes an entity easily manipulated. What Isaiah does here is emphasize God’s holiness as contrasted with his own lack of holiness.

                While Isaiah doesn’t directly speak about the Trinity, the day invites us to reflect on the distinctive Christian vision of God. Trinity Sunday follows naturally after Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, and Pentecost, which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit. On this day we get to put together everything we believe about God, confessing, using the baptismal formula in Matthew, faith in God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19-20). 

                While we are observing Trinity Sunday, we needn’t force Isaiah to speak of Trinity. But we can ask what Isaiah has to say to us about the nature of God. We can start by noting that this vision took place sometime after Uzziah, king of Judah, died (740 BCE). It was at that time that Isaiah received his call to serve as God’s prophet. He is drawn into the heavens where he finds himself before God’s throne. Isaiah describes God as “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.” The reference to the temple suggests that Isaiah had this vision while in the Jerusalem Temple. The point here is that the Temple served as a point where heaven and earth intersect. It was, we might say, a thin place.  

Isaiah envisions the otherwise unseen God being surrounded by seraphs (six-winged creatures), who minister before God’s throne. While we might think of the seraphs being angels, Esther Hamori points out that these beings might not even be the main type of seraphim. The seraphim are described in other parts of scripture being a type of deadly serpent. In this case, translators leave the word untranslated to avoid giving the impression that God is surrounded by deadly creatures. Yet, seraphim of all types have a propensity for violence, and since the Hebrew word saraph, the singular form of seraphim, suggests burning or fire, we can speak of them as fiery serpents. So, as Hamori notes, “on earth, they strike people with burning venom; in heaven, with burning coal. And in the Bible’s two main stories about seraphim—one taking place on earth, one in heaven—they do their people-burning in God’s employ” [God’s Monsters, pp. 16-17].

Whatever the nature of these winged creatures who appear to be flying fiery serpents, with their six wings, two of which covered their face, two covering their feet (feet are often used euphemistically to speak of a person’s genitals) and the other two are used to fly. As they fly about, they call to each other, declaring: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3). As the seraphim sing God’s praises, we’re told that the foundations of the heavenly realm “shook at the voices” of the seraphim. Not only that but the Temple/heavenly throne room was filled with smoke. So, it’s understandable that Isaiah that Isaiah responded to this experience by declaring: “Woe is me!”  He reveals that while God is holy, he is a man of unclean lips. At that declaration, one of the seraphs picks up a live coal, flies over to Isaiah, and touches his lips with the coal taken from the altar. In doing this, the seraph purifies the prophet’s mouth so that he can faithfully declare God’s message to the king and the kingdom of Judah.  

What we have before us isn’t just a theophany—a divine appearance—it’s the moment the prophet receives his prophetic call. While there is a power differential here, Isaiah hears his call to represent God before the world. The call takes place at a moment of transition in the life of God’s people. Judah’s king has recently died, and a new king is about to take power in Judah. Isaiah receives his commission from God to speak to the new king on God’s behalf, reminding the reigning monarch of God’s covenant with the people. So, in this moment of transition, God speaks from the heavenly throne: With this transition in mind, God calls out from the throne: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” When Isaiah hears this call for someone to serve as God’s witness, he responds positively. He responds to the call by declaring “Here am I, send me” (Is. 6:8).

The call that Isaiah responded to continues to this day. We might not have the same kind of experience as described here by Isaiah, but we should nonetheless respond with a bit of trepidation (having been ordained nearly forty years, I know that we should never take the call of God for granted). Whatever the nature of our calling, we have been called to join with all God’s people in bearing witness to God’s love, grace, justice, and glory.  

I will close by taking note of Isaiah’s declaration that he had seen the Lord seated high and lifted up. God may be unseen by us, but God is not unrevealed. God leaves traces in creation, including God’s human creation. As the first creation story reminds us, we have been created in God’s image. Therefore, we are icons of God. It’s one of the reasons that we’re commanded not to create graven images, for God has already created an image. While Jesus is, according to John’s Gospel, the Word of God incarnate (Jn. 1:14), we also bear witness through our lives to God’s revelation of God’s self. So, on Trinity Sunday we join our voices with the heavenly host and sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.”