Year / 2005

by Greg

Galatians [1:6-10]

 Galatians 1:6-10

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.

Paul just reminded us yesterday that the plan from the beginning was for God, through Jesus, to rescue us from this evil world. That we have freedom – salvation – in him. That is the Good News. God has made it possible to “share the eternal life he gives through Christ”. But apparently, even so soon after Jesus was walking amongst us, some people were twisting the truth. Presenting untruth as the Good News.

Paul said he was shocked… and I suppose I’m with him to a degree. But, I have seen too much of this in my life. We are presented with the grace of God, completely unearned favor with him, and then we proceed within a very short time to attempt to “keep” that which we never earned. We know we “got in” for free… but we need to work hard to keep our place here, or we might lose it. We try our best to “live the Christian life” for the benefit of others, perhaps to keep up our reputation if we are long-standing members of the church, or even to impress God? Sometimes we feel it’s our duty, since he has “paid so great a price”.

But is that really grace? Are we living out the Good News? Is it Good News that Jesus came to get us into this party for free, but once you’re in you have to work really hard to meet all of the expectations he and everyone else has or else you might not just get kicked out, but be thrown into hell as a result?

That doesn’t sound so good to me.

I much prefer the real Good News. “He died for our sins just as God our Father had planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world… [and] to share the eternal life he gives through Christ.”

Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other message than the one we told you about. Even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. I will say it again: If anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God’s curse fall upon that person.

We live in Palmyra, NY. If you don’t know your church history (or general US history, I suppose) you might not be familiar with that tiny town in central NY. It was the home of Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith was the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormonism). It all started one day when Joe was trying to figure out which church to join (Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, etc) and was asking God accordingly. Then, BLAMMO! He was overpowered by a vision in which God the Father and Jesus told him that in fact all of the various churches were wrong. An abomination to him. They had a form of godliness but denied its power. (This is taken from Joseph Smith – History, Chapter 1.)

After the vision, he was persecuted for his views. But God was with him (so he says) and he later was shown the ancient Scriptures inscribed on Gold Plates by Mormon and Moroni (historians in early America – before it was America), who appeared to him as a gloried, resurrected being and helped him translate them to English. (That was kind of him…) You can read about this here.

What arose from all of this is a rigidly structured institution where there is nearly zero freedom. There is such a hierarchy as would rival any religious institution ever. There are holy temples, prophets, mandatory missionary service… all sorts of things. And, have you ever met a “bad” mormon? NO! They’re squeaky clean because you have to be! They’re some of the nicest, most polite, law-abiding people around… cause that’s part of their code. That’s their version of the Good News. Be really, really good and maybe God will graduate you to the next level when you die.

Is that the Good News?

Paul said “even if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message”. Moroni appeared, though not an angel, as a glorified being and helped present a “different” message. That all the others were wrong. And… thus was born an entirely new religion. (They say they are Christians, but as they feel they are the only right Christians, well… I’d say that’s an entirely new religion.)

How do we get so caught up in this sort of stuff? So led astray? Why must we work so hard to create these systems and structures to neatly and with great tidiness house our faith lived out for God?

It is our way, I suppose. It is our way.

Obviously, I’m not trying to be a people pleaser! No, I am trying to please God. If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ’s servant.

“Dont’ wanna be a man pleaser… just wanna be a God pleaser!” – Petra (circa 1989)

He is most certainly not a man pleaser. Paul definitely told it like it is, and that nearly got him killed many times! 🙂 But I think I lean towards that too. I speak truth, even when nothing need be spoken. God is teaching me to be wise and discerning in my spoken offerings. (Jen is helping him do that!) 🙂

Paul touched on one more thing I wanted to comment on. Two words, “Christ’s servant.”

I have had some discussions with other brothers about this recently. The idea of being a servant, and he our Master. It is quite biblical. But what I have seen us do with it is to religious-cize it and create another level of separation between man and God that may not be intended (by Him). God speaks so much of us as his children, of his love for us, and even calls us friends… I just wonder what he thinks when we refer to him as master?

Not that he shouldn’t be. To the contrary… look at his response to Job. He claimed all of his God-ness and put Job “in his place”. He is most certainly God. The King of kings. To be sure.

But he specifically says, “I no longer call you servants… Now you are my friends…” (John 15:15)

I will be interested to see what else Paul says about that in this book. Stay tuned.

For further study: Visit StudyLight.org

by Greg

Institutions and Labels

I had an interesting moment with a friend the other day. The moment came during (and after) a conversation with him regarding how we see the same events very differently. It was not all that meaningful, or deep… but it definitely struck a nerve or something in me.

We were talking of a pair of events where I happened to be, and some people from his church happened to be, and he called them [This Church] gatherings. My jaw dropped when I read those words (it was an Instant Message conversation) as I could not believe that he called these two non-event events “[This Church] gatherings”. They had nothing to do with [This Church]. But, he felt any time a person who is associated with [This Church] is in the same place with anyone else from [This Church] it is a [This Church] gathering.

I was incredulous, and proceeded to passionately argue my viewpoint that we do not need these labels. They only serve to divide. The events in question were a gathering in a home for a homeschool book presentation, and a day when I was helping move some friends from one house to another. They were informal, life events. No one need stake claim to them.

I mentioned how we had been going through an 18-week parenting course with some friends a while back and the church that several of them were part of decided to list our meeting as one of “their” small groups. We were not started by them, or connected to them in any way, but when I inquired, I found they had a similar mindset: [That Church]’s people are meeting in a small group setting, so… it’s a [That Church] small group! 🙂

Why must we slap on such labels? Why do we have to call any gatherings of people by some made up name? For instance, we have stopped calling our Tuesday nights with friends a “small group”. We do not get together on Tuesdays to feed the existence of an institution dubbed, “Small Group”. We get together as often as possible because we like to be together! Tuesday nights is the night we have freed on our calendars to make sure we get to see everyone once a week. Every other week we do something fun with our kids and the opposite week we get babysitters so the adults can have some adult time.

Now, this event began as a structured small group meeting as part of [This Church]. But, over time, it evolved into more than that. We are all part (a big part) of each other’s lives. We are, in my mind, a church. Though, to be consistent, I do not label it as such. 🙂

There is nothing wrong with an institution. The structured life of what we know as church is helpful in many ways. The draw back of an institution is that it is by nature impersonal and for the masses. Must be regulated by rules and procedures. It has many labels, to properly assign things to their times and locations. As helpful as those things are in operating and growing an institution, I do not believe they are able to contain the Kingdom.

God’s Kingdom goes beyond institution. It is incredibly personal, and so, different for each individual. It is, as we know and proclaim, about an everyday relationship with our Savior. It is a Father inviting his children to come along with him today… “Let me show you what this day has for us.” It is not bound by times or places, or practices… it is a reality. Not something that can be captured by labels or words. Jesus always referred to the Kingdom of God or of Heaven with stories, saying, “The kingdom of God is like…” And in John, he said that the spirit is like the wind, never knowing where it came from or where it’s going. It can not be contained.

But still we try.

And not just with the church. We homeschool our kids, mostly because we don’t like the institution that has been established to teach our kids. The institution of public education is for the masses. It is impersonal. It makes a futile attempt to teach kids academically and morally, while placating the unending variations of morality taught in those kids’ homes. It can’t work. It does, as I am a product of the Institution… and not that messed up by it (am I?? 🙂 But is it ideal? No way. Not even close.

For us, we prefer the hands on, family feel of two loving parents who know their kids the best, and can help them understand their world the best since we also love them the most. We think similarly that the church functions best when those who have walked with Jesus a bit longer “teach” the folks God puts around them (their spiritual “kids”). Not by scheduling meetings, and sending out clever postcards… the people who are PART of you. Your three closest friends. How much more are you going to care about one of your three best friends than someone you by way of a title or an office have been given charge over, though perhaps you only see them across a room on Sunday mornings?

The heart behind a lot of the procedures in the institution of the church is to help everyone stay close to Jesus. But, our best plan to maintain that is so feeble compared to just letting the folks whom God has placed in their lives really love them. We assign the title of elder or pastor or minister or deacon or even lay leader to folks, and charge them with caring for the flock. As if a title will somehow make them care more, or even perhaps just more effective as they do. The title is meaningless. Some folks have been gifted by God to “pastor”… to love people and care for them. But all of us have been called to bear each others burdens, to encourage and admonish. Not EVERYONE we meet… but “each other”. The people we spend time with. In a close, open, loving relationship, that naturally flows from doing life together. In an institution, it is a procedure to maintain the integrity of said institution. Never in as many words, nor in the hearts of those carrying it out… but nevertheless, true by default.

I am tired of labels. I am tired of structuring life together. I just want to live. I want to love people. I want to know my Father more than I think possible right now. I am trying in all of this to not turn around and label the labelers. That is hard. But with Jesus help, I might start to look like him. 🙂

That’s a label I wouldn’t mind bearing.

by Greg

Galatians [1:1-5]

I have been wanting to read through Galatians for a while, and I thought it would be fun to read through it here, and comment as I go. This will not be a scholarly, in-depth, research-style commentary… just my thoughts as I read. Feel free to post yours as well.

 Galatians 1:1-5

This letter is from Paul, an apostle. I was not appointed by any group or by human authority. My call is from Jesus Christ himself and from God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead.

This reminds me of me. People always want pointers on how I made our “ministry” succeed, but without exception I must tell them, “It wasn’t me.” God called, God led, and God provided any level of “success” that anyone observed in us. It wasn’t my own idea, or anyone elses (save perhaps my Dad… he’s probably thinking, “Waaaaaaait a minute! I had something to do with this!” But, I actually stopped after he started us, then God called us back to it.

Point is, this is the coolest way to do life. To follow the voice, the call, of God for you. Not his call for someone else that looks like fun for you. 🙂 Not something someone else thinks you should do. Listen for His voice.

All the brothers and sisters here join me in sending greetings to the churches of Galatia.

May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. That is why all glory belongs to God through all the ages of eternity. Amen.

That is why? That sounded funny to me. That is why all glory belongs to God. Immediately preceeding that, was the cross. He died – in order to rescue us. That is why all Glory belongs to him.

There must be more than that, you might think. I do! Isn’t he deserving because of His creation? From the vast universe to the tiny atom… the intricacies of just the human eye. The power of the oceans and grandeur of the mountains. The softness of a tiny newborn baby. Isn’t he due some glory for that? What about Him??? He is forever, without end. He is all powerful, all knowing, all everything. He is infinitely large, yet lives inside me. He is Judge over all, yet chose to love me.

That’s it right there, isn’t it. His supreme power was willingly laid down in favor of His supreme love. Not that He lost any power, just chose (in His supreme power) to not excersize it for the benefit of me. And you. And… Him.

It says, “He died for our sins, just as God our Father planned…” From the beginning of time, God had decided, had planned to step in on our behalf. To forego his right to judge in order to repair the relationship with us. Consider Romans 5:10…

“…we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son…”

There is something else important in this line to the Galatians that Paul was talking about in Romans. The reason Jesus died on the cross. It’s not just to pay for our sins. That is spoken of in Romans 3, but not mentioned here. It’s not just to give us a way into eternal life. Those are well and good… but not the focus here. The reason given here mirrors the Romans 5 idea: restoration. “He died in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.” Plain and simple. Jesus came to give us life – to save us from this messed up one. Not in the “hereafter”, but in the here. Life to the full, as friends of God… here. And forever.

And in all of that, we know his grace (we don’t deserve that sort of treatment) and we know his peace (when someone loves you like that, what can go wrong?) Paul offers us that right off the bat. Not the forget-all-the-bad-stuff-and-slap-on-a-smile sort of peace. No, this is based in the all-powerful, timeless God planning long ago to demonstrate his love by giving his own life so that we could be restored to a full relationship with him… forever.

That wipes away guilt. That brings deep pools of grace. That peace washes over us, refreshing and calming and cleansing every piece of us.

That gives us life.

Grace and Peace to you today. He loves us.

For further study: Visit StudyLight.org

by Greg

I Still Don’t Get It

The weight of my financial burdens is threatening to crush me once again. All of my simple trust that “things will work out” and that my Father loves me have become dim and blurred by the passing of due dates and the nearly empty bank account (and the shortage of forseen income). And all of this while we face the loss of a significant amount of regular income at the end of this month.

It’s been a little rough around here in that arena.

But today it’s kinda like God opened my eyes again. I was able to see again how much work I currently have in the world of web and graphic design and how I can barely keep up. And then I was reminded that I did not procure any of said work. It came to me. I did nothing to initiate it.

I know that he takes care of us. I know that he loves me, and knows what I need. I know that I do not need to bear the burden. But… I still do. A lot. I am just insane. (Once heard that term defined as doing the same thing and expecting different results… so, I guess I qualify. Break out the straight jackets…)

Thank you God for knowing what I need, and for taking care of it, even when I try and take that role from you. Please help me to have peace as I learn to trust you more. Thank you for providing in your perfect timing, and please forgive me for complaining and thinking that I have a better plan. I know that I do not.

But you do. Thanks for the reminder today.

by Greg

The Babel Syndrome

While discussing my recent post on Focus with my wife, we found ourselves discussing the importance of worship. Expressing your heart through music to God. (That is our most common understanding of “worship” these days, I’d say.)

We mentioned how meaningful that has been for us at times, and just fun, too! God made music to help us express ourselves more than mere words are able to do. We spoke of how worship can even be just a couple people using just their voices to express their hearts to God.

But from there, we thought, perhaps add a guitar for flavor. But then, you really need to have someone who can really play. That enhances the whole experience when it’s actually GOOD music. 🙂 So, then once you have a good guitar player, or some good vocalists, the next step is always a few more instruments… eventually forming a BAND! And with a band, you definitely need to rehearse! So, someone has to lead the band, and rehearse the songs, arranging a layout of each song of course. And then, once you have arranged this musical portion, you probably need to get someone to oversee the whole flow of the time that we are together, perhaps even plan some other pieces of the worship time – art, drama, even video for the tech savvy…

Do you see what happened? From the simplistic offering of heart-felt worship – a heart expressed to God – to an organized mega church in three simple steps! It’s not always as quick as the steps above, but it’s what I have now deemed the Babel Syndrome.

Do you remember the story? The people of the world had one common language. They were united in their effort to achieve all they could be. There was arrogance and pride in their hearts. They were not living to know their Creator, they were trying to reach him on their own. They wanted to build a tower to the heavens. God knew this was not good for them, and so confused them by giving them all different languages. Their organization was thwarted.

It is our way. We take everything that is good, and we want to improve. We want to make it the best it can be, and that takes organization. Administration. Planning. Building. Structure.

The bane of humanity is our desire to be in control. To manipulate our surroundings to produce the finest we can produce. By itself that is not bad. Striving for excellence is to be commended. But what happens is our focus drifts off of the offering and onto our achievements. We take the joy of spontaneous expressions to our Creator and package them into something that ends up receiving (in effect) our worship. Our time, our effort, our focus, our energy.

It becomes our tower of Babel. Our greatest accomplishment. Our driving force. Just a thought, but seems to fit a lot of the stuff we do. We are always striving for bigger and better. What improves on something? To add more, of course! If we had two guitarists last week, let’s add drums this week. If we had drums last week, let’s add a stand-up bass and cello. Always improving by pulling out all the stops and making the tower bigger.

Obviously, this does not stop with worship. We know we need to “fellowship” so we create small groups. We create a structure by which we can ensure maximum participation in such groups, so as to produce maximum fellowship. Even our church buildings are a result of this syndrome. We justify exorbitant spending on such edifices by extolling them as tools to reach more people, or just to handle all of the families that God has already blessed us with.

We are always trying to build bigger and better, instead of relishing the simple life of knowing and living with the Creator. Sharing the joys and pains of life with those he has surrounded us with, and not trying to herd them in any way into any pattern of living we might think “best” for them.

It is our way. From Babel to now.

by Greg

Focus

I touched on the idea of a misplaced focus a couple of posts ago… I was then speaking of the emphasis we place on reaching the masses. The attempt to reach as many as possible as efficiently as possible, and thus the large group settings.

Well, another side of the focus coin became apparent to me today. Again, it’s not all that new, but came freshly to my mind again today.

We are off this weekend – not singing anywhere – and even have a break from the kids, while they are with Grandma. So, sometimes when a free weekend presents itself, we will enjoy the quietness and solitude of home when we would otherwise be “working” on a weekend, leading worship in various locations. Today, though we both really wanted to join our friends at Cross Creek Church in Palmyra. When we heard songs that they often do, we thought of them. We thought of how long it has been since we have seen many of them, since outside of Cross Creek, our lives do not connect. We just had a longing to be there.

So, thanks to a last minute phone call with a friend this morning where we were reminded of the new meeting times… 🙂 We made it! And it was great to see everyone! It had been a long time, but we got a sentence or two in with most of the folks we know… at least a handshake and a genuine “hello”. It was wonderful.

As I was preparing for that this morning, looking forward to seeing everyone, I remembered a brief conversation with a pastor friend of ours. We were talking about how I really get the most out of times I get to connect with friends, other believers who are there for the morning meeting. We catch up on life, what God has been or is doing in their life. How the family is doing…. what’s new… all of that sort of stuff. A real connection that seems hard in between the scheduled goings on, and is impossible as I sit quietly on my duff placing my attention on the happenings in the front of the room.

When I mentioned that was what meant the most to me, he quipped with a sarcastic smile, “Why don’t you just go join the moose lodge?!” He was not telling me I should leave, just revealing the focus that he places on our large group gatherings. They are the time we come to learn, to “worship”, and to focus on God – not each other. It’s a vital piece that we do it together, as the family of God… but it’s not the focus.

That is where I beg to differ. I think that “worship” is not a time or a place (as Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4) but something we do with every breath. (A popular song uses just those words, “With ev’ry breath I’m praising you…”) So my main reason for going to a large group gathering of believers then is not to worship, since that is something I do every day all the time anywhere.

But what about the teaching? Surely that is a reason to attend such a gathering? Absolutely! While I do not deny that so much can be learned from the great teachers who can present clear and understandable truths about the Kingdom from their study and their experience and walk with God, that still is not my main focus for attending such a meeting. Again, I submit that throughout the remainder of each week, my mind and heart are filled with great thinkers thoughts on the Kingdom be they in books, web pages, MP3s, radio programs… what have you. There is such a wealth of great teaching available to anyone and everyone today that the Sunday morning gathering is certainly not my primary source of such teaching. And, aside from all of the “expert” teaching we receive from the so-called “professionals”, I enjoy learning from my neighbors… the way they interact with my Father. I enjoy listening to God’s voice through the experiences of friends who may not think themselves teachers, but by sharing their lives with me take on that very role in my life.

So again, at least for me, the reason for attending such a meeting is not to worship – that happens all week long, all the time – nor is it to “be fed” as we like to call it. It is not for the teaching, as again, there is no shortage of that in my life.

Is it perhaps the specialness of the place? No. I mentioned that already, too. Jesus said that worship is not a located thing. There is no place we can go to be closer to him as he now resides in us. In us! WE are the temple of the holy spirit! That is too deep to go into here. Perhaps another blog…

So that leaves me with… the other believers! The reason that I want to attend such a meeting has nothing to do with anything that is planned, though that is always nice – and helpful – I could get that anywhere. The reason for me is to connect with other believers – especially ones I would not otherwise connect with. To share some piece of our current journey together. To feel and see the bigness of God’s family. So much larger than me. So much larger than my small group of friends. He is real and central in so many lives other than my own. And I love to know Him through them.

Unfortunately, if this is the main reason for Christians gathering in large groups, you’d never know it. The focus certainly seems to be on the events planned for that day. Even today, I was told when to stand, when to sit, and what would be happening next. Nothing out of the ordinary… that’s what we do. But, if the greatest thing we have as we gather is each other, it does not seem like that element is being emphasized or facilitated in any way, does it? Do we make that a priority in our gatherings?

Some churches do this well. While maintaining a priority on the up-front events, they carve out a decent amount of time for people-connecting. Cross Creek is one such group. There is a time in the middle to get some coffee and just say hello to everyone. Theirs lasts perhaps 5-6 minutes. There has been a church or two along our path who has taken as much as 15 minutes for such an event. That’s great! But again, usually it is much less than 10% of the time we are together. MUCH less. Often there is a bit more time in the parking lot or the lobby after the scheduled portion of the meeting is over, but too frequently, everyone has other things they need to get on to.

Please do not think I fault only those responsible for planning the church gatherings. I do not presume that they have so much influence over an entire culture. Certainly a good portion of the blame for a misplaced focus rests on those who “attend” these meetings. Arriving late (due to rousing and preparing a family of small children at such a time of the day, no doubt…) and getting everyone to their respective rooms, entering the main room just in time to sing the last song with everyone. Then sitting through the remaining portion of the show, taking notes and attempting to hear God’s truth for their personal life packed into about 45 minutes of one hour. As it’s over, the rush to pick up the kids ensues. After collecting them all, their tiredness, and crankiness overtakes your desire to connect with other believers, and you rush out the door to get home, or to do whatever else might be planned before you can go home.

Life these days is certainly a rush. That’s why we try and pack so much into a “worship service”. We “only have an hour a week to reach them”. That is the mentality in some circles. At least from the leadership position. Perhaps there is an equally sad mentality from the seats… “You only have one hour to reach me, God… so say something meaningful… and quick!“

So while we go expecting to give to God, and him to us… we miss the joy of community. We miss perhaps the greatest part of “the church”. Not the building, the time, the meeting, or the organization. The people whom God has called to himself. From out of the world, into His Kingdom. The Believers. The Saints. The Called Out Ones. His Church.

Acts 4:32
All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had.

Everything was about the oneness. Everything was about the togetherness. They loved being together. They shared everything. All the time. Acts 2 says they even went to the Temple everyday to worship (as was their custom). They ate together, prayed together, shared meals together… even shared money. Life was about being together. And why not? The rest of the world hated them. The persecution was on a level that we can not comprehend in 21st century America. We have not, and perhaps will not experience such hardship. So to join together was an oasis in the desert. It was the living water of Jesus – his very body – together as one. How could they come together but once a week and then only to sit and listen to a presentation, with minimal participation, organized and performed by a select few? Where was the sharing of everything there?

No. Their focus was not on the schedule of a planned meeting. It was on each other. On their joys, on their hardships. On their shared journey with an amazing Father. That is where I find joy – even in as little time as is allotted for such – that is where I find joy when gathering with other believers.

Perhaps that is just me… the way God made me? Or, perhaps our focus is slightly shifted. What if we re-focused? What if our gatherings were not as much about the individual and God, but more about his children encouraging and exhorting each other? Wouldn’t that be as much (or more?) worship than listening to a carefully and wonderfully crafted hour of events?

Well, that’s how it looks through my lens.

by Greg

C is for Cookie… That’s Good Enough For Me

I heard on the news last night that Cookie Monster, the blue cookie-eating furry guy from Sesame Street – a piece of my childhood… is “changing his tune”.

Now, instead of singing, “C is for cookie, that’s good enough for me…”, revealing his deep love for cookies, as his name suggests, he will be singing, “Cookies are a sometimes food…”

WHAT? Come on, people. Seriously. If Cookie Monster can’t eat cookies, I think we’ve gone a bit too far.

The move is an attempt to help overweight children eat better. How is making Cookie Monster show restraint and moderation going to do that?!? HE’S THE COOKIE MONSTER!!! He’s supposed to eat cookies! IT’S FUNNY!

Oh my. I just had to say, oh my.

by Greg

The Holy And Fearsome God

Do you ever notice how scary God is, especially in the old testament? Any revealing of himself was at least scary, or sometimes even deadly for the recipient. This causes people to do funny things. Being in the presence of something so fearsome makes you feel small and worthless and fear your existence will simply be snuffed out by the sheer volume of His greatness.

Isaiah had one of those experiences. In the 6th chapter of Isaiah, it says:

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!”

Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?”

And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.”

That description of God is awe inspiring, and scary, is it not? He’s surrounded by other-worldly creatures whose singing shakes the Temple. The whole place is filled with smoke and his “glory” fills the whole earth. That’s big glory! Isaiah’s reaction is certainly understandable, is it not?

“My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!”

God’s bigness reveals Isaiah’s smallness. He is a sinful member of a sinful race. God is pure. Not sinful. Judge of the sinful. High and lifted up. Indeed.

But what happened? Did God smite Isaiah with his rod of lightning? Did he pulverize his puny frame with his little toe? NO! One of the creatures takes a coal from the altar and touches it to Isaiah’s lips. What must that scene have looked like. Already in terrible fear, this 6 armed creature flies toward you with a hot rock and brings it up toward your mouth! There must have been some peace though in Isaiah, as he allows that to happen. Either peace, or he was simply resigned to his impending death at the hands of this horrific creature. 🙂

However it happened, there was definitely some sort of change after that. God asks the question, “Who will go for us?” and Isaiah jumps up and down waving his hand shouting, “Me! Me! Pick me! Pick me!!!” What could have made him decide to volunteer so quickly in the presence of such an awful creature?

Probably more here than I am willing to delve into at the moment, but I think I see two things. One, God is not as awful as we first think, and two, he invites us to come to him.

Did you notice there was no pain in the application of the coal from the altar? Wouldn’t that have been recorded? I would think so. But there wasn’t. I don’t think that the whole searing of his lips thing was for the holiness of God. I think that that moment was for Isaiah. For the fearful child of God… a sign that he was accepted in the presence of such an awe-inspiring being. I think it worked.

But most of all, I think we have this natural, understandable fear of God and of his angels. Every first encounter of God in his full glory or even an angel is cause for fear and trembling. When Jesus was transfigured, Peter wants to build him a house. 🙂

God is scary. No doubt about it. But I don’t think he wants to be. Why else would he be born as a baby? Put on skin and hang out with the low-lifes. The people everyone else despised. Why would he allow himself to be surrounded by, even touched by sin? The righteous people of that day did not touch sick people, like lepers, not only for fear of contagion, but also because they thought the sickness had come on them due to some sin or unholiness in their lives, or even their parents’ lives.

Why do we do that? Why do we create boundaries that God did not? When he was a man, he walked right in the middle of the mud puddle. He was covered with all of the dirtiness of life – not of his own dirt, other people’s dirt – but he was still holy. He was still God. Wearing the skin of Jesus of Nazareth, being fully man… he was able to have full friendship with his creations. Not as the fearsome and wondrous God of the universe… though at moments that nature showed through (calming the storm, feeding the masses).

God is beyond our comprehension, and in all his glory is a sight too awesome for our eyes. But Isaiah learned that he could trust this terrible being. He had a conversation with him, following his self-loathing words of condemnation.

Once we understand God’s love for us, his compassion toward us, how he feels about us… how can we not approach him as our father? The Holy One invites us to be his friends… his children even. He is not to be feared by those whom he loves.

Perhaps it’s more of a grade-school confidence in the love of your dad? Supreme confidence in your safe position, cause you know your dad loves you and can handle anything anyone would throw your way. Cause you know…

“My Dad can beat up your Dad!”

True. Not completely applicable… but… true. 🙂