This Sunday we hear the call story of Isaiah, who has a vision of God on the throne. The experience is of total overwhelm: six-winged seraphim, smoke in the air, chants of holiness shaking the earth… When Isaiah responds in self-effacement, he is met with still another sensory overload: a burning coal to his lips. Somehow this experience doesn’t turn him away, but clarifies his response to God’s call: “Here I am, send me.”
In call stories of prophets and disciples, the choices before them seem so clear, the path straight-forward. But Isaiah’s experience, we can imagine, was also painful, or at least terrifying. Perhaps what we can learn from Isaiah is not the audacity of his “yes,” but that he did not look away from the chaos before him. Even the search covered their eyes with wings in the presence of God, but Isaiah didn’t flee.
We too are faced with overwhelm in the chaos of our lives right now. Chaos abounds whether in climate change or structural racism, or in the myriad health risk assessments we make every day. Somehow, it takes clear eyes and and open heart to hear the voice that cuts through the noise, “whom shall I send?”
What overwhelm are you facing today? May we like Isaiah have the courage to stand, with clear eyes and open hearts. God calls you in this moment — not to save the world or fix the chaos, but to respond one moment at a time. May God’s grace and peace give us strength to say for this day, “Here am I, send me.”
Peace,
Liesl
Three Holy Days
In our tradition, we make space on Maundy Thursday to remember central parts of our faith story. We hear about the...
