SUNDAY Summer Eucharist 9:00 a.m. Music & Live Stream
SUNDAY Summer Eucharist 9:00 a.m. Music & Live Stream
Christ the King-Epiphany, Wilbraham
The Rev. Martha S. Sipe
May 26, 2024 / Holy Trinity
Isaiah 6:1-8; John 3:1-17
United Press International published an article earlier this month about rising anxiety levels among Americans. Results of an April poll by the American Psychiatric Association found 43% of the 2,000 adults surveyed reported more stress this year compared to last year. That’s a higher percentage than was found in polls conducted in the previous two years. 77% of people this year are worried about the economy, 73% about the upcoming election, and 69% about gun violence. It is no wonder that people are anxious as it seems that we are in a particularly tumultuous period.
Anxiety in tumultuous times is not a new phenomenon. Note, for example, the dependent clause that opens our Old Testament lesson. Isaiah has his vision of God “in the year that King Uzziah died.” This Uzziah was a good king in the history of Judah. He expanded the borders of the kingdom. He improved homeland security, by strengthening the walls around Jerusalem and constructing defensive towers and forts. He was a statesman who improved relations with neighboring nations. He was responsible for agricultural developments that greatly enhanced the commerce of Judah. He was a good king, a great king, even . . . until he was not. As the biblical record shows, he got a little too big for his royal britches. He took it upon himself to burn incense to God on the altar of the temple – a duty only to be performed by the priests – and for his refusal to “stay in his lane,” he was immediately stricken with leprosy, causing him to withdraw from all public appearances and forcing him to rely upon his son for many of his royal duties. The people of Judah must have experienced some whiplash from this quick change of direction. Plus, toward the end of Uzziah’s reign, the Assyrian empire was becoming more and more powerful, and more and more a threat to Judah. His fall from grace and eventually his death must have made for tumultuous and anxiety-producing times.
In the midst of this uncertainty, Isaiah entered the temple, where his vision reminded him that no matter what is going on in the world, God is still in the temple. God is still seated on the throne. Come what may, God is faithful. Kings (and presidents) will come and go. Instability of health and wealth will always be possible. Threats to national security and public safety will arise and peace will seem illusive. But the vision of Isaiah shows us God who is far above the fray. Isaiah saw the Lord in all God’s glory and splendor – or at least he saw the bottom half of Yahweh. He describes the throne, high and lofty, and the hem of Yahweh’s robe filling the temple. God is so great that, even in a vision, we cannot see all of Yahweh, especially not the face of God, for we read in other places in scripture that people could not look on the face of God and live. Then let’s not forget the seraphs flying around in this vision. And if you are thinking cute, little cherubic angels, think again. These mysterious creatures had six wings each and voices so booming that as they called to one another, singing their praises to God, the temple itself shook! This picture of God so holy, so mysterious, so awesome, so glorious, so omnipotent reassured Isaiah – and should reassure us – that no matter what happens here on earth, no matter how much current events may fill us with anxiety and fear, God is greater. Nothing can shake our confidence.
However . . . however, while this description of God is awe-inspiring, to say the least, it feels a little remote. The Lord seems inaccessible on the throne. Unapproachable. And appropriately so. We cannot grasp this vision of God, not with our hands, not with our minds, and not with our hearts. Enter Jesus Christ: with all the awe-inspiring power of Isaiah’s vision, but who set aside that power so that we could grasp him, both literally and figuratively.
There’s a Christmas hymn in ELW that we rarely get to use because there are so many other wonderful Christmas hymns and such a short season in which to sing them. But it’s a wonderful poem. It’s # 285 in your ELW, and I invite you to take a look at it because, better than any other hymn text I know, it describes how this God of transcendent power comes to be reachable.
Peace came to earth at last that chosen night
when angels clove the sky with song and light
and God embodied love, and sheathed his might –
And this is it, in a nutshell, right?
That God wields the ultimate sword of power and authority,
yet voluntarily sticks that sword back in its sheath so that we can approach.
Who could but gasp: Immanuel! (God with us)
Who could be sing: Immanuel!
And who could be the same for having held
the infant in their arms, and later felt
the wounded hands and side, all doubts dispelled –
This is the meaning of God with us.
That the God whom we cannot reach or touch or love
became God in our arms and God whose wounds we touched.
Who could but sigh: Immanuel!
Who could but shout: Immanuel!
You show the Father none has ever seen,
in flesh and blood you bore our griefs and pains,
in bread and wine you visit us again – (not remote and far away – but here and now)
Who could but see Immanuel!
Who could but thrill: Immanuel!
And then, the final stanza:
How else could I have known you, O my God!
(because God is, in Isaiah’s vision, beyond our ability to know)
How else could I have loved you, O my God!
(because God is, by very definition, awesome in power, but it’s hard to feel close to power)
How else could I embrace you, O my God!
Who could but pray: Immanuel!
Who could but praise Immanuel!
To us who are anxious in the face of uncertainty, this is the God of comfort. Not remote, but incredibly close at hand. Not inaccessible, but understandable because he became one of us. Not inapproachable, but with us, and in us, through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is God who loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
Two visions of God: one reminding us that God is so far beyond us and therefore inspiring confidence in God’s power; the other reminding us that God is here with us, inspiring love and bringing comfort. And both visions are entirely true. Our world may be in a period of upheaval, and we may be facing anxiety and fear. “But the Lord will continue to be our God – faithful, loving, steadfast, and here with us. And the whole earth will continue to be full of God’s glory, just as it always has been.” So in spite of the world and the way that it is: Do not be afraid.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
1. https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2024/05/03/economy-election-anxiety-among-Americans/4591714670605/
2. https://mypastoralponderings.com/2021/05/29/holy-holy-holy-my-sermon-on-isaiah-61-8
Copyright © 2024 Christ the King-Epiphany Church - All Rights Reserved.