Read Is 6:1—7:9
Isa 6:2-7 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he 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!”… (5) And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (6) Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. (7) And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

At some point in time during Isaiah’s ministry, he receives a call from God directly to the prophetic task. He was to warn Israel, Judah and the world about God’s coming wrath to call them to repentance. Isaiah does not only that but issues many proclamations about the salvation of their God for them and for the world through God’s chosen servant.

During this call Isaiah sees a vision of the worship of God in heaven by the angels and he sees the seraphim which are burning serpents or dragons with six wings. Even these perfect, angelic creatures cannot look directly have God but cover their eyes and bodies with their wings. As they do so they sing a song which has been made a part of a hymn sung during the liturgy of Holy Communion. As we sing it, we too join them in their heavenly praise, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” We sing this song, because we too, like the angels, are in the presence of the Lord of hosts who has joined himself to our humanity and gives us his very body and blood in the New Testament Supper.

Even as Isaiah, recognizing his own sinfulness and humble position in the presence of God, when we gather together as his body, the Church, and we are his presence, his body and blood in the holy sacrament, we too confess our sins like Isaiah. He, even though he is a prophet of the most High, confesses he is a man of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips. We confess our sins at the beginning of the service and many other times during the service. Isaiah has even seen the Lord with his own eyes, yet God is merciful to Isaiah and does not strike him down dead. Having confessed his sins, a seraph, an angel takes a coal from the altar of God in heaven, touches Isaiah’s lips and proclaims him clean, his “guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

In similar fashion, God has sent an angel, a messenger, to you to accomplish for you the same thing when you humble yourself before God, i.e. your pastor. Your pastor with the authority of Christ lays his hand(s) upon you and pronounces absolution, that is forgiveness. (John 20:22ff) God has us baptized with water and the Word and make us clean. (Titus 3:4ff) Like the seraph, the pastor takes Christ’ body and blood from the altar for you to eat and drink and likewise you can be certain “this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”(Matt. 26:28) Our Lord is one who uses instruments to convey his grace.

Lord, may we with Isaiah confess our iniquity and with Isaiah receive the means by which you will convey your grace to us that we may believe our guilt is taken away and our sins atoned for. In Jesus’name. Amen