>don’t miss the important details

>Last Sunday evening I began the service by referring to Isaiah 6 (the first half). It struck me as I was preparing that I often jump over the first phrase in order to consider the vision of God and how he cleansed and commissioned Isaiah. In doing so I miss an important detail


Indeed the passage is one that was foundational in God calling me to be a Baptist minister. I was reading it prayerfully one day and was caught up in the imagery. I read Isaiah’s sense of woe at being in the presence of Almighty God and felt that myself. I experienced the sense of relief at the forgiveness that was given. Then I read God’s words: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” and before I read the words I felt myself wanting to shout, “Me, me, I’ll go!”


Anyway, back to last Sunday evening. Isaiah 6 begins with the phrase: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne…” King Uzziah had become king of Judah at the age of 16. He reigned for 52 years and under his reign there was peace and prosperity that had not been known for many years. His death would have been a shock to the people who had seen him as a good king, even though he had got too big for his boots in later years, became proud of his own achievements and was afflicted with leprosy for trying to do what only the priests should do. However the people’s sense of security and well-being would have been shaken badly and there would have been an outpouring of grief a little like that when Princess Diana died.


It is significant that it was at this moment that God chose to call Isaiah to go and speak on his behalf to his people. When their world was shaken and the things on which they were relying had been seen to be transitory God re-announced his presence.


It’s very easy for us to rely on things and people other than God. They are visible, he is invisible. They are physical, he is spirit. That’s why so often in the Old Testament the people of God turned to idols and away from God. But when the things on which we rely are taken from us or threatened, then we find that God is still there for us. He will not let us fall.


Pride comes before a fail
At the conclusion of the sermon, the worshippers filed out of the sanctuary to greet the minister. As one of them left, he shook the minister’s hand, thanked him for the sermon and said, “Thanks for the message, Reverend. You know, you must be smarter than Einstein.” Beaming with pride, the minister said, “Why, thank you, brother!” 
       
As the week went by, the minister began to think about the man’s compliment. The more he thought, the more he became baffled as to why anyone would deem him smarter than Einstein. So he decided to ask the man the following Sunday. 
       
The next Sunday he asked the parishioner if he remembered the previous Sunday’s comment about the sermon. The parishioner replied that he did. The minister asked: “Exactly what did you mean that I must be smarter than Einstein?” 
       
The man replied, “Well, Reverend, they say that Einstein was so smart that only ten people in the entire world could understand him. But Reverend, no one can understand you.”