Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

Rev. Meagan M Boozer
I Saw the Lord- Part 7
"You Betcha!"
3/16/08

Isn’t it so sad to see what has been all over the news this past week regarding the governor (now the former governor) of New York? Eliot Spitzer, known for being very tough on crime, was caught in his own crime: solicitation of a prostitute – and therefore, marital infidelity. For me, it was a reminder of what we have been confronted with these past weeks: our sin doesn’t just affect us. Our sin affects a whole host of people, and as Christians, our sin affects the witness of the whole Church. We may not be public figures like the former governor, but we have circles of people we influence by our good behavior and by our bad behavior.

We’ve have had a rough couple of weeks – haven’t we? I think I have a permanent wrinkle now between my eyes for all the thinking I’ve done over how to present these hard messages in a way that we all are still aware of the everflowing love and grace of God. I was grateful to the choir for singing, “Written in Red,” last Sunday after a tough message on repentance. “I love you,” the Lord says, written in the blood of Christ.

I pray it has been clear that we cannot get to a place of reviving our hearts, if we do not come to terms and make some hard decisions about some stuff in our own lives. That’s what we’ve been challenged to do. The skeptical side of me is surprised so many of you have hung in there for this whole Lenten season. I’m surprised I didn’t preach the congregation down to about 10 people. It would have been a good time to pretend your alarm clock just wouldn’t work on Sunday mornings. But I shouldn’t be surprised. My interactions over the past 5 1/2 years with the people of these valleys, has revealed to me a toughness, a persistence, and more than anything, a desire that you have to know what God says so that you can love and serve him with your obedient lives. That’s a gift from the Holy Spirit – that desire for righteousness. I thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit – given to us freely, for those who come to Christ in faith.

Isn’t it amazing to think that the God who created the heavens and the earth, the oceans far away, and the mountains that surround us, the God of all creation wants every part of our hearts to be beating in time with his heart? He doesn’t want a dead part here, or a defective part there. God wants us to be fully alive, with the precious blood of Jesus pulsating through us, cleansing and reviving us. That’s what we’ve been getting at these last weeks; that’s where we’ve been heading. The prophet Isaiah is ready to help us continue our journey today. Let us pray:

Holy God, thank you for what you have been doing in us. Thank you for your love, for your discipline, for your truth, and for your grace. We are ready now to hear from you. We are hungry for your Word and empty without Your Spirit within. Fill us as we submit our wills to your will. This we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Listen please, as I read Isaiah 6:1-8:

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said, "Woe is me! I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth and said, "Now that this has touched your lips; your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Did you notice this was written, “In the year King Uzziah died?” This is important to know in order to date the events Isaiah was talking about. Because, remember, the Bible is not just a book about spiritual stuff. The Bible is a history book, with real people and real dates, that help us confirm with certainty our heritage as God’s people. That’s one reason a phrase like, “In the year King Uzziah died,” would be included here. Another reason is to point out a common truth that is part of our human condition: We have a tendency to remember things with great clarity in the years we have lost someone important to us to death. If you ask someone, “so when did you get that car?” They might answer, “I got it just a couple of months before my sister died, because I remember that she rode in it with me, and she really liked the smell of the new car.” See, certain moments are magnified in the year surrounding the death of someone important to us, and other times, days, weeks, perhaps even months, are lost in the oblivion of grief and loss. It can be that in those intense times of mourning that we can see the Lord most clearly. That’s what happened to Isaiah.

All of a sudden, he was given eyes to see the majesty and glory of the Lord. All at once, he saw the greatness and the holiness and the raw power of God. It’s no coincidence that when he saw the Lord like this, the Lord was seated on the throne - of course he was seated on the throne! Isaiah saw the Lord, in the year that King Uzziah died, and Isaiah knew that everything from beginning to end in his life and in the life of King Uzziah, and in every other life in every nation upon the earth, everything was purposefully being overseen by the One who sits upon the throne. And in the presence of a holy God who is the very definition of Light, Isaiah saw the darkness of his own sin.

“Woe is me. I am a man of unclean lips.” That’s a biblical way of saying, “Gross! I am a disgusting sinner. There is nothing good inside of me, and there is nothing good that comes out of my mouth.”

Isaiah knew, as he fell before the throne, that in his sin, he was completely at the mercy of God. Standing before the holiness of God, Isaiah knew that all God had to do was bat an eyelash, and his life would be toast. Which is the same, you know, for you and me. We’re here, because God has chosen for us to be here. Isaiah was there, because God chose for him to be there, and God obviously wanted to show him something that would make a difference in how he lived the rest of his life.

Do you think it’s possible that you are here right now, because God wants to show you something that can make a difference in how you live your life from here on out?

Isaiah saw his sin (just like we see ours at times, especially in these last couple of weeks). Isaiah repented of his sin and was cleansed by the hot coal, which represents the refining, cleansing properties of the blood of Jesus when we repent of our sin. Remember: Repent means to “stop it,” “turn around and go the other way.” To repent doesn’t mean to just be sorry or remorseful. It’s not enough just to say, “I know I shouldn’t do that. I know that’s not what God wants me to be doing.” Seeing our sin is not enough. We have to repent. And, true repentance means to walk away from the sin, because we’ve had a change of mind that leads to a change of heart that leads to a change of behavior. For those of you who have been here the last number of weeks, did you notice that the box containing the lists of our sins is gone this week? That’s to represent what happens when we repent! Our sins are not before us anymore. They are part of our past, not part of our future. That’s the effect of true repentance. That’s what God wants for us – because, as Isaiah’s experience shows us, after repenting and being cleansed, that’s when we are finally able to clearly see the magnitude of the mercy of God, and clearly hear the guiding voice of God.

When Isaiah heard God’s voice, he knew it was God’s voice, not some thoughts running around in his head. There was no doubt about the source of the voice he was hearing: there was a power and authority and a searing heat to God’s voice that Isaiah could not deny. And God asked, “Who will go for us?” “There’s a lot of work to be done.” “Who will do it?”

(That’s like going into a restaurant, placing your order at the counter, and then they give you a number that they will call when your order is ready. The funny thing though, is that you’re the only customer in the restaurant. Even so, when your order is ready, they “call” out your number like someone else might be waiting. “Number 24?”)

In a way, I think this shows the sense of humor of God. “So, who will go for us?” Isaiah is the only one on his face before the throne. But he wasn’t laughing. “Here am I. Send me.”

Now, to me, it’s important which word is emphasized - and I don’t think that Isaiah was feeling too prideful in this moment. I don’t think he said, “Send ME.” I feel certain the emphasis was not on himself. I think he said, “SEND me.” In other words, Isaiah put the responsibility on God, because that’s where it belonged! “SEND me, God.” It’s sort of like a paper airplane. The one who makes it, sends it across the room. “SEND me, God, wherever you want me to go.”

In the year my father-in-law died, nearly 2 years ago now, our daughter Molly and Randy were planning their June 2nd wedding. We printed out these sweet invitations on our computer – with a spring flower theme – with a pink bow tied to the top. Pink was Molly’s primary color choice for the wedding. So, mid-April we sent out the invitations to everyone on their guest list, including all the family members – even though we knew who was coming and who wasn’t. We thought they might want an invitation to keep. Well, we mailed the invitations on a Monday, and by Thursday we had our first response card back already! I have it here with me today. It has become a treasure to all of us – but especially to Molly & Randy. On the line where you can write who is coming, was written in my dear father-in-law’s handwriting: “Grandma and PaPa Boozer.” Under that:

____Will not attend. ____Will attend.

He checked, “will attend.” And then he wrote, “You betcha!!” At the bottom of the card was printed, “The favor of a reply is requested by May 15, 2006.” That’s the day PaPa died, just five days after being taken to the hospital with a heart attack: May 15th, 2006.

PaPa loved Molly like a grandfather should love his granddaughter. Through all her trials and troubles with her hip, he was always there with compassion and with encouragement. PaPa loved family gatherings. He loved any gatherings. He loved to plan them, go to them, and then talk about them for months to come. He knew Molly’s color for the wedding was pink. He bought a new pink oxford shirt, and a new suit, and tie. He told everyone about all the plans – and when the invitation came, without wasting a moment’s time, he wrote in ink, “You betcha!!” “I’ll be there,” he promised in all sincerety. Because, as far as it depended on him, he had every intention of being there with bells on!

We say we love God. We say we understand where we’d be without the gift given to us on the cross of Calvary. We say these things, and yet if we have truly seen the darkness of our sin, if we have truly repented of it, then we should be hearing from the Lord, and all of us would be living out the greatest adventure this side of heaven!

I so remember being at the final examination of my doctorate in Boulder, CO. John and I flew out there so that I could meet with my thesis advisors. At the end of the oral examination, one of my advisors, Dr. Hubbard, asked me this, “Where do you see yourself in five years, Meagan?” I replied, “I don’t know. But I’m afraid I’ll be bored.” (You see, I had been on such a journey in the years previous with the intellectual challenge provided me as I studied in the Master of Divinity program, and in the Doctor of Ministry program. I was concerned that without that intellectual challenge in my life, I would be bored!) I’ll never forget what Dr. Hubbard did when I said that. She slammed her hand down on the table and yelled out, “A gifted woman like you should NEVER be bored!” I remember saying something like, “o-kay.” I didn’t know what else to say, and she never really explained. But I have remembered her words as a challenge – a lifelong challenge to me and to those whom God has put within my circle of influence – namely YOU! And now, on this Palm Sunday 2008, on this day as we begin Holy Week, as we begin our final week of our revival journey, I present the challenge to you:

Faithful followers of Jesus Christ should NEVER be bored! We have been gifted, each of us, with the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit within us! If we have seen our sin, if we are repentant of our sin, we should be hearing from God. And you know what he’s asking? “Who will go for me?” There’s a lot of work to be done in bringing the lost home to Jesus. God wants to send you – whether it is to a new job, on a mission trip, across the sanctuary to talk to someone, whether it is to a Sunday school class, or to take a meal to someone in need, whether he wants to send us to a new church family, to a new way of thinking, a new way of speaking, a new way of living. But, we claim we don’t have the time, the energy, the money, the skill, or we’re just not ready yet; we say we’re too old, or too young. Could it be we haven’t gone where God wants to send us because we just don’t want to change? Perhaps we are where we are because we’ve grown accustomed to where we are, even though it’s not a good place – it’s not a place that is helping us grow in love and thrive in faith. Henry Blackaby says that at the moment God speaks to us to send us in new directions – that is at the moment we should respond.

How sad for us, and for everyone without our sphere of influence if we miss the call of the Savior. You see, Jesus didn’t just die to save us for an eternal life in heaven - Jesus died to save us from being slaves to a boring, purposeless, self-glorifying life on earth! Jesus died to secure for us an abundant, exciting, adventure-filled life here on earth! That’s what makes the church so attractive to the lost – they see the LIFE in the people of God! They see the sparkle in our eyes – they see the steps of faith we take that defy faithless sensibilities!

The people who stood along the road in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, missed the Savior. They only saw what they wanted to see. They allowed their own needs, desires, and excuses to narrow their vision – and they missed the life he came to give them. The very love of God poured into a human body, rode by them on a donkey, defying sensibilities, yet fulfilling prophecies - and instead of following him, they called for his crucifixion because they could not see the Lord passing by.

Isaiah, in seeing his sin, in seeing the holiness of God, saw the Lord – and the only way to respond was with a, “You betcha!! I’m going for you, God. After all, you went to the cross for me. You were mocked, you were beaten, you were tortured, your wrists and ankles were nailed through to the cross, for me. When you endured hunger and thirst, you endured it for me. You struggled to take every breath, for me. You carried all my sin, my disgusting thoughts, words, and behaviors on your back, so that I could be free of them. You allowed a spear to be thrust into your side, for me. Here am I. Send me. And may my life bring others to the great adventure of knowing and loving you from now into all eternity. Amen.”

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

03-16-08