Third Week of Lent
William Thurmond, D. Min
Yesterday Charles Dickens wrote:
It was the best of times,
It was the worst of times,
It was the age of wisdom,
It was the age of foolishness,..
Today I write, as it was in the time of Dickens, so it is now. And as he looked into the lives of two men, it is the time and age for us to look at our lives. In this age of wisdom we need personal scrutiny. In this age of foolishness, it is a time for personal inquiry.
Mainline Evangelicals family members do not have the same mindset in respect to the forty days before Easter as do the liturgical family members. I am convinced that we should have a more introspective focus. As Christian, we should pause during the season of Lent for self reflection and hear afresh the voice of God. We should pause to reflect less we forget why we who were in darkness came to see the light.
The act of reflection during this third week of Lent drew me to the Isaiah; in particular (6:5)
Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:...
The Seraphim celebrated the majesty and holiness of God; Isaiah, in response reflects upon himself. He declares himself to be unclean in the presence of the Lord. Not only is he unclean, but all those in his community are unclean. Based on his statement, it would appear scales fell from Isaiah eyes.
What gave occasion for this revelation and sad reflection?
My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
It is a powerful vision of the Lord, high and lifted up, that opened Isaiah’s eyes to an unobstructed view of himself: not who he pretended to be, or who he wished to be; but, he as the Lord saw him. In that moment Isaiah also realized the Lord has the resources and compassion to change what he saw.
When Isaiah saw the Lord, he instantly recognized that there were problems within his own life. This is an experience we need. We need a fresh revelation of God for who He is, and at the same time, revealing the wickedness within our own lives. When we come face to face with who God is and what we are…the results will lead to humility and confession.
Isaiah does not cry out “Woe is Mama or Daddy!”, “Woe is my neighbor!” He cries out “Woe is me!” Until we are able to see our own failures and need for repentance, we will remain unclean. The sooner we agree with God about our condition, the sooner we will strengthen our relationship and renew our mission.
The Lord is not just concerned that we indentify and declare out our sin; He wants us to know that He provides a means for our cleansing.
Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand,
The Lord does not give up on simply because we are not all that we think we are. The ministry of the Seraphim is a sign of comfort that the Lord is ready to purge our sins. The intent is not to hurt, but to heal; not to cauterize, but to cleanse and prepare us for our mission.
Once we recognize our sin, and is purged, then the Lord reveals or renew our mission. When the Lord speaks, the cleansed servant will hear. Renewal is revealed in our dialogue with the Lord.
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
All those who would assist others in their dialogue with the Lord must not be strangers to speaking to the Lord.
For Isaiah, the occasion of his personal scrutiny was: The year that King Uzziah died...
For Charles dickens it was the best and worst of times.
For you and for me it can be the third week of Lent.
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone;