This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.
Epiphany Bible Study: Week 5
During the season of Epiphany, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships is offering a weekly Bible study prepared by writers across the church and Anglican Communion. Each piece, consisting of the Sunday readings, can be studied alone, in small groups, or even with a congregation. You can find the whole study for each week at www.sermonsthatwork.org.
This week’s study for Epiphany 5 (C) was written by the Rev. Sharack Owuor, a priest formed in Butere, Uganda, currently serving as the rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Port Huron, Michigan.
Isaiah 6:1-8
6 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. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they 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.”
4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 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!”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” 8 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!”
Commentary from Shadrack Owuor
Isaiah is overwhelmed by the majesty of God. The seraphim’s cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory,” reveals the unmatched holiness of God. Confronted with God’s splendor, Isaiah is painfully aware of his sinfulness, exclaiming, “Woe is me! I am lost.” Yet God does not leave him in despair. The seraph cleanses him with a live coal, a powerful symbol of forgiveness and purification. Set free from guilt, Isaiah responds eagerly to God’s call: “Here am I; send me!”
Isaiah reminds me of our own lives, especially those moments when we feel unworthy in the face of God’s holiness. However, through Christ, we are encouraged that our sins are blotted out, freeing us to embrace our calling as messengers of his love. We cannot encounter the holy God and remain the same.
Discussion Questions
- How does God’s grace free you to respond to his call?
- How do the holiness and love of God inspire both awe and action in you?
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Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
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