Today’s message is from Pastor Pam Sutherland of the St. Paul United Methodist Church & Fort Gibson United Methodist Church.

This morning during my devotion time “Revelation Song” began playing on the streaming service I listen to. The song’s lyrics are based on the many descriptions of worship around the throne of God in the book of Revelation. Here are a few verses:

When we think of who God is – our Father in Heaven, our friend, our comforter, our strength, our provider – are we filled with awestruck wonder? Are we worshiping the One whom Isaiah saw and described in Isaiah 6:

“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.”

Sometimes I fear that our culture has adopted a dumbed-down idea of God. Cartoons, television, and movies depict God as nothing more than an old, bearded man similar in nature to Santa Claus who might give us what we desire if we are good little boys and girls; or zap us with a lightning bolt if we’re bad. Many times have I heard people say, “I think God is…..” and go on to describe a god they are comfortable with, a god of their own imagination.

Even in the Church, it often seems as if we are more comfortable with a god made in our image rather than the One True God who sits on the throne. The One Isaiah describes as “high and exalted”. The One whose train fills the temple and whose glory fills the earth. The One who causes us to have “awestruck wonder”. And because we have imagined a God of our liking, one who is there to bless us and save us without requiring much in return, we are quick to justify our own sin and our unwillingness to answer when God asks, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”

Isaiah saw the Living God enthroned in Heaven and immediately recognized the enormity of His own sin. He understood that in comparison to God’s holiness and righteousness, he was unclean, totally unrighteous. Only when we see God for who God is – high and lifted up, holy and majestic – will we understand the depth of our own sin and rebellion against God’s love and kindness towards us.  As soon as Isaiah confessed his sin, his utter inability to stand before God in his own righteousness, God cleansed him and forgave him. And having seen God for who God is, having experience the grace and mercy of God in removing and forgiving his sin, Isaiah responded by saying, “Here I am. Send me.”

When we have truly “seen” the majesty and holiness of God and recognized our own sinful nature and utter inability to save ourselves; when we have truly experienced God’s grace and mercy in forgiving and removing our sin by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the only possible response to God’s call, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” is to say, “Here I am. Send me.”

Almighty and Holy God, forgive us for wanting you to be a god of our own imagination. Help us to see you for who you truly are. Convict us of all the ways we disregard and rebel against your great love for us. Cleanse us by the blood of Jesus and empower us by your Holy Spirit to go into the world and tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ. Amen.

I hope you will take some time to worship the One True God today and if you’d like to listen to Revelation Song here’s a link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGgX_oqdib4

Grace and peace,

Pastor Pam