Proper 1 Year C

Proper 1

Isaiah 6.1–8 (9–13)
1 Corinthians 15.1–11
Luke 5.1–11

The question of the correct posture for worship – should we sit or should we kneel – is a perennial one. Well, if anything can make us less sedentary, it should be today’s readings. They are none of them conducive to sitting about.

Isaiah is telling us about his calling. It is as though he is attending a perfectly ordinary service, and suddenly everything in front of him slides away, to make space for this vision of the heavenly court. As a result of what he sees, Isaiah is called to be God’s prophet, to speak for the Lord – to speak, but seldom to be either listened to or understood. The angel’s burning coal brings Isaiah the knowledge that he is worthy to serve God, but he is pretty quickly disabused of any illusions of grandeur that might follow. His mission is to speak to a people who are totally immune to his words. This overwhelming vision brings with it the knowledge that his people will be all but destroyed, and that he is perhaps the only one who will understand what God is doing...