Friendly, Not Fearful – February 10, 2025

Read: Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died, 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. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Isaiah 6:1-6

Friendly, Not Fearful

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When you go to church who do you expect to find? You see the pastor who is always happy to see you. Probably you see a friend or two that you can talk to before or after church. Maybe you see some other familiar faces of people who are glad you are there. We know that church is God’s house and so we expect it to be a friendly place where we will see friendly things.

This wasn’t the case for Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah sees a vision of God’s house and God’s throne and he is terrified. It was a scary scene: There are seraphim angels, each with six wings flying around the throne of God. Their voices boom as they cry out, “Holy, holy, holy.” They are so loud that the doorposts of the house shake and rattle. Billowing smoke surrounds Isaiah.

But it isn’t the angels or the smoke that terrifies Isaiah. What terrifies Isaiah is that he is a sinner before a holy God. More than that, Isaiah lives among people who are sinful and now he is in God’s house standing before a holy God! Isaiah knew that God was perfect and that he was not, and Isaiah knew that God was special and that he was not.

As Isaiah cries out in fear, an angel grabs a hot coal from the altar and touches Isaiah’s mouth. This hot coal doesn’t burn Isaiah’s mouth, but it takes away Isaiah’s sin. The altar was a place where sacrifices for sins were made and because of the sacrifice of Jesus, Isaiah’s sins were all forgiven. Isaiah didn’t have to be scared anymore because God forgave all his sins. He could be in God’s house and not be afraid because his sins were paid for.

It is the same reason we go to church. Our sin ought to scare us. But then, Jesus touches us with the tip of the cross and says, “See, your guilt is taken away, your sin is atoned for.” That changes everything! We smile at each other and are glad to see each other because in God’s house, we know that our sins are forgiven.

Closing Prayer:

Dear holy God, our sins separate us from you. However, because of the sacrifice of Jesus our sins are taken away. Make us always glad to go to your house and worship you as our holy God. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What were some things that Isaiah saw in God’s temple that terrified him?
• What do you see in church that reminds you that God loves you?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Why are our sins a problem when we stand before God?
• What did God do to take away our sins?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• What can you learn from the angels’ song that God is “Holy, holy, holy”?
• How can you be friendly and confident in God’s love for you at church?