1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “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.”
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
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!“
Nice!
Your post was a call to quiet myself and look again at a favorite passage.
Beauty permeates the logical progression here. In the grief of death is a glimpse of eternity. In the presence of the Lord one is compelled to worship—and become aware of one's lowliness. Once cleansed from the oppression of sin, how can one not enthusiastically respond to the Lord's call, no matter the request?
"Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be."
One of my favorite hymns is based on this passage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzp83SWRNZw
It is called "Here I Am, Lord" and I heard it for the first time when I attended Catholic High School. We also used it as the Offeratory Hymn for First Communion in the Catholic Elementary School I taught in. It brings tears to my eyes…
I love that song too!
This is one of my favorite passages. Ever. Love it.