“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)
“People are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods. God is looking for better people” (E.M. Bounds, The Power of Prayer).
Part 2 – Awe: The missing sense in church ministry
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. (Isaiah 6:1-4 NIV).
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles (Acts 2:43 NASB).
“Awesome” doesn’t begin to describe what Isaiah saw in the temple as he describes it above. In fact, that word, “awesome” has become so trivialized that it is almost a joke to use it in this context. The vision that Isaiah saw left him totally undone. Consider that he saw and heard:
· The exalted King of the universe whose towering self was so vast that the prophet couldn’t see beyond the train of his robe.
· His fiery attendants the Seraphim, the “Burning ones” whose powerful voices shook the temple foundations (These were not just cute little angelic butterflies).
· The seraphs’ covering themselves with wings, taking flight, ready to do the King’s bidding, and their cries of “Holy, Holy, Holy” driving home to Isaiah not just his essence but – his character as God, absolute “light” with not a hint of evil.
· “The whole earth is full of his glory.” The idea of “glory” is weightiness. In a moment, Isaiah was crushed under the weight of a Being whose glory fills everything.
Awe-struck is the expression that describes Isaiah’s first response to what he saw.
In Luke’s gospel as well as his Acts of the Apostles, he several times uses “awe” to describe what people sensed when they experienced the works of the living God. In the early church, it was apparently a constant experience. Where is our sense of “awe” in the life of the church today?
We have plans, we have wealth, we have people who populate our houses of worship, but still the mission of God languishes. As the world population grows exponentially, as the number of people who have yet to hear the gospel increases daily and the “nons” (folks who have given up on organized religion) are leaving the church in droves, we keep offering the same buildings, budgets and big shots. But when do we so sense the Lord’s presence that our mouths open with a “wow!”?
The story is told about how theologian St. Thomas Aquinas was talking with Pope Innocent II as the pope was counting a large sum of money. The pontiff reportedly said, “You see Thomas, the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’ To which Saint Thomas replied, ‘True, Holy Father. But neither can she say, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’”
Have you experienced Christ at work in your life this past week? Have you seen the sovereign Lord show up in unmistakable ways? Vision which leads to engagement in God’s mission is born out of being awe-struck at the revelation, activity and felt presence of the Lord Almighty.
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