2025-02-09 Epiphany 5C

In the Peace of Augsburg in 1555, it was agreed that rulers could decide the religion of their people. However, this led to conflict when a ruler with a different religion took power. In Isaiah 6, God is described as high and lifted up, sitting on a throne, and wearing a robe. The angels serve Him and cry out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord." Isaiah feels unworthy in God's presence, but an angel touches his lips and his guilt is taken away. This reminds us of the mercy seat where God's mercy covers our sin. Isaiah is then sent by God to speak His promises to His people, which were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. There's a saying that says this. Quios regio, eius religio. It's a Latin phrase that comes from an important document called the Peace of Augsburg of 19... not 1955. 1555. Get your dates right. 1555. Think of it this way. The Catholics and the Lutherans were duking it out. They both had armies slaughtering each other, one after the other. Eventually they said, you know what, this is kind of stupid. We should agree to disagree and let the ruler decide the religion of his people. Let the ruler decide the religion of the people. And that's what that means. Quios regio, eius religio. It worked fine for a time until May of 1618 for an important event called the defenestration of Prague. You see, it works great that the ruler determines the religion so long as my ruler follows my religion. Otherwise I'm going to have a problem. And that's the way it was. The new ruler slated to take over was a hard-nosed Catholic. And the Lutherans didn't want a hard-nosed Catholic in charge because they feared the consequences of what that would mean for them and their power and their influence. And so as they met together, his representatives and theirs, they got into a fierce argument and ended up throwing three of his representatives out the third-story window of the castle in Prague. Seventy feet up. Oddly enough, all three survived. And there's two reasons why the Catholics would say because angels saved them and took them upon their wings and softly landed them on the ground. The Lutherans would say they survived because after their 70-foot fall from the window, they landed softly in a pile of manure. We don't know why they survived, but they survived nonetheless. But that event commenced a three-decade-long conflict called the Thirty Years' War. Stick around and we'll find out what this means for the connection to Isaiah 6 and the connection to the Fifth Sunday in the season of Epiphany. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. As I read and translated Isaiah 6, my mind went to quius regio eius religio and the defenestration of Prague because of this idea that any transition of power is disconcerting, or at least can be disconcerting. Any transition of power brings with it risk. Consider our own plight. Many people were excited when Trump was inaugurated, but we must admit that others felt doom and gloom. Let's admit that four years is a long time if your leader isn't one who you want, or if your leader says and does things that you disagree with. But four years ain't squat if your leader is a king, and that king has the right and privilege to rule a lot, lot longer than four years in most cases. If the ruler is in charge and that's a risk, it can be disconcerting. That is the question and the risk that was facing God's people. And God provides the answer in Isaiah 6. In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim, each had six wings, with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory. And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. Here's why that's a conflict that's disconcerting, because Uzziah died. And when a king dies, a new one comes to replace him. And Uzziah was a good king. Uzziah was beneficial for God's people. But now he's dead, and they feared what might come after him. His son Jotham was okay. His son Ahaz was bad. It's a risk. But this text then serves for God's people, for God's prophet Isaiah, and for you as church. It serves as an important reminder of who's in charge. Kings come and go, but God is always in charge. Just look at these descriptions. I saw the Lord high and lifted up. High and lifted up. That's the way they thought of God. That's the way we think of God, right? When you speak of God and things about him, you look up. When you think of the devil and things about him, you look down. God is up, devil is below. And the higher up you go, the closer you are to God. And God here in this description is high and lifted up. God is the highest. God is above the heavens. Think of the angel's declaration. Glory to God in the highest. God is high and lifted up. God is also sitting on a throne. A throne is a seat of power, and this throne is encircled with angels who are God's servants. God is high and lifted up. God is sitting on a throne, and God wears a robe. But more than that, the train of his robe fills the temple. A robe is a royal garment. And the longer the train of the robe, the more royal and powerful you are. And here is his robe filling the temple. Later described this way, his glory filling the whole earth. It is this God, high and lifted up, powerful, clothed in royal robes, sitting on a throne. It is this God whom the angels serve. But notice what they do. They cover their face and they cover their feet out of humility. Even the angels feel not worthy to be in the presence of the holy God. And in that service, they cry the tongue to something you sing every Sunday during the service of the sacrament. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth. Sabaoth is not Sabbath. That's Hebrew for rest. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. This is different. This is Sabaoth. Sabaoth is host. Sabaoth means armies, a commander of legions of angels who can destroy you at a moment's notice in a split second. This is the God whose glory Isaiah has seen. And the house was filled with smoke. Again, it's an indication and a reminder of God's presence. That's a holy God. And Isaiah rightly said this in response. He said, Woe is me, for I am lost. For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord host. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. The angels felt unworthy to be in God's presence, indicated by the fact that they covered their face and their feet. Isaiah felt unworthy to be in God's presence, indicated by his reaction, crying out, Woe is me, for I am lost. Peter felt the same reaction, unworthy to be in God's presence, after the catch of fish miraculous recorded in our gospel text from Luke 5, when he said this, Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man. Woe is me, for I am lost. I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord host. Then what happened? Then comes the angel. Then comes the seraph, having in his hand a burning coal with tongs from the altar. He reaches out to touch my lips. This is it. This is the end. This is how I meet my doom. Here is the God of Samael, who can wipe me out because of my sin, and so too with the people among whom I live. Here he comes to wipe me out. Indeed, God has every right to wipe us out, because like Isaiah and his compatriots, we too are unclean. In fact, even Uzziah, as good as he was, died a leper because of his foolish pride. Lepers who must cry out, unclean, unclean, when anyone comes near. We are unclean because of leprosy of our own sin. We are unclean because of our lips, unclean lips that speak twisted things, things that are untrue, things that we regret, things that we can never take back once they escape our lips. But wait just more. Not only are our lips unclean, but so are our eyes that see wicked and perverted things under the sun. Our hearts desire things contrary to the will of God. Our minds think thoughts that are incongruent with God's commandments, hell-bent on doing our own wills rather than God's. And sometimes we even trust the government more than God. No one can see God and live. That's why Isaiah had that reaction. He can and has every right to take us out. Here it comes. But does he? No. He touched my mouth, the angel touched my mouth, and he said, Behold, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away, and you're a sin atoned for. You see, God's throne is surrounded by angels. So it is with another of God's thrones described in Holy Scripture, the mercy seat whereupon God sits in the Holy of Holies, the most holy place in the tabernacle and in the temple. Two angels facing one another side by side on top of the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. On top of the lid, in Hebrew, kafar, the lid that covers God's law. Behold, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away, you're a sin, kafar, covered up, forgotten, out of sight, out of mind, taken away forever by the blood of Jesus. God's mercy seat in Greek is called the hilasterion. And hilasterion in the New Testament is translated into English as propitiation. God put forth his Son as a propitiation for your redemption. Thank you, Book of Romans. So here's how it works. Isaiah saw God sitting on a throne with angels. And it brings to our mind the other throne with angels on it, which is the mercy seat. God has mercy on your soul and covers your sin. Because God's mercy is a foundation of his nature. And in reaction, Isaiah said this, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send and who will go for us? And I said, here I am, send me. So it is that God sent Isaiah to speak God's promises to God's people. Promises which were fulfilled with the sending of God's Son, Jesus Christ. When that happens, the King of kings became incarnate. The Lord of hosts, the Lord of saviors dwelt among us. The King of glory wore a crown of thorns. And he whose blood covers your sin placed himself on the altar of the cross and became the sacrifice for sins. This Isaiah saw in God's house the year that King Uzziah died. Dave Ramsey said what happens in your house is more important than what happens in the White House. It's true, right? But even more true is this, that what happens in God's house is even more important still. Trump isn't your savior. Jesus Christ is. He is the Lord of hosts who pardons you. He is your God who catches you, not like a bait and switch technique, but a merciful God who captures you in the net of protection of his church wherein you are safe from the chaos of the world. The Lord of hosts in his house declares to you the holy absolution from the lips of a man who is unclean. The Lord of hosts in his house washes you in holy baptism. The Lord of hosts in his house touches your mouth with the forgiveness brought by his body and blood in, with, and under the bread and the wine. So that in God's house, and what happens in God's house means that you are no longer woeful. You are no longer unclean, but you are forgiven by the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. It means that one day you will be like Isaiah who went before you and see the Lord of hosts on his throne in his temple and you will cry out with the angels in the whole company of heaven, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Sabaoth. The whole earth is full of his glory. Amen. May the peace of God be with you, keep your hearts and minds. In Christ Jesus, risen Lord and Savior.