Intro: For our Advent season this year, Pastor Mary has chosen to enjoy the Jesse Tree by sharing a 24-day practice to prepare us for the celebration of Christ’s birth; the event we celebrate and honor at Christmas. From the root of Jesse’s stump, we will discover or rediscover the people in the family Tree of Jesus Messiah who were instrumental in bringing the presence of God near to us in order to revive the Spirit-led family of faith. With each day’s reading, we will add a new symbol—an ornament—to our family tree.
Today is day eighteen of our journey and our symbol is Tongs Gripping a Piece of Coal.
The Old Testament is full of writings from God’s prophets, and our symbol today of the tongs gripping a piece of fiery coal points first to the prophet, Isaiah, and next to Jesus.
When Isaiah was called by God to be a prophet he received a vision, what he saw was miraculous and initially left him feeling unworthy of the call on his life because he and his people had unclean lips (or sinful lives). I don’t know about you, but there are many times when the enemy sneaks into my soul realm (my mind, my will, and my emotions) and makes me feel that I am unworthy of leading the life that God calls me to lead. This is exactly how Isaiah was feeling and why God had to do what He did next. From the heavenly altar, God has an angel take a burning coal and touch Isaiah’s mouth, and with that physical action his sins and guilt were spiritually burned away, and he was able to respond to God’s call on his life.
The same principle of the fiery coal on Isaiah’s lips works on our behalf in regard to Jesus’s sacrifice on Calvary. Our sin was placed upon Him, and He was burned with the fire of God’s judgement, but because He was One with the Father, Holy and Righteous, the fire of God’s judgement did not harm Him, it just burned away the sins of the world. Thus, those willing to accept Christ’s sacrifice are able to welcome Him into their hearts, turn from their sinful ways, and answer His call on their lives.
So, when God asks, whom should I send as a messenger to my people, will you and I respond as Isaiah did and say, “Here I am. Send me.” (6:8) We must remember, it’s Christmas, and the Word became Flesh, that is Jesus, and He made His way among us to spread His unfailing love and faithfulness and people only learn about Him through us sharing this message of eternal Truth (John 1:14); so share the True meaning of Christmas Love, Jesus, with people this season and keep sharing until you take your last breath on this earth.
Isaiah 6:1-7 (NLT)
Isaiah’s Cleansing and Call
1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
4 Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Romans 3:23-25 (NLT)
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
Hebrews 9:12 (NLT)
12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for fulfilling Isaiah’s message and for the ultimate sacrifice that took away my sins. Help me to share Your message of love with those who don’t know You, or those who have fallen away from You. Keep Satan away from messing with my soul and allow me to see myself as Your beloved daughter and to follow the plan that You have laid out for my life. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.