Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

           Text: Isaiah 6:1-8, but especially these words –

           I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted.

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

Dear Friends in Christ Jesus:

 King Solomon wrote – “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” And so, it’s for this reason that we today look at the prophet Isaiah’s words concerning great visions. The condition and destiny of people who have no great vision of God, or of service to Him – is always something deplorable and devoid of hope. Think of how restricted these people are – those who want nothing to do with God, with Christ, or with religion in any form. God is shut out! And suddenly, they find that when they have shut God out, they have also closed their lives to love, peace, joy, and salvation. The kind of life that is left for these people has no real value. Indeed, “where there is no vision, the people perish.” For we give up too much when we give up the Holy Scripture’s great visions of God’s glory.

 By doing so, we would lose sight of Advent – and the great expectation that something tremendous is coming to us from our God. We wouldn’t hear the voice of one crying out in the desert – “Prepare the way of the Lord.” By not having a vision of God, we would do away with Christmas, the Holy Child, and the angel’s announcement – “For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” We would do away with God’s greatest gift of love to us. 

 Without the vision of God, we would give up Lent. Seeing the Savior, who came to carry the sins of the whole world, going up to Jerusalem would become meaningless. We would miss the meaning of Good Friday – with its vision of one hanging on the cross. We would hear no message of forgiveness and love. And this would take place because we would not have seen the vision of the Lord “high and exalted” – that God who loves us so much “that He gave His only-begotten Son.”

 There wouldn’t be the thrill and victory of Easter. We wouldn’t hear the triumphant message of the apostle Paul – “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And we would lose sight of the Ascension of our Lord and the work that He has given us to do – to proclaim the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations. By not having a vision of God, we would lose sight of the fact that – “God lives, and loves us through His Son.” By having no vision of God, we really do lose everything that brings us happiness, hope, and peace.

 Seeing the Lord and His great glory means that He ought to be seen by all of us – and that He ought to be seen in our daily lives. But when did you last see God? It is written – “No one has ever seen God.” And yet, God does reveal Himself to us, for the apostle John writes – “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his onlybegotten Son into the world that we might live through him.” And our vision of God has grown. Through His Word, He has enabled us to see Him as our loving, heavenly Father. Through His Word, we have received the vision of God and His glory. And with it, we received the certainty that “God was in Christ.” For when we saw Jesus, born of the Virgin

Mary – we indeed saw God Himself! When we saw Christ, meeting people in their need – we saw God! And when we saw Jesus die on the cross and rise again from the dead – we saw our God!

 You see Him now, today! He is there when your children are baptized – “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” You see Him in the faith of new confirmands. God is present in His Word. And you see Him, as you come to the Lord’s Supper – receiving His body and blood as the assurance of forgiveness for all your sins. You may have avoided God for a long time, or tried to hide from Him – but His love finds you. And at the funeral of a friend or loved one, you meet Him who says – “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” Thank God today, then, for the vision that He has given you – in order that, in eternity, you may see your God face to face, as He really is.

 But this vision of God is also to affect our lives. When did you last give God the glory? When did you last really praise Him? To praise God means that you know Him to be the highest, the best, the greatest gain possible. We praise God – not only because it’s commanded of us, but because we ought to feel the need to thank Him and to tell others of the miracle we have seen in the Lord. This miracle is the love we have received from Him “who first loved us.” And this gift of love is encountered whenever you come before the cross of Jesus Christ. So you can see that, even when we praise God for His goodness and love – it isn’t often enough.

 For the fact remains that our visions run in the opposite direction. Our visions are of wealth, pleasure, power, and position. And people praise these things, thoughtlessly calling them – the good things in life. But can we really be content with these, when St. Paul writes – “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.” So, God has come to save us from ourselves. He comes to call us from our small visions and useless dreams – to the great vision of His love in Jesus Christ. Do you praise God in your worship? Do you praise Him when you confess your faith? Are you proclaiming – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory”? This is thanking God, praising Him for the glory that is ours eternally.

 And when did you last serve God? Serving the Lord with gladness means more than most of us are ready to give. Serve the Lord? Yes – but within reason! God gives us His love. He has given us His best, His Son to be our Savior and Redeemer. But what do we really give Him gladly? We ought to give our very lives in dedicated service to Him. 

But often, we don’t know where to go or what to do. We may have been hurt or told off. We may have been unappreciated or unthanked. And we may feel that this is a good reason for not serving the Lord and His Church. Even our Lord knew about this lack of willing service, when He said – “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?”

 Yet, the Lord knows how we are, and says – “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” And Christ continues to make demands of us – but also gives us the power to serve God and others in His name, who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. This is what it means to serve the Lord – joyfully and willingly. Giving our lives completely to the Lord for service in His holy kingdom.

 May God grant you His grace to see that vision of the Lord and His great glory. May He be a source of joy, power, and hope for your lives. And may the vision of God enable you to praise and serve Him throughout your lives – until you live with Him eternally. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. 

Authored by Reverend Carl Trosien.