Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and ”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, November 23, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Revelation wasn’t all that original. The Bible contains lots of examples of so-called apocalyptic literature—visions of God being worshipped by angels, of great fiery wheels in the sky, of God descending to visit judgment upon the world. These visions must have been terrifying—I can’t quite bring into focus what a seraph would actually look like, though I imagine their voices would be so beautiful as to instill both a joy and a fear so deep it would cause the listener to immediately weep. Many artists have tried to capture these images, though I have yet to see any painting or drawing that elicits the kind of emotional response an actual seraph would. Our mortal minds simply cannot conceive of the kind of glory God would actually convey if we could see God.
Visions of the divine are found in all forms of religion and spirituality. Many people have profound and unexplainable experiences of God’s immediate presence in their lives. Some cultures foster these images with mind-altering substances, recognizing the need to let go of control of the conscious mind in order to touch the holy. Skeptics in all times and places write these things off as delusions—bizarre combinations of brain chemicals creating something out of nothing. I don’t hold with that, personally, having had my own low-key vision at one point, along with any number of profound dreams that were a little too insightful for me to give myself all the credit.
Whatever you believe about such revelations—visions, dreams, encounters—they certainly present some of the most fascinating and provocative passages of scripture to unpack. In this particular case, the vision sets up the moment that God calls Isaiah to be a prophet, in itself a profound occurrence. Even if we never experience such a thing, we can always remember that God calls us to be prophets, too—to speak God’s words to the people in compassion and love.
What do I believe about apocalyptic visions? Have I ever had a vision? How do I know?
