Isaiah 6:1-3

A friend asked me to be ready to fill in for him during the communion meditation this week and as I was reading the current issue of Christian Standard (March 13, 2011) I came across Trevor Tolley’s article “Approaching the Lord Rightly.”  I found it to be very well written and I am going to use it as the basis for my study tonight and communion meditation tomorrow should I be priveledged enough to deliver it.

Tolley asks, “How should we approach the Lord’s table every week?”  This is a great question and one that I think about often.  It is one of the most important things that we do each week and if we do not take it seriously, it can become routine and lack the necessary reverence it deserves.  Isaiah 6:1-3 can provide some input for us in the area of approaching God.

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 filed the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings.  With two wings they covered their faces, with two wings they covered their feet, and with two they flew.  They were calling out to each other.  “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Heavens Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3, NLT)

Why do the seraphim cover thier faces and feet? There may be a deeper answer to this (there usually is when it comes to the bible), but initially is seems that it is the reaction of an unworthy creature who is blessed to be in the presence of God. Each seraph recognizes that it is not the equal of God and does not deserve to be in the presence of God, so it covers its face and feet while praising God.

We find ourselves in a similar situation each time we take communion. No, we are not literally in the presence of our Lord in His throne room, but we are asking God to look upon us and find our worship of Him worthy. And therin lies the problem.  Because we have sin in our lives, we are not worthy of God.

So how do we cover ourselves and transform our worship into something that will please God?  The answer is Christ.  Ephesians 3:12 says, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. “(NLT)  Wow, boldly and confidently!  That doesn’t sound like the picture I have in my head of a seraph using it’s wings to cover it’s face and feet.  That image is one of timidity and shame.  What is the difference?

When Jesus, God’s son, sacrificed His life for us, he took away our sin and made us holy or right in God’s eyes.  By believing in and accepting Christ’s as the leader of our lives, we are covering ourselves with his sacrifice.  Actually, the bible tells us that Christ’s sacrifice is better than a covering.  A covering merely hides what is beneath it like a band-aid hides a cut.  Acts 22:16 (NLT) says, “What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.”  Did you catch that?  Your sins aren’t merely hidden from God. They are washed away. They’re gone!

Jesus has made us right with God and when we take communion, not only are we approaching our Lord spiritually, but we also need to take time to remember what Jesus has done for us, reaffirm our acceptance of Him as the Leader of our life, and thank Him for His sacrifice. 

Thanks again to Trevor Tolley. Here is his original artcle http://christianstandard.com/2011/03/approaching-the-lord-rightly/