The "Call"- Though most "calls" from the divine are probably as private as our cellular conversations (that is, personal and not public), Isaiah’s vocational directive carries features common in several other prophetic callings-that of Moses (Ex. 3:1-4:17), Gideon (Judg. 6:11-24), Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4-10), and Ezekiel (Ez. 1-3). What these stories hold in common are the following: a report of an encounter with God, usually via a messenger; a commissioning to do God’s will or to speak on behalf of God; a ritual act or sign that symbolized the designated role. [1]

A Balanced Call - In a time when personal piety and social justice are rarely connected, the call to Isaiah is refreshing. As the NIB points out, "

The vision in the Temple, the hymn, the smoke of the offering, and the ritual of purification show that the prophet is in the sanctuary. Such texts as this make it difficult to drive a wedge between a prophetic and a priestly vocation. The contemporary call to respond prophetically to social problems such as racism, poverty, and other forms of injustice typically is experienced in the context of prayer and worship. Likewise, prophetic words and actions gain conviction and force when expressed out of genuine piety. Moreover, worship and prayer are shallow without awareness of and concern for the specific and concrete problems of human societies. [2]

 

Recall a powerful moment during worship in which you responded to God’s direction or directive.

In the categories of social justice and personal piety, where are you most comfortable at this moment? What would be required to achieve more balance between our status as God’s child and our work in God’s name?

This lesson presents a worship model that most Christians, no matter their worship preferences, experience in worship-an awareness of being in God’s presence, an encounter with God, a sense of inadequacy and the need for confession, a call to respond, and ritual acts. Which of these worship moments do you find yourself becoming most aware of God?

For a homily based on this passage, please see "Worship," (Isaiah 6), Year C in the DPS archives.

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[1] For an insightful discussion of call narratives, see “The Form and Significance of the Call Narratives,” in Zeitschrift für die altestamentliche Wissenchaft 77 (1965): 297-323.
[2] The New Interpreter’s Bible VI (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001), pp. 104-105.