Sermon, Trinity (B)

 Holy, holy, holy!
 
Holy is a word we use a lot in the church, and especially when we are talking about Trinity Sunday!  But have you ever pondered what it means?
 
Obviously, a basic definition is helpful – it references someone or something that is morally and spiritually excellent. Lovely. It’s an adjective for someone that is dedicated to the service of God. And it’s used to describe something that is consecrated or dedicated for religious purpose. Something that is sacred.
 
Holy moly!
Okay, let’s also acknowledge that our society embraces the word holy in a casual tone, to indicate extreme surprise or dismay. Holy mackerel, holy cow, holy conniption…  
 
…But back to the real holy of holies. And back to holiness.
 
Because the Trinity embraces the holiness of God – and the holiness from God. It’s why we hear the passage from Isaiah, who has so beautifully articulated these angels – please remember that angel means messenger – so the imagery of greeting cards does not apply. But there they are – God’s messengers, flying around, hiding the parts of themselves deemed too distracting or damaging to the human witnesses – and they delight in pronouncing the presence of holiness. 
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of God’s glory.”
 
And that one sentence – that declaration - that joyous proclamation! - is what it’s all about. And it’s not limited to One – but three. Holy, holy, holy! The Lord of Hosts has 3 holies. 
 
And in saying HOLY three times, the people hearing Isaiah’s words are reminded of the meaning of three – especially in the scriptures – because this is more than just what we hear and recognise as the Triune God – the Three-in-One. This is the patriarchs before and after the flood, it’s the Epiphanic gifts, it’s the temptations, it’s the witnesses to the transfiguration, it’s the days in the tomb, it’s All Throughout Scripture. 
 
And some scholars suggest it means harmony, new life, balance, strength. Three is important. 
 
Holy, holy, holy.
 
The whole earth is full of God’s glory; God who is the Holy one, who is amazing and awesome and beyond compare. 
 
 
So… that means holiness flows everywhere, right? Like a gentle rain on a spring day, caressing the leaves as it falls, soaking delicately into the earth, swelling the seeds that help sustain our life. It’s flowing like sunshine, casting down on the sea, lighting each creature beneath the depths and reflecting off every bouncing wave. It’s particles elegantly floating through the air, dancing on invisible currents, hovering in and out of our sight. 
 
WHEW! 
So… joyous! So happy! So perfect! So absolutely ideal.
But… what happens with real life, then, when we aren’t in that happy-clappy state?
 
What about when we’re exhausted by the pandemic’s restrictions? 
 
What about when we’re short-tempered with our family?
 
What about when we get cut off in traffic or our favourite food isn’t on the grocery store shelf or we see somebody posted something else we really don’t like on our social media feed.
 
What then? How do we bask in the glorious HOLY that the angels proclaim, when basking is the farthest thing from our minds?
 
Well, that’s when we remember that we’re not alone. 
 
Because throughout the ages, life has been – life. There’s always been difficulty and discord; we’ve always experienced angst and animosity. We’ve always known injustice and inequity.
And we’re not alone.
 
The very first words we hear of today’s lesson remind us of this: 
“In the year that King Uzziah died”
Okay, dead king. That’s sad. 
 
But it was more than sad to the people of Israel – Uzziah had been their regent for more than half a decade – in a time when lifespan was not much longer than that. 
 
Uzziah was known as one of the best and most prosperous regents in that time – he had fortified an army to provide security for his people – he had devised machines to make the peoples’ jobs easier – he had secured geopolitical zones to ensure prosperity for his people – he personally engaged in agriculture, seeking ways to secure the food systems. He was a VERY popular king. Even when his pride got the better of him, he engaged in self-reflection and awareness, and practiced humility and repentance. 
 
Life for these folks was so much better because of their king! 
So when he died – this was a time of mourning and grief for all the land. There was sorrow and fear, confusion and lament. 
And the people turned to their prophet Isaiah for words of comfort and hope.
 
And to them, Isaiah shared his vision of a mighty and loving God, a higher king than even their beloved Uzziah, encircled by ethereal angels proclaiming holiness.
Holy, holy, holy, indeed!
 
The earth is full of the holiness of God.
The whole earth. 
Not just the flora and fauna, the land and sea – but also the people. 
 
And this is a powerful moment for folks to understand how God shares this holiness: 
 
Perfect holiness is gifted and shared through imperfect people. 
 
Because Isaiah declares how he – a man revered by the people - is honest with the angels in his self-assessment. I’m lost, he says. I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know what to say, or where to go, or what to do….
 
And the angels bring him God’s grace. Forgiveness touches his lips with the live coal from the holy place before God – touches, but does not burn. Instead, it purifies the words. It redeems the heart. It cauterizes the woe. It removes the guilt and blots out the sin. 
 
So much so, that Isaiah can hear the call of the angels to go, to be commissioned and sent, to be entrusted with the gift and privilege and responsibility to keep that holiness flowing: and he says HERE AM I! SEND ME!
 
He wants to be a holy vessel, chosen and used – despite his flaws. 
We’ve all been there – and that’s normal. It’s natural. It’s expected. 
And that desire, to overcome the challenges and sinfulness of life, is where the sacred enters in. 
 
Because the sacred – sacred meaning something dedicated or set aside for the purpose of worship. 
The sacred is part of the ordinary.
Let me say that again: The sacred is part of the ordinary.
 
They are not opposing designations, they are integrated. It’s an ever-evolving reality, where what we consider ordinary or profane, and what we consider as sacred, interweave and intermingle and interconnect. 
Romanian philosopher Mircea Eliade describes this as a complimentary reality – that the influence of the sacred on the profane is a hierophany – a manifestation of the sacred. The presence and touch of the sacred makes the ordinary to be sacred.
 
French sociologist Émile Durkheim identified sacred things as being representative to the interests of a group – a community – whereas the profane involved only an individual’s concerns. So as unity increases – unity between people, between families, between countries – whatever. As unity increases, so does the presence of the sacred. As unity increases, the non-sacred ordinary DEcreases. 
 
And so it’s Isaiah, wanting to be helpful to the community, wanting to increase both unity in the people and the presence and knowledge of the sacred in their midst, who says “Here am I! Send me.”
 
Because he knows that he can be useful in sharing what is sacred. He knows that he can be of benefit in teaching others about how Holiness is about bringing us together, not drawing lines to keep people out. It’s about unity, not division. 
 
And he knows that what God makes clean, what God purifies, what God sanctifies – the process of making sacred – God uses these ordinary things and people and times and experiences – to extend the reach of his glory. To broaden the scope of his grace. To deepen the richness of his holiness. 
Holy, holy, holy. 
 
It’s shown to us as Isaiah’s lips are cleansed so he can proclaim the Good News.
It’s shown to us as Paul details that we are united in God’s family as children and heirs.
It’s shown to us as Jesus embraces the questions and concerns of a man who society wouldn’t even let near him. 
 
         It’s shown to us: in the assurance that Jesus was sent to us not only to have eternal life; but to know that we are not condemned, we are not rejected, we are not beyond the powerful embrace of the holy.
 
God so loved the world, that he sent his Son to gather us together. By the love of God, through the salvation of Christ, to be infused via the Spirit with the glorious divine: that we may delight in all that is holy. And to celebrate when the sacred touches our souls and guides us to acts of love. 
 
Holy, Holy, Holy. 
Amen.