Dunbar United Church of Christ - June 7, 2009

A song composed in the 10th century was based on the chapter in Isaiah we just read. It begins: “Twas in the year that King Uzziah died, A vision by Isaiah was espied; A lofty throne, the Lord was set thereon; And with his glory all the temple shone.”
In all the Bible, this is one of the few times a human being saw God. Isaiah was so shocked by the sight, he thought he would die. So why would he mark the experience with a date when a certain King died?
It’s like November 22, 1963? Many people remember where they were on that date, even though it was 46 years ago. Why do we remember this? Sometimes the death of an important person is branded in our memory, like a scar. It marks the end of something.
1982 was a big year for me. I finished Seminary in Chicago, and moved to San Diego. I got my first job as a therapist in the community mental health system, which I’d be working in for the next ten years. I was engaged, and broke the engagement that year. But when I hear 1982, I think first of my father. That’s the year he died.
The name King Uzziah might not mean much to us, but if we lived in Judah 800 years before Jesus, we’d know that he was one of the greatest Kings in Israel’s history. He ruled for more than 50 years and the country prospered. When he died, people felt lost and hopeless.
And in this saddest of years God revealed himself in a powerful way. Often, God breaks through to us when we’re at our lowest. Our vision is so narrow. We see so little. We are born spiritually blind. Jesus told Nicodemus that every person needs to be born again, to be able to see, and hear, and do God’s will. But how, Nicodemus asked? How are we born with eyes that see other people -- Asians, Arabs, Mexicans, Africans -- not as “foreigners,” but as our sisters and brothers? How are we born with a heart that desires not revenge but blessing on our enemies and those who hurt us? We need a spiritual birth, Jesus said. All of us. We need the eyes and ears and heart of Jesus Christ. That’s what the spiritual life is about -- acquiring these gifts. That’s why we come here. That’s why, every day, we practice the faith Jesus taught. May Elizabeth Trauner was born on October 17, 2008. But my prayer is that she will be born again -- with eyes that will see everyone as her brother and sister, with hands that will heal others as Jesus did -- and with a heart so big that all people will be included in her love. This is also my prayer for each of us.