Here I Am! Send Me

ISAIAH WAS commissioned as a prophet in the year King Uzziah of Judah died—and it was a mindbending sight. One of the seraphim descended from the altar with a burning coal in a pair of tongs and touched Isaiah’s lips to absolve him of sin so that he could remain in the presence of God. We discuss the seraphim, who were probably winged, radiant beings of serpentine appearance. The word “seraphim” literally means “burning ones,” in the sense that they destroyed enemies by incinerating them, suggesting that the seraphim may have been what we’d call dragons. Then, after hearing the Lord ask, “Who will go for us?” Isaiah responded, “Here I am! Send me”—something all of us who follow Jesus Christ do to one degree or another when we accept him as Lord.