They should not perish!
“Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
(Isaiah 6:8, John 3:16)
You are warmly welcome!
The Church calendar is at a turning point – today is Trinity Sunday, and we celebrate the team of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God sent His Son, and when Jesus Christ ascended, the Father and the Son ‘sent’ the Holy Spirit. Remember in the Nicene Creed: ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit … who proceeds from the Father and the Son; with the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified; and He spoke through the prophets.’ This team has been working from the beginning, and was manifested in a fresh way at the Baptism of Jesus Christ and in the events leading up to Pentecost. Gilbert Rorison’s work lives on especially in this hymn of the season that addresses God in the Trinity:
Three in One and One in Three, Ruler of the earth and sea,
Hear us, while we lift to Thee, Holy chant and psalm.
Three in One and One in Three, Faint our songs on earth may be;
Yet in heaven’s glory we shall adore your name.
The series of ‘sendings’ from Father to Son to Spirit are the epitome of God’s work on mission to save humankind. God at some points also sent fellow men to reach out to their brothers and sisters – all to the end that they should not perish in rebellion. Recall again the mission of this church: “To rouse and send God’s people… as disciples of Jesus Christ and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God…” The sending is according to how God has always carried out His mission. The entire Bible is full of such episodes. We will spend the months of June and July exploring and learning about the Prophets and their Message as those who were sent by God to His people.
In today’s texts we encounter Isaiah before the Lord answering the long standing question – ‘whom shall I send?’ We have much to learn from Isaiah – he was sent so that those who would heed his message would be saved. However, it is in Jesus Christ that we find the fulfillment of God’s mission. Whoever believes in Him ‘should not perish’ – and whoever does not believe in Him will surely perish! Anyone burdened about peoples welfare should not only end at the physiological – providing food, drink, clothing, healthcare and the like; the greater need of life eternal is real and has been on God’s heart for ages.
Jesus Himself commissioned his disciples: ‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ (John 20:21) The purpose is the same – ‘they should not perish’. It is true that we still have people around us heading to death because of unbelief; because they have not put their trust in and surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. Do you hear the voice: “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
God bless you all.