From: Jon Yeager
“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Isaiah 6.5
“The more I see of men the better I like dogs” is the way that C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves summarizes a certain sentiment that is unwilling to enter into the demands of human companionship. This particular sentiment has probably never passed through our lips, but I don’t think we have to search far to hear it echoing through our hearts from time to time. It could become as loud as church bells as many of us are about to cram in a years worth of prolonged family visits during this festive holiday period. A dog might just be on next year’s Christmas list.
However, entering into God’s presence, as Isaiah so profoundly experienced in this chapter, forces us not only to own up to the thoughts of our individual hearts, but to see how woven together each of our sin struggles are with one another. Isaiah is compelled to acknowledge his sin as well as the sin of those for which he belongs. In other words, our sin is inextricably woven together with the sin of those to whom we belong. We may not be able to connect all the dots, but our confession must be ours together before a King who can surely see and connect all the dots.
The beauty of this corporate confession is the way it links us together in the struggle and fight for restoration and mission. If we can truly see and enter into the demands of companionship, truly confess our dwelling in the midst of sin, then we can truly be of help to one another. We can embrace each other as companions sent into this messy world. I’m not one to be into dogs, but this seems to far outweigh any life with a pet.
I, my wife Brittany, and daughter Ellie live in Arlington. I work for a Christian leadership organization called Christian Union on Harvard’s campus.