The burning coal that touched Isaiah's lips was Jesus
Isaiah described being purified by fire 2,700 years ago — a foreshadowing of the cleansing Christ offers us today.
This sermon was given by the Rev. David Libbon at Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Cornelius, North Carolina, on June 15, 2025.
You can view the sermon here, starting 21 minutes into the service.
The text for today was Isaiah 6:1-7.
Yesterday was Trinity Sunday, when we celebrated and affirmed the mystery of one God in three persons.
It is unique among church feasts because it focuses not on an event in the life of Jesus or the early church, but on a central doctrine: the Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Pastor David noted how the Trinity is a mystery:
“The Trinity is a mystery, but not a mystery like Sherlock Holmes is going to solve. It’s a mystery that as we look into it — as we get deeper into it, as we get amazed by it, as we get enthralled by it, as we get enveloped into it — the more we want to see what that next episode is. It draws us in.”
David showed us how the Trinity shows up in Isaiah 6:1-7:
The Father is on the throne: He reigns in holiness and majesty, high and lifted up above all creation.
The Holy Spirit works in the heart: The Spirit convicts Isaiah of sin and prepares him for cleansing and calling.
The Son is on the move: He is the one sent to touch and cleanse with fire, foreshadowing his saving mission.
I was especially interested in Verses 6-7, which say:
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’”
I’ve read that verse many times over the last few decades, but never understood what David said next:
“The coal that touches Isaiah’s lips is Christ.”
Once he said it, I immediately saw it.
The burning coal from the altar touches Isaiah’s lips, removes his guilt, and atones for his sin.
This coal symbolizes God’s holy, purifying presence — and it foreshadows Jesus:
Sent from the altar — Jesus comes from the presence of God, as the ultimate sacrifice.
Touches the sinner — Jesus draws near, not to condemn, but to cleanse.
Takes away guilt — By his atoning death, Jesus removes sin, not just symbolically but fully.
So in this sense, Jesus is the burning coal: holy, sent and powerful to purify. What the coal does in Isaiah’s vision, Jesus does in reality — he makes the unclean clean.
Here’s David’s full quote:
“There’s a reason that when our lives are touched by God that we are never the same. The coal that touches Isaiah’s lips is Christ. The coal is a topology (symbol) of the son coming from the father, embracing sinners, taking away guilt, and removing our sin — atoning for it.”
The same Jesus who touched Isaiah through fire now touches us through grace.
The coal cleansed Isaiah’s lips; the cross cleanses our lives.
What was mystery has become mercy — and we are never the same.
One more thing
The Trinity is a hard concept to grasp. I appreciated this simple image Pastor David shared on social media this week. It doesn’t fully explain the mystery, but it offers a clear picture the Trinity.
