Touched by the Coal: A Transforming Encounter

“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.’”

—Isaiah 6:6–7 (ESV)

A Coal From the Altar

I hadn’t seen it this way before. Isaiah’s vision brings a seraph with a coal, from the altar. The altar was always a place of sacrifice. There is no atonement for sin apart from sacrifice.

And here it is: the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8) Jesus, the eternal sacrifice, already offered beyond the veil of time. In Isaiah’s vision and encounter of Heaven, beyond the veil of time, this is the only sacrifice that would be there.  Isaiah’s lips were touched with a coal from that altar, the altar of Christ’s sacrifice.

In that touch, he was transformed. What followed? He offered himself to God: “Here I am, send me!”

Generational and National Ripple Effects

Isaiah’s encounter didn’t stop with him. It touched his family and his nation. Scripture notes that his wife was a prophetess (Isaiah 8:3). His children carried prophetic significance too:

“Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.” (Isaiah 8:18, ESV)

One encounter. One coal. One surrender. And the ripple effects reached generations and the entire nation of Israel.

What Is the Coal For Us?

For Isaiah, it was a burning coal. We have the opportunity to be touched by something greater. In the Eucharist, communion, it is not a coal, but symbolically and semiotically, the body and blood of Christ touches our lips.

When we receive the bread and the cup, we partake of the once-for-all sacrifice. We take into ourselves the reality of Christ’s work. He is the living Word who transforms us by His Spirit and sends us as signs and witnesses to the world.

Sent Ones

The touch of the coal was not just about cleansing, it was about commissioning. Isaiah was sent  and so are we.

Jesus gave us our commission:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

• As I go, I make disciples.
• I am an invitation to discipleship—to following Jesus and His ways.
• I am a sign pointing to the King and His Kingdom.
• I am an invitation to immersion in the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.
• I am a seed sown into the earth.

Like Isaiah, like his children, we too are called to be signs in the world, a testimony to God’s grace, power, and glory.

Reflective Prayer

Lord, touch me again with the coal from Your altar. Cleanse my lips, purify my heart, and make me a vessel for Your glory.

I surrender afresh to You—Here I am, send me. May my life, my family, and the generations that follow be a sign of Your grace and truth in this world.

Jesus, let Your sacrifice touch not just my lips but my whole being. Transform me by Your Spirit, and commission me again to live as one sent by You. Amen.