WHAT IS THAT TATTOO, ANYWAY?

Stafford Greer, Bearspaw Lead Site Pastor

Ever wonder what that tattoo is on my right arm, but maybe you were too nervous to ask (what is the etiquette for inquiring about other’s tattoos, anyway?)? Some people get tattoos simply because they liked a design and, in an impulse, got it tattooed on them. For other people, there is a deep and rich meaning behind their choice to get a tattoo and what the design is. My tattoos would be in the latter category: meaningful and purposeful. Over the next few To The Pointe devotionals, I would like to walk you through some of the meaning and significance of my tattoo sleeve; what it is, what meaning it has for me, and why I would get a tattoo like this one.

I’m not saying that you’re going to necessarily agree with me on whether or not getting it was wise, or even visually appealing - nor do you have to - but I do hope that I can convey some of the meaning and significance behind it that might encourage and challenge you along the way. In future weeks, we’ll dive into some of those motivations, but for now, let’s look at a passage of scripture that my tattoo sleeve is based on: Isaiah 6:1-8.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.' Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

If you’re looking for the TLDR (too long, didn’t read) summary: the tattoo is a visual representation of the Isaiah 6:1-8 passage: there’s Isaiah, a seraphim, and a burning coal about to touch Isaiah’s lips.

For those of you whose curiosity is not yet satiated, let’s read on…

When I was considering getting a tattoo this size, I really wanted it to be meaningful to me; I wanted it to reflect an element of my faith, reveal something about God, and be a good conversation starter I could use to hopefully break the ice and subvert some expectations people may have about pastors.

If you’ve heard my story, you’ll know that I did not enter the pastorate willingly. God had a call on my life, and I did what I could to ignore and run from it. In the end, God’s will won out and I wouldn’t have it any other way! I have since embraced the call to be a pastor and had found myself finding affinity with the various stories of God’s calling on the lives of people in scripture: Moses, Jeremiah, Jonah, Isaiah, Levi, Simon, James, and so many others.

I especially found myself drawn to Moses, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. Each of these men had a call on their lives by God for a specific purpose, and each of them had reasons not to follow:

• Moses - “I’m not a good speaker, you don’t want me” (Ex. 4:10)

• Jeremiah - “I wish I could stop speaking your word, but if I keep it in, my bones are on fire!” (Jer. 20:9)

• Isaiah - “I’m really sinful and unclean, you couldn’t use me!” (Isa 6:5)

My life and call is not the same as these three men, but I find affinity with them: on my own merit, I really am not the best choice for any of this, and there are far more eloquent, eager, and less-sinful people God could call to the pastorate, but he called me.

God’s call on your life may not be to the pastorate, or to be a missionary in a different culture (the two positions we evangelicals in the west seem to prioritize and celebrate more than business owner, trades person, server, teacher, etc.), but God does have a call on your life to be faithful to him.

Where is God calling you to obedience? What would saying “yes” to his leading look like? Where have you been tuning out his call?

Holy Spirit, we repent of our heard heart and stopped up ears. Please speak to us again, revealing your call in our lives - both individually and collectively as RockPointe Church. We pray this in Jesus name and for his glory. Amen.