God's People: Moses & the Burning Bush

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”
But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM Who I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: 
"This is my name forever, and this is my title for all generations." ~ Exodus 3:1-15

I remember a time on my faith journey where I wondered why I didn't have a "Road to Damascus" moment like Paul, or a "burning bush" moment like Moses: something so startling and affecting that I couldn't help by pay attention.

In all honesty, however, I have to wonder if that would actually really do it for me. Would I really pay attention after that?

Here, it takes a little more than a fiery pant to fully bring Moses around. His initial reaction is one of fear and doubt.

"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?

God is there talking directly to him, and he wavers.

Not really too surprising. Jesus' disciples had Jesus right there with them, and more often than not, seemed fairly clueless.

So why should I think that a Burning Bush or Road to Damascus would change anything in me?

Why would I imagine that Jesus walking right up to me, or beside me, would make a difference?

The truth is that even with God right in front of me, my own brokenness would still be present. 

Fear and doubt usually exist in a life of faith even where love and faith exist as well.

And a life of faith is filled with small moments, just as well as big ones: mundane tasks that can be a chore; a quiet life of prayer; people we love and people we argue with.

God's word comes to us through words on a page or voices of ordinary folks just as much as they come through blazing shrubs.

And this makes me no more or no less equipped than the disciples or Moses to grab onto the good news that has been given to me.

"Who am I?" Moses asks, even when confronted with something so awe-inspiring that it would seem impossible not to take notice.

"What am I?" I ask every day as I rise.

The answer, while not coming to me in the full technicolor of Moses' burning bush, is the same for me as it was for Moses; for Paul, for the disciples, and for you.

"Child of God."

Prayer: God, let me find you in moments that are grand, and moments that are small. Remind me always that you are present in each and every moment of my life. Amen.


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