 St Alban’s Episcopal Church Bolivar, Missouri Tuesday, March 15, 2022 “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standingis holy ground.”  More about Exodus What about this “holy ground?”and why “remove your sandals?” 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.  What instinct makes us “afraid to look at God?” Do we have some intuition that God only calls us by name for a reason? And that we might not just naturally want to know what that might be? What bushes are there out there that we never see burning with the fire of God because we never “turn aside to “see” anything? Is there a chance that we might come to the end of our lives without ever seeing or hearing what we most long to know – and most fear to know – and that, therefore we let be obscured by the ever-so-ordinary daily? Every child can get into this story – really!  A Reflectionby Gertrud Nelson (for you!) Holy Moses! Moses is bored. He has to take care of his father-in-law’s flock. They aren’t even his sheep. He has to lead them around to those rare places in the desert where there has been enough moisture to provide browse for these animals. There is little to look forward to the horizon – it’s like bringing your kids to the dentist, then music lessons, then picking up groceries, the cooking again and then brushing your teeth, then picking up socks…! Big whoop! There’s a green bush on the horizon. Moses stops, He holds still. He looks. He SEES, the bush bursts into flame. The flame does not burn the green bush. The impossible is suddenly possible. Green bush and flames do not destroy one another but enhance each other. Whenever we allow opposite entities to overlap and see it feel it, then…then we know to takeoff our shoes. Bare feet on holy ground. (When have you last had a chance to put your bare feet on soil? They are actually calling this a therapy these days How many layers of protection between your foot and the soil?) In that moment of seeing truly, we hear God’s voice. We want to name this Voice? What’s your name?I AM. (Live with that one!)In that incredible moment, Moses is even offered a new job! No more leading sheep – how about leading God’s chosen people? People? Oh no! I know how to speak to sheep – but not to people. I have a speech defect! I lisp and I stutter! No way. We get a job offer from GOD and promptly define ourselves as disabled. But God will provide some help, and an unsuspecting brother gets pulled into the team. And graces surround us. And we become a leader of sheep-like people with all the same characteristics of the sheep we used to heard. It’s not an easy job. But somebody has to (gets to?) do it.  |
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