WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:28.719 So Moses gets the heck out of Egypt, luckily, or maybe not luck, finds his way to his original birth community, finds a leader in Jethro, a priest of the Midianites, and a wife who is a son of the priest, Zippara, and now he's gonna settle in for a nice easy life. 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:30.719 Right? 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:39.119 This will be nice and easy, especially for a guy who doesn't have confidence in how he he speaks and talking people into things. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:45.679 This is nice and easy until God comes for him. 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:54.000 And it's not just some simple little message that you can go, oh yeah, maybe he didn't, you know, maybe that wasn't God. 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:58.320 No, we got a bush that's on fire, but it's not burning up. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.399 It's grabbing his attention. 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:07.519 There's nothing else that he can do but sit and listen to this. 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:18.480 I wonder if you were to ask by a small child, maybe a child named Amelia, maybe not. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:22.239 Why is the bush burning? 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:24.319 What would you say? 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:26.879 No, really. 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:30.159 We were dealing with this on Friday night. 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:34.079 It was question after question, and that was one of the questions. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.840 Can I challenge you to how about this one? 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:42.480 Why is she putting her baby in the basket and sending it down the river? 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:46.239 What do you tell young five-year-olds? 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:58.159 We like to think that these are children's tales because we've known them so long, and yet when you really look at them, like, my goodness. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:05.439 And here's this fantastic thing: this burning bush that isn't actually burning, this miraculous tail. 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:08.479 And it's interesting to me. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:10.479 Am I fading in and out? 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:15.120 It's interesting to me how we get hung up there. 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:31.120 You know, this amazing story about how God comes to Moses and in turn comes to us, inviting us into life abundant, life that is rich, life that is with God. 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:38.719 In this case, a pathway with uh cultural justice. 00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:42.560 He's gonna be freeing the Israelite people. 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:52.960 So he's getting invited into this pathway, and we read this story, we tend to get hung up on the burning bush. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:56.080 All right, my life's difficult. 00:02:57.360 --> 00:02:59.759 God, you can send me a burning bush. 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:02.159 Let me know for sure what I'm supposed to do. 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:03.520 Have you said this? 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:06.800 Where is my burning bush? 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:09.199 You know, I'll follow. 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:10.960 Sure, I'll follow you, God. 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:15.120 Just give me a burning bush so I know I'm not being silly over here. 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:16.080 Right? 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:21.120 And we we kind of submit this economy to God. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:27.360 You give me miraculous proof, then I'll do whatever you want. 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:28.800 Who has said this? 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:31.360 Liars. 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:36.080 We've all said it in some unique way. 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:41.199 Just give me some evidence, God, and of course then I'll follow. 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:44.960 But we so we get hung up on this burning bush. 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:47.759 Maybe we want a little FOMO. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:52.639 You know, we wish we could get that burning bush. 00:03:53.840 --> 00:04:21.199 This theme that we're working through over these next few weeks, this journey to faith, it starts last week when we're talking about how we're a little bit like Moses' basket, where we're being kind of pushed down the river with all the different currents and flows, and for us in life, the influences that happen around us, the things that can get hold of us sometimes. 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:33.360 And we talked about how some of those are macro things where we're challenged to go live out a life of justice, and if it means sacrifice, maybe even danger. 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:36.800 But we also talked about the micro things. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:42.079 Stuff like, how many cookies is too much, God? 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.680 When have I shortchanged myself? 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.959 I want to be clear about that from last week, by the way. 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:52.720 Cookies, I believe, to be a gift from God. 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:59.120 And add to the richness of living here, as it as with all food. 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:08.240 I think the challenge is knowing when we move from the the richness of this gift that life offers to I need this. 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:12.720 I need this, I need this coffee, I need this sugar. 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:23.680 That's when it becomes a conversation, and that's when we start to understand versus sometimes, these false gods that get hold of us, right? 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:30.079 And and start grabbing on to us, sometimes to small degrees, sometimes to big degrees. 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:41.600 And in the midst of that journey, we're navigating all of that, God comes to us and God says, Hey, I want to show you a better way. 00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:50.399 I want to show you where you might go to live a life that is more bountiful, more rich. 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:57.839 It's a way that's grounded in faith in God's presence and God's power. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:03.120 It's a way that's grounded in God's justice and equity for all. 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:11.040 It's a way grounded in love for all of God's children, all of God's creation. 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:18.720 It's a way of commitment and often a way of sacrifice, but to a higher way. 00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:28.800 This is what God offers to us in place of these other false gods that we sometimes get attached to. 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:35.360 But like Moses, sometimes we find that way a little too difficult. 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:42.160 Even though we know the blessings God has for us, we know we have felt the blessings God have for us. 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:48.879 Still, when God comes to us and says, I want to show you an even better way, we we fight it a little bit. 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:54.240 Have you heard about the uh five excuses of Moses? 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:59.120 We dealt with those a little bit in Bible study just last Wednesday. 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:10.800 The five excuses of Moses, the different things he comes up with to say, wait a minute, God, do I really need to go to the highest king in the land and tell him to free all the Israelites? 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:12.879 Do I really need to do this? 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:16.720 He starts with that question of who am I? 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.240 What's this insignificant person? 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:24.319 Have you ever said who am I? 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:31.120 Then he goes, Who were who are you? 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:34.000 I mean, you're you're God, you know? 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:38.399 Maybe you ought to take care of this, God, right? 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:43.439 You you got all the power, all the omniscience, I'm the omnipotence. 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.240 Yeah, maybe you ought to take care of it. 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:49.600 Or there's another one of the excuses. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:51.600 What if they don't believe me? 00:07:51.839 --> 00:08:02.160 I'm gonna stick my neck out, look a little silly if I'm out there talking about how we're supposed to free these Israelites, and then nothing happens. 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.839 Then the famous one from Moses, I am not eloquent. 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:10.959 I am not eloquent. 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:15.519 I lacked the necessary skill set to get this done. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:18.959 Have you said that one to God? 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:22.639 And then the last one. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:26.160 Send somebody else. 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:30.879 Just pure unwillingness. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.039 Thank you, God, for the offer. 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:35.919 I'm going to move on. 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:41.679 We probably say that more than we're even willing to accept. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:53.279 But here's what's amazing about this passage: this at least 3,000-year-old story about our relationship with God. 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:56.000 Because God has answers for each of these. 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:01.200 When we talk about who am I, well, God's answer is I will be with you. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:07.039 In a way, it doesn't matter who you are, because I am with you. 00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:11.279 The power is with the power is with God. 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:14.960 When we say, Who are you? 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:18.879 God says, I am who I am. 00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:27.679 I am coming as the character of justice, the character of love, the presence of all of these things. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:31.600 But you need to bring me. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:35.759 When we say, what if they don't believe me? 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:46.320 Well, God in this passage provides the signs that gives Moses what Moses needs to be able to be credibly. 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:53.279 And then God takes responsibility for the result, making sure that things happen. 00:09:53.679 --> 00:10:00.639 When we say I am not eloquent, God says your mouth, but me. 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:04.480 I gave you the faculties you have but me. 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:08.000 I know what you are capable of. 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:26.320 And when we say when we say send somebody, yes, God grudgingly sends Aaron along with Moses, but he also cautions against missing the blessings of being that instrument. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:33.759 That instrument to be is able to do what God would have them do, what we would do with God. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:39.840 Yeah, we want to focus on this burning bush a lot. 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:44.960 And we want to focus on why God doesn't seem to speak to us like that. 00:10:45.279 --> 00:11:03.039 But we get in danger of missing this brilliant deconstruction of why we don't experience the full blessing that God wants for us, the life that God sees for us. 00:11:04.799 --> 00:11:12.159 I think this is what is meant when we say that God is coming to us with a better way. 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:31.039 Amidst our lives of competing influences, the little voices that tell us we need something more than we need God, the bigger voices that tell us we're not worthy or we're not safe. 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:39.600 God comes and says, Let's do this. 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:43.840 Let's go and be the blessing. 00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:48.799 Today is communion. 00:11:50.879 --> 00:12:06.879 As you are in your time of reflection, leading up to communion in your time of partaking, let's try to move past the need for the burning bushes and to look for how God is trying to reach us. 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:12.879 That invitation to a life abundant comes to us in many, many ways. 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:22.879 Let's not the let's not wait for the miraculous way at the expense of missing God's real communication to us. 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:34.000 As you come forward today, ask yourself how is God coming to you and how might you respond? 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:36.399 Amen.