3rd Sunday of Lent (Exodus 3:1ff) “Light My Fire”

“You are standing on holy ground.”  We have moments in our life when we feel like we are on holy ground. When I have spoken with OCIA candidates through the years about what has led them towards the church, I felt like I was standing on holy ground.  God works in everyone’s life in a different way.  God hangs on to us even though we might want to let go of our spiritual life. 

Moses’ life story is an example of God holding on to a person and not letting go.  Moses, like other Old Testament figures, was called to do God’s work at a ripe old age.  Moses, according to certain traditions, lived to be 120 years old.  His life could be divided into three parts. 

The first 40 years of his life he lived in the court of Pharoah. We remember how Moses was placed in a wicker basket by his mother.  He was then set adrift on the Nile River.  Pharoah had ordered that all Israelite boys be put to death.  He wanted to stop the population growth of the Hebrew people.   Moses’ mother set him adrift in an act of desperation.  He was rescued by Pharoah’s daughter.  She raised him as if he were her son.  He was a prince of Egypt. But then Moses murdered an Egyptian man who was abusing a slave.  He ran away. 

Then began the next 40 years of his life.  He fled into the desert towards Midian where he met his wife Zipporah, whose father gave Moses a job as a shepherd.  Moses lived as a migrant in exile. He was a criminal who found a hiding place.  His life seemed over. But then the third part of his life began. 

As he was herding sheep, God called to Moses out of the burning bush.  He told him he was going to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt to freedom.  For 40 years Moses exercised his ministry as the first prophet of Israel.  He was redeemed.  He was a sinner. But God wouldn’t let him die in obscurity.  He became the most important figure in the History of Israel. 

Moses’ life can represent what every Christian life is like.  Why? Because at a certain point we all must make a conscious choice to follow Christ.    Moses was born a Jew.  Perhaps he didn’t think about his faith much.  But as he lived in isolation in the desert there came a moment when he committed to a life dedicated to God.  Often when we feel most alone, God touches our lives.  Maybe we are living far from home among strangers.  We might have lost our job.  We might be transitioning from one job to another.  We could have contracted a serious illness.  A natural disaster may have taken our home. The values of our society might have moved radically to the left or to the right.  Somehow it seems like our vision doesn’t mesh with anyone else’s.  We may have been baptized long ago but never thought about it.  But then our burning bush moment comes. We must commit to our faith in a whole new way.  We take off our shoes because we stand on holy ground.   

We have a choice.  We can twist our beliefs to help us maintain the status quo or we can run away and hide.  Then again, we can live our faith in a more intentional way.  Moses could have run from the burning bush.  Afterall, he had lived in fear for 40 years.  He argued with God saying, “Not me, not now.”  But he continued his conversation with God. He opened his heart.  We all know what happened after that. 

Presently, there are many events unfolding in our society.  A Christianity is being presented that is in direct contrast to what Jesus taught.  Mercy, compassion for the poor, non-violence, justice for all, many other things are being looked on as optional or worse still, antithetical to Christianity.  Will we divert our gaze from the burning bush?  Or will we walk towards it, taking off our shoes, and asking, “Lord, where are you calling me?”