Exodus 3
3 Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight,
and see why the bush is not burned up.’
400 years have passed since Joseph went to Egypt. His father Jacob and his brothers and families followed and found refuge during a great famine. In Egypt they grew to a great nation that created an immigration crisis. Would the growing subculture take over? We know how threatening the refugee crisis today and the posing challenges. Pharaoh resolved the threat by making the descendants of Jacob into slave workers. We now read the story of Moses that has been made popular in Hollywood.
Jacob’s name was changed to Israel when he returned with his many sons from serving his uncle. His descendants were known as the Hebrews. Moses, as a Hebrew child, was raised in the Pharaoh’s home (another story) but had to flee. He reorganizes his life, marries and becomes a herdsman. One day he sees a bush that is on fire but does not burn and decides to investigate.
Moses sees the fire of God shining through this bush that does not burn and his life changes. Sometimes we have life changing experiences that cause us to see life differently. A driver signaled for me to cross the street as he was talking in his truck and not ready to move. But the accelerator jammed, rammed me, throwing me into the air to land on my head. I was not hurt. The next morning I experienced color in a whole new way and I experienced God in a new way too. I should have been killed according to spectators. The bush should have been consumed by the flames. Moses didn’t walk by but noticed. And so Moses became the leader that led the people of Israel to the Promised Land. In yesterday’s reading God spoke through a dream that used a tree. Today’s story God speaks through a bush that should have burned. God speaks to us through the ordinary objects in our life, even through us as we yield to his desires in our lives. When we see something extraordinary, do we pull out our cameras for a picture, a selfie, or do we pause for a moment and listen for God’s voice. A rainbow appeared minutes after the Queen died and many found great comfort in it. Let us pray today that we will be aware when God is speaking to us in “the bushes that don’t burn” in our lives.
On the Way to Wonder 