Be Strong

Now Moses was tending, the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law the priest of Midian. And you led the Flop, to The Far Side of the Wilderness and came to our of the Mountain of God. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush and Moses saw that. Do the Bush was on fire. It did not burn up. So Moses thought I'm going to go over and see this strange sight why the bush does not burn up. When the Lord saw that, he had gone over to look God called him from within the Bush. Moses. Moses, I don't know what tone you hear God calling from within the bush?

God calls. And Moses is here. I am Do not come any closer. God said, take off your sandals for the place where you are. Standing is Holy Ground. And then God said, I am the god of your father, the god of Abraham, the god of Isaac, the god of Jacob at this Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. PS. It's the home of the Canaanites Hittites and Rice, perizzites highlights and jebusites close paren. And now the Cry of the Israelites has reached me and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now go, I'm sending you to pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. But know this that The God Who am I? That I should go to pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt and God said, I will be with you. And this will be a sign to you that it is. I who have sent you. When you had brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.

Moses said to God, I suppose I do go to the Israelites and say to them the god of your fathers has sent me to you and they ask what is his name? And what shall I say to tell them? And God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites. I am has sent me to you.

God also said, to Moses say to the Israelites, the Lord, the god of your fathers, the god of Abraham, the god of Isaac, the god of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever. The name you shall call me from generation to generation. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God. That we have a Living Word. A word that can speak across cultures across time. A living word that can be alive to us. Today, may we have ears and live open. To receive what God wants to bring to each of us. Evan, would you help me out and turn on the stained glass window in the back? Thank you. Just seemed a little Shadows creeping in for me. Imma do attempt to do a couple of things in my sermon time with you. One is to help us look a little more carefully and of the biblical, text of Exodus chapter 3. That's my job as a Biblical Theologian preacher. And the other is to speak to you about the presence of God. And that's my job as a theologian and biblical preacher, both those things.

I'm going to begin with a line of poetry from Elizabeth Barrett Browning. And then ask you some what if questions? and by now, most of, you know, me well enough to know that when I start in on the what if questions

I'm actually getting ready to ask you to hear the biblical text in new ways. And to risk thinking new and different ideas and to push against what might be a usual interpretation to stretch our Biblical imaginations.

In her poem, titled Aurora, Leigh Browning rights Earth's crammed with heaven. I mean could you have more beautiful for Words Earth's crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God. So here's what I wonder. What if? This Burning Bush is not unique to Moses. The rabbis of old say that others passed by this bush, but it was Moses who went over to take a look. And because he went over, he heard God speak so rereads in an Exodus chapter 3, What if and what is the miracle of the burning bush wasn't confined to the fact that it wasn't consumed by fire. But that Moses heard the voice of God. Maybe hearing the voice of God is the deeper miracle in this biblical account. What is the burning bush is a part of each of our lives may be. The only question is whether we will consider it long enough to listen for God,

And what if every burning bush is a call? Asking for an awaiting a response.

The caller is God. And God not only wants, but needs a response from Moses. From you. Army.

So you probably know where I'm headed with this. I think there are burning bushes in each of Our Lives throughout our lives. The question is not, whether there is a burning bush, but whether we will pay attention long enough to listen for the voice of God.

Let me ask you to put a pin in that for now. Step away with me to consider the aspects of God. Tuesday, a logical thought clusters that represent. How many people consider the attributes of God the qualities of God? Let me take time to study the attributes of God. We will need to spend considerable time on two words, Transcendence, and Eminence. And Eminence is with an a n c e at the end.

God's Transcendence, refers to the immortality, the infinitude, the sovereignty of the Holy other nests. I'm God. Eminence refers to God's involvement God's intervention in the course of human events. the times when God breaks into our lives, And it could be said that the Transcendence describes the God, who is there? An Eminence describes. The God who is here? and they're really reason that, I believe that the Eminence of God shows up in skyline's past role transition, Is because I experienced this in 2002.

Twice in the late winter and early spring of that year. I said no. This church is invitation to consider being a pastoral candidate.

yet the fact that the church asked me twice, unsettled me and my spirit

And so I asked Olympia presbyteries, then executive presbyter reference, then long feel to listen to me over lunch.

The AP is the executive Presbyterian. Tep is the closest thing that Presbyterians have to an individual who function similarly to a bishop. We don't have a bishop but we have this pasture to the pastures and one who gives leadership over the regional Church, And Lynn Longfield was absolutely marvellous as Pastor to the pastor's. So we put it at lunch, appointment out there in the calendar, and the week before my appointment and I woke from a dream. Call adeeb. And joyful, peace. And in this dream, I was standing in skyline's, former pulpit. And if you've been here long enough to remember it was this Big hulking box here. As several steps up three walls. And I was familiar with the sanctuary from this perspective because sometime prior I had filled in as preacher for three consecutive Sundays. When former Pastor Jim Probert, had been in a terrible auto accident and was recovering from whiplash. So, I knew where I was in this dream. And joyful. Deep peace remained. After I woke,

My lunch with Lynn Longfield. I'm asking her the question. How does a pastor know When she's being released from Ministry. How do I know I'm being released from my Ministry at University? Place Presbyterian Church to even consider another call another congregation. And she gave Sage advice And then I risked telling her about my dream and I am a person of vivid dreams. You can ask Larry

And from time to time, my dreams are prophetic. And from time to time, they are. What I've come to understand more than dreams. They are visions that are given by God spirit. So, I rest in this lunch to share with Lynn about the dream. And her response was lucky Skyline. And I gassed. It was like being hit between the eyes out. My spirit was even more deeply unsettled. Now, what is this mean?

And but the comment stayed with me.

And I didn't know if she was right. But I did believe that the Transcendent God had. Broken into my journey. And put both the dream and lunch at tucoemas Olive Garden. Right? In my path.

And then the very next day, the very next day, following that lunch bill Merkel who was on skylines passel nominating committee showed up in my VIN office at University, Place Presbyterian Church Without a scheduled appointment and asked me for the third time. Would I please submit my interest to the pastor nominating committee for Skyline? And the invitation of God Spirit was undeniable. So I submitted to the spirit of God and the Pastoral search process. And throughout conversations and multiple interviews. Preaching, a neutral Pulpit spending time with the elders. My initial Impressions were confirmed. That there would be no better Community than the skyline for me to offer my gifts and my craft and my heart while growing in Grace.

Some schools of thought and therefore some kinds of churches, put the accent mark over, God's Transcendence. And others put the accent mark over, God's eminence. Personally, I haven't worried too much about where to find God. I've known since my girlhood where God was my Sunday school teachers told me God is with me.

The burning bush doesn't limit God to the Supreme Being or a superhero or the big guy in the sky. The burning bush also reveals God, who is more like a call A solicitation and asking and insistence.

So let me know straight God said to Moses, I have observed. The misery of my people I have heard their cry, I know there's suffering and I've come down to deliver them from the Egyptians and I can imagine Moses say now we're getting somewhere. Is coming to rescue God's people. Listen to what God says. So I'm sending you To go get them out of Egypt.

I'd come down to deliver them so I will send you Transcendence. Eminence God is going to deliver God's people by sending Moses and Moses needs to enact God's desire for the people. Something is being called for in the name of God. And I can't help but believe that that call and response is also the story of Our Lives. Something is being asked of us in the name of God. It's a curious thing that the burning bush experience does not happen apart from or inspite of everyday life, but in the middle of life, but keeping of our flocks that's what Moses was doing when it happened. Did you notice that he is taking care of his father-in-law's Fox?

He's about the ordinary routine, things of his life, the same things, he did the day, before the same things, he did the week before the same thing. If he did the month before, same things, he did this time last year.

Family, work, friendships. Aaron's Church. Reading the news household tasks.

The question is, what is interrupting disrupting erupting in your life. What is God asking of you in a response? What's being called for and how will you respond?

And this is where I often get stuck on the response part. What's the right thing to do? Cuz I want to get it right. Right. No surprise to you. I'm a recovering. Perfectionist. I humbly say that before God because God is not finished with my recovery, but if you knew me, you would see how far I've come. Indian, Larry Heyman. And he is survived the work that's good. So as my children and their spouses So what is being asked of us? How do we get it right in the Burning Bush? Moses heard six words that changed everything. The way that I memorize it as a child, the words are certainly. I will be with you. Some translations say surely, I will be with you. 6 words. Moses heard the words from God coming out of the Bush. God told Moses, he heard the cries of God's people in with coming to deliver Moses is thrilled. It's about time. You know, those Egyptians hate us Hebrews and I know cuz I grew up there. And God says, so I'm sending you. Big mood swing famosas hear that God was about to bring up pharaohs or know he's about to bring up. There was resistance to losing all his slave labor, And the Israelites reluctance to listening to a former convict. Read, Exodus Moses does not have a stellar vitae. God says, certainly I will be with you. This is the promise that God loves to give especially in times of transition. God gave it to Joshua. As Joshua received the leadership mantle from Moses, be, strong and courageous. For the Lord thy God is with me. Notice like memorize the King James there. Be strong and courageous for the Lord is with you.

God loves to give this promise. He gave it to Rhea boehm as he received the kingship after his father Solomon. God's. Holy spirit fulfilled, the prophecy given to Isaiah when Mary gave birth to Jesus and his name was Emmanuel. Do you remember what Emmanuel means? God with us. God loves to give this promise. When Jesus transitioned from Earth, back to heaven. His last words to the disciples were, I will be with you always. X words.

God was with the Israelites through the Wilderness and God will be with you through this transition. Have faith in God's sovereignty and Transcendence. The Israelites needed to trust in the God above. Hidden in the cloud by day. Veiled in the pillar of fire at night, God was with them. Guiding them.

But also keep a lookout for the eminent God. The God Who shows up on the ground. For the Israelites, God broke into their Journey. Every morning, providing Manna just enough just when they needed it. And the eminent God will be with you breaking into the journey just when you need it. So, I encourage you to be confident. The Transcendent God is with you. Follow the fire. Follow the cloud. God on high is in them.

But also look for the manna. Sometimes the god of the cloud shows up on the ground. In conversations at the Olive Garden. In dreams. And processes and interviews. In times of quiet.

Certainly God will be with us, always. And my prayer. Is that we? You and I together will have eyes and hearts open to see it. To know it. Amen.

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