September 3, 2023 - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Responding to God's Call

Photo by Ron Houser

This was Labor Day weekend and started Creator's We Are Witnesses month. Pastor Emillie introduced this month's theme in an interesting way with today's sermon. She rarely titles her sermons. She did today I use it as this blog's title.

Responding to God's Call related to both the Gospel and the Old Testament reading of Moses and the burning bush. Instead of Jesus not correcting Peter on Peter's vision of Jesus as the expected messiah we have the defiant "Get behind me Satan" response this week.

What was even more impressive this week for me was diving into the story of Moses and the burning bush. I recently pondered a question I had heard before regarding how long the bush had been burning before Moses encountered it. Did God use it as some sort of signal meant for Moses specifically as he was walking by or had the bush been burning before, perhaps endlessly? Had others seen the burning bush and no one had the patience, sensitivity or curiosity to investigate this unnatural event?

The biblical account does not explicitly state whether the bush was always burning or if it was a miraculous event that occurred only when Moses approached. Most interpretations of this passage suggest that the bush was not always burning but that it was a supernatural and miraculous manifestation of God's presence. It served as a sign to get Moses' attention and to convey the sacred nature of the encounter. Today I prefer to think about it more as Moses' unique response to God's call. What made the holy ground was the moment when Moses attempted to comprehend why this particular bush was burning but not consumed.

I saw Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away again this week after having not watched it for years. When Pastor Emillie preached about holy ground in her sermon I thought also about  the difference between Chihiro and her parents regarding the spirit setting where they began their adventure  For Chihiro this was, or became, holy ground in a way it did not for her parents.

God constantly calls to us. Our response is an essential part of what creates holy ground  The response starts with intuition or curiosity about how God's presence is being manifested; moving to delight and finally ending in wisdom.