WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
August 31st 2008
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Who Are You?”
Exodus 3:1-15
For Moses, the journey from the banks of the Nile to the burning bush, on Mount Horeb, has not been easy. From the reeds along the waters of the Nile, Moses lived as though he was the grandson of Pharaoh. In the courts of the king Moses was destined for power and authority. But everything changed when Moses became aware of the great secret. Moses was not born for greatness but instead he was born to die like the other Hebrew male children.
We have no record of the event but I have always wondered when Moses learned the horrible truth. What was it like to come face to face with this knowledge? His whole world came crashing down. Questions raging in his head: “Who am I? Why me? Who are these people from whom I have come?” It was these questions which must have driven him from the comfortable palace. The journey to see his people was more than he could have ever expected. Certainly Moses knew, in his head, that his people were suffering but this no substitute for experience. And when Moses sees the suffering, the abuse, of his people it was a rude awakening that radicalized this young, privileged Hebrew male.
Watching his one of his own people being beaten was too much. After looking to see if anyone was around, Moses killed this Egyptian with his own two hands. In some small way, Moses must have believed he had struck a blow against the injustice of his people. But the sands of the desert could not conceal what he had done.
Once he had seen things for himself Moses, the palace walls could not contain him. The very next day Moses went back. His intentions were unclear but what he found was even more disturbing than the day before. Two Hebrew men were fighting with each other. Because Moses could not believe his eyes he challenged them: “Why are you doing the work of the Egyptians? Why would you abuse one another? Why do you not join together and fight against Pharaoh?” It was an understandable reaction for this newly enlightened, and privileged, young man. But what happens next blindsides Moses.
‘Who are you to judge us? You, who live up in the fancy palace while we suffer down here, what do you think you know about any of this? You are not going to get the last word on this because we know what you did.’ This is the dialogue that was edited in the final version. And so it turns out that this newly enlightened young man is ‘outed’ by the very people, his people, who he was seeking to help.
The collapse of Moses’ world is nearly complete. Within two days Moses has lost the home where he grew up, his newly discovered people, and is on the run for his life. How could it have ended so badly? Running for his life, unsure what might become of him Moses must have been completely disillusioned. In the midst of this upheaval and disappointment Moses finds himself setting down in Midian and marrying Zipporah, the daughter of a Midianite priest. With his activism neatly relegated to the past, Moses will live out his days in the quiet simplicity of a shepherd.
This is the critical background for understanding Moses’ encounter with the burning bush. God speaks to Moses while he is alone with the sheep going about his daily routine. God, through this curious bush, calls him into service. Like a voice from the past Moses realizes that this is the moment where everything will change. God, the God of his people, the same people whom he had left behind, and the same people who had turned on him when he had sought to save them, is calling Moses to face his fear and to act. When God speaks to Moses the words tap into Moses’ passion which has been long since buried. God reminds Moses of what he has left behind with these words:
I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:7-8)
It is all quite inspiring until Moses finds that God wants him to lead this task. ‘Who am I to do this work?’ You can almost hear Moses say; ‘Don’t you remember what happened last time I tried to work with them? And I have been working in the fields so long how do you expect me to stand up against the mighty Pharaoh? You might be my God, the God of my father and such but have you seen Pharaoh’s power?’ Faced with these questions God says nothing. Well, God says nothing about Moses’ fear of inadequacy. It is a powerful message. This story is not about the strength or eloquence or background of Moses, it is about God who calls for liberation and worship.
Clearly not getting the message Moses changes his line of objection. ‘Ok, if this is not about me, then who exactly are you? Just because I show up and say; God sent me, does not mean anything. People are going to need proof. So what is your name?’ God’s response: “I am who I am.”
So Moses is supposed to say that “I AM” has sent me. There is no grand plan, he is simply given the direction to go and say: “The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.” With this calling, and little else, Moses returns to Egypt, the place of his enlightenment, to free his people to worship God on this holy mountain.
There are two dangers in the interpretation of this great story of our faith. The first is that we can be led to believe that only another Moses can deliver us from our misery and suffering. And while Moses is chosen by God to this task, God makes it clear that it is not about Moses. The other problem is that there are those who see themselves as Moses in the solitary savior. The risk, and God’s rejection of such action, is shown in what happens when Moses killed the Egyptian. When Moses acts on his own, without direction from God, the result is rejection and death.
At its heart, this passage is about God who hears and responds to suffering and injustice. While God remains a mystery to us in many ways, ‘I am who I am,’ what matters to God is not a mystery. Instead, what matters to God is the suffering and pain of the world. If God sees misery, if God hears cries, if God knows suffering, and if God acts to bring this to an end, then should God’s followers make this the aim of their worship? As followers of God, that we have come to know in Jesus, we too are called to be those who see, hear, and know suffering, and act to bring it to an end. Being people who hear and see, and know is hard work. It can wear us down and make us cynical and lead us to distance ourselves from it all. But amidst all the ways we distance ourselves let us remain open to the strange burning bushes in our lives. The reminders that God sees, hears, acts, and calls us to do the same… Who is this God we seek each week? The answer is incomplete and left a mystery but our calling to join this work is anything but a mystery. So let us pledge ourselves this day to open our eyes and ears and act on what we learn all for the glory of the one, known only as; “I AM.” Amen.
August 31st 2008
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“Who Are You?”
Exodus 3:1-15
For Moses, the journey from the banks of the Nile to the burning bush, on Mount Horeb, has not been easy. From the reeds along the waters of the Nile, Moses lived as though he was the grandson of Pharaoh. In the courts of the king Moses was destined for power and authority. But everything changed when Moses became aware of the great secret. Moses was not born for greatness but instead he was born to die like the other Hebrew male children.
We have no record of the event but I have always wondered when Moses learned the horrible truth. What was it like to come face to face with this knowledge? His whole world came crashing down. Questions raging in his head: “Who am I? Why me? Who are these people from whom I have come?” It was these questions which must have driven him from the comfortable palace. The journey to see his people was more than he could have ever expected. Certainly Moses knew, in his head, that his people were suffering but this no substitute for experience. And when Moses sees the suffering, the abuse, of his people it was a rude awakening that radicalized this young, privileged Hebrew male.
Watching his one of his own people being beaten was too much. After looking to see if anyone was around, Moses killed this Egyptian with his own two hands. In some small way, Moses must have believed he had struck a blow against the injustice of his people. But the sands of the desert could not conceal what he had done.
Once he had seen things for himself Moses, the palace walls could not contain him. The very next day Moses went back. His intentions were unclear but what he found was even more disturbing than the day before. Two Hebrew men were fighting with each other. Because Moses could not believe his eyes he challenged them: “Why are you doing the work of the Egyptians? Why would you abuse one another? Why do you not join together and fight against Pharaoh?” It was an understandable reaction for this newly enlightened, and privileged, young man. But what happens next blindsides Moses.
‘Who are you to judge us? You, who live up in the fancy palace while we suffer down here, what do you think you know about any of this? You are not going to get the last word on this because we know what you did.’ This is the dialogue that was edited in the final version. And so it turns out that this newly enlightened young man is ‘outed’ by the very people, his people, who he was seeking to help.
The collapse of Moses’ world is nearly complete. Within two days Moses has lost the home where he grew up, his newly discovered people, and is on the run for his life. How could it have ended so badly? Running for his life, unsure what might become of him Moses must have been completely disillusioned. In the midst of this upheaval and disappointment Moses finds himself setting down in Midian and marrying Zipporah, the daughter of a Midianite priest. With his activism neatly relegated to the past, Moses will live out his days in the quiet simplicity of a shepherd.
This is the critical background for understanding Moses’ encounter with the burning bush. God speaks to Moses while he is alone with the sheep going about his daily routine. God, through this curious bush, calls him into service. Like a voice from the past Moses realizes that this is the moment where everything will change. God, the God of his people, the same people whom he had left behind, and the same people who had turned on him when he had sought to save them, is calling Moses to face his fear and to act. When God speaks to Moses the words tap into Moses’ passion which has been long since buried. God reminds Moses of what he has left behind with these words:
I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:7-8)
It is all quite inspiring until Moses finds that God wants him to lead this task. ‘Who am I to do this work?’ You can almost hear Moses say; ‘Don’t you remember what happened last time I tried to work with them? And I have been working in the fields so long how do you expect me to stand up against the mighty Pharaoh? You might be my God, the God of my father and such but have you seen Pharaoh’s power?’ Faced with these questions God says nothing. Well, God says nothing about Moses’ fear of inadequacy. It is a powerful message. This story is not about the strength or eloquence or background of Moses, it is about God who calls for liberation and worship.
Clearly not getting the message Moses changes his line of objection. ‘Ok, if this is not about me, then who exactly are you? Just because I show up and say; God sent me, does not mean anything. People are going to need proof. So what is your name?’ God’s response: “I am who I am.”
So Moses is supposed to say that “I AM” has sent me. There is no grand plan, he is simply given the direction to go and say: “The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.” With this calling, and little else, Moses returns to Egypt, the place of his enlightenment, to free his people to worship God on this holy mountain.
There are two dangers in the interpretation of this great story of our faith. The first is that we can be led to believe that only another Moses can deliver us from our misery and suffering. And while Moses is chosen by God to this task, God makes it clear that it is not about Moses. The other problem is that there are those who see themselves as Moses in the solitary savior. The risk, and God’s rejection of such action, is shown in what happens when Moses killed the Egyptian. When Moses acts on his own, without direction from God, the result is rejection and death.
At its heart, this passage is about God who hears and responds to suffering and injustice. While God remains a mystery to us in many ways, ‘I am who I am,’ what matters to God is not a mystery. Instead, what matters to God is the suffering and pain of the world. If God sees misery, if God hears cries, if God knows suffering, and if God acts to bring this to an end, then should God’s followers make this the aim of their worship? As followers of God, that we have come to know in Jesus, we too are called to be those who see, hear, and know suffering, and act to bring it to an end. Being people who hear and see, and know is hard work. It can wear us down and make us cynical and lead us to distance ourselves from it all. But amidst all the ways we distance ourselves let us remain open to the strange burning bushes in our lives. The reminders that God sees, hears, acts, and calls us to do the same… Who is this God we seek each week? The answer is incomplete and left a mystery but our calling to join this work is anything but a mystery. So let us pledge ourselves this day to open our eyes and ears and act on what we learn all for the glory of the one, known only as; “I AM.” Amen.
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