Who am I?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
August 28, 2011
Rev. Mark R. Miller
Exodus 3:1-15
“Who Am I?”

Who is he? Who is this man who stands on the mountain talking to a burning bush? By training, he is an aristocrat. Taught at the finest schools he understood the ways of empire. He was part of the society where leadership was simply expected. But he was also the son of slaves which created an identity crisis.
We know the whole story, but Moses comes to terms with his conflicting identity in some unsettling ways. We do not know the day or when he knew, but one day he was confronted by the fact he had a secret. Moses had passed as the grandson of Pharaoh and he did not even know the privileges which had come to him at the expense of his own people. And when he found out the secret kept from him, he had to know. He had to know who he was and from where he had come.
So on one fateful day he saw firsthand what life could have been like for him. He crossed the tracks and came face to face with his identity. It was too much. So he struck out against the injustice by killing a taskmaster. This action cost him all his privilege. Once he was a prince and now he is an outlaw, not even able to find refuge among his own people. So Moses goes into exile.
But on this day, facing the burning bush, his days as a prince and a radical were long behind him. In fact, it was a lifetime ago. By all accounts Moses is now an old man. So when he sees the burning bush he has no clue its light will lead him back to Egypt.
I like to imagine the inner thoughts of Moses as he speaks with God. Imagine the relief, the deep thankfulness when Moses learns that God has heard the suffering and seen the misery. Finally, after all these years Moses knows the struggles for freedom are over. God is going to intervene. And maybe, just maybe, the internal struggle over identity and privilege that has plagued Moses all these years will come to an end. Moses can die a happy man.
This all comes in a moment that seems like a rather holy scene. Sandals are removed. There is a holy light. And, it all comes with the voice of God. It is a sight that could bring peace to our trouble souls. God hears the cries of those who suffer and God is going to act. That is welcome news for anyone who has struggled for justice. Now that God has things under control we can go back to tending our sheep and focusing on ourselves.
It is a powerful picture except for one small detail. The story is not finished. There is one small detail we have forgotten. God says, “So come, I will send YOU to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” While this passage comes all at once without a pause I like to believe there is just enough of a pause for Moses to move from joy at God’s action to dread that he is the one God has chosen. It turns out that the savior Moses was waiting for all along… was himself. Like the saying goes, it turns out that, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”
God comes to Moses and shows him a future beyond the present suffering and slavery. And after receiving this powerful vision and calling, all Moses can say is, “Who am I?” It is at this point that the excuses begin to come. I am too old! My days as a leader are over. I can’t because of this… or that… or the other… “Who am I?”
God’s response is simple. It really is not about you and your skills. “I will be with you.” God says. I’ve got your back and that is all you need to know. It is a strange promise because the sign that Moses will receive that God is with him comes when everything is over. You will know I was with you when you get back here to this mountain. No promise of signs along the way. There will be no progress reports on God’s presence. God does not promise comfort or personal fulfillment or a life of ease. And with the promise of “I will be with you,” Moses protests further. What if these people don’t accept me? Once again, God makes it clear, it’s not about you. Tell them the story of Abraham and Sarah. Tell them I am the God who Joseph said would come back. It is clear that when God calls people to service it really is not about them.
This is a strange story to our modern sensibilities. God may choose you to serve because your gifts and skills match with the needs. However, if the bible is any indication of the way God works, calling to service often comes despite our inability and lack of skills. Who we are matters only in our willingness to say yes. “Who am I?” is no excuse for skipping out on the life of discipleship. Moses’ age, location, desires, and skills do not matter when God says, I am sending you.
In many ways, this is our story. We have not been called to liberate slaves from the empire, but we have been called to live out the vision of the beloved community in this place. We have been called to do this in one of the most segregated cities in our nation. Like Moses we are called to cross boundaries and speak to people we have been taught are not like us and might even want to do us harm. But we say, “Who are we?” And God says, “It is not about us and our skills, or our numbers, or our money.” God says, I need disciples and we say, “Who are we?” God is calling us to deeper faithfulness as disciples. God is calling us to be disciples and make disciples for just such a time as this.
And just like Moses we will respond, “who am I?” Who are we? We are all prone to this same response. I have my own “who am I?” What is yours? What is your “Who am I?” story? Is it that you think you are too old? Moses was in his eighties when he started this journey. Or maybe it is something else that is holding you back. What is your “Who am I?” What is it that is keeping you from deeper discipleship? Well, let me make clear what I mean when we talk about discipleship. It really is pretty simple to remember. The life of discipleship can be boiled down to three areas: Worship, Study, and Service. Each needs nurturing if we are to live faithfully as Jesus’ followers.
“Who am I?” will stand in the way if we let it. Westminster is moving forward toward this vision of the beloved community. There is no going back or stopping where we are or congratulating ourselves for where we are. We are just getting started. And, in order to make this journey we will need to remember that is not about us. “Who am I?” isn’t the issue. God says, “I will go with you.” You will not be alone. This is no joke friends. People are starving for the vision we have been shown. If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Who am I? Who are we? The good news is that it doesn’t matter… we have been called. Amen? Amen!