March 20: The Third Sunday in Lent
Prince of Egypt opening
At my church in Honolulu I had access to screens that I could project images and even videos on as a part of my sermon. I often took advantage of that ability. It was as if I had a toolkit to draw from as I was preaching.
Sometimes that worked to my advantage and sometimes it didn't. I wish I had that option today. You see we have a lesson as a part of our scripture readings that becomes more vivid and I think communicates more fully through a video. a cartoon actually.
Some of you may have seen the Disney movie back in the '90's the Prince of Egypt. It was produced with traditional animation techniques. It was old school animation for an old story.
The scene in the movie where Moses encounters the burning bush, and meets God. It is a scene that I have viewed many, many times, and every time I find it powerful.
The reason I find the scene particularly striking is that I can't imagine a more effective visual representation of Moses in the cave. The Charlton Heston version of the scene is altogether too literal to be effective.
I ask you, if you were to meet God at the corner out here at Windsor and Church St., how would you talk about it? How would you tell someone about that experience? Would you trust yourself to even know what happened? What words would you use? Would anyone believe you?
Iconic passage as first reading
This scene from chapter 3 of the book of Exodus is an iconic passage. In its way it is a foundational passage for the entire Old Testament. The first five books of the Old Testament are known as the Torah, or "pentateuch" -- 5 books. The 5 books of Moses.
We might say that the five books of Moses are fundamentally about the relationship between Moses and God. In the same way some have said that the entire Bible is an account of the relationship between God and God's people.
One of the defining elements of the relationship between God and God's people is the covenant that God fashions to bind together the partnership. The book of Exodus is about first the people of Israel leaving slavery in Egypt and then secondly the forging of a covenant between the people and God.
God reveals to Moses the actual name of God. It is made up of four consonants, YHWH. We actually encounter that name in the second chapter of Genesis even though Moses doesn't appear until the book of Exodus. You can recognize this in your Bibles because each time the name of God is used in the text, the English is the word Lord spelled in all caps -- LORD.
I have experienced something of the effect of the use of names over the years when people ask me how they should address me. Some people call me Father Dale. Some call me Father Hathaway. When people ask me, I generally tell them that my friends call me Dale.
In the Old Testament God's friends call God YHWH -- the scholarly view is that it probably sounded something like "Yahweh". A case could be made that in the New Testament, the new Covenant, one addresses God with the word Abba. In either case the operative word is friendship with God. One who is in covenant with God is in an intimate relationship -- first name basis.
Moses has entered in this scene a sacred space. One could make a case that it is one of the most sacred spaces in the entire Bible. For that reason he is instructed to remove his sandals. Because of this scene I have often thought that we ought to remove our shoes when we enter the sanctuary of the church. I had a priest friend in Honolulu who did just that whenever he celebrated the Eucharist. But then in Hawaii it's much more common, even commonplace, to remove ones shoes when entering a living space. A sacred space.
Larger context of Exodus 3
This passage is important to us today for two elements. Moses is called to his life's work in this scene. And the stage is set for the establishment of a covenant between God and God's people. Call. Covenant.
Call
My friend Peter Judge recently published an article summarizing the elements of call or vocation in the Bible.
He identifies several themes that are common to the call of major figures in the Bible, prophets and others, including Jesus.
- a divine confrontation (bush not consumed)
- an identifying word (It is YHWH)
- a commission -- the assignment of a task (Go to Pharaoh)
- an objection (not me)
- God's reassurance that he will be there through it all (The name is "I am")
- a sign that it is truly God at work
We can see each of these characteristics at work in today's passage from Exodus 3.
Covenant
We began today's liturgy by hearing the Ten Commandments. If you go into a synagogue you will likely see a symbolic representation of those two tablets on which were written the 10 words as they are called in the text. They are not the sum total of the commandments of the covenant but rather a kind of heading, a kind of symbolic representation.
The commandments of the covenant might include many many more than 10. Or we might summarize them with Jesus's Great Commandment to love the Lord God and to love one's neighbor.
The first account of the 10 commandments is found later in the book of Exodus. The second account is found in the book of Deuteronomy. The point is to get us to focus on the covenant, to focus on the nature of God's promises to us and our responsibility and obligations as a result of those promises.
Transition to community
At the beginning of Lent we were called to the keeping of a Holy Lent, a sacred time. We weren't instructed to take our shoes off but we might keep that in mind just in case we encounter the living God.
This holy time is a kind of preparation for the fullness of a celebration of God's ultimate covenant with us in the resurrection, to be observed at Easter.
Self-examination was a part of that invitation. Prayer. Last week Fr. Graham wonderfully taught us about the fertile ground that is essential for our keeping our side of the covenant.
This week I would have us focus on our own call, our own "theophany" or appearance of God. And if we are called by the living God, how are we doing on our part of the covenant?
I have long believed that God's call is extended not just to individuals but to communities. This is born out in the Bible itself in which there is clearly a call to the people of Israel. Later the people of the emerging Jesus Movement would be identified as the "New Israel."
The promise and the commandments are directed not just at individuals but also at communities. the invitation to a holy land is directed not just at individuals but perhaps even more so at communities.
How has St. Paul's encountered the living God? For some, but not all, it has been through music. Other parts of this community have encountered a "burning bush" through service and devotion to the least among us.
If the greatest have felt inadequate to the call -- as Moses did, as Jeremiah did, as Isaiah did -- should we be at all surprised if this community responds with questions. We are too small to do such things. We don't have enough money to do such things.
If the greatest have felt encouraged by God's assurance that God will provide, should this community do any less?
What are the ways that you have seen a bush that burned but was not consumed? I have heard some of your stories. They have to do with facing life and death. They encompass little things that are barely noticed. In every way they were about God surprising you and grabbing your attention.
God calls in order to facilitate a mission, a task. God calls us in order to commission us to go in mission.
What is God calling this community to? What is this community's mission?
What is this community's understanding of God's teaching? What does this community need to do to be at the business to which God has called you?
In this outpost of the Jesus movement, how will you keep covenant?
Over the last couple of years the National Church has developed a cycle of 7 actions that we associate with the covenant life of the Jesus Movement.
THE WAY OF LOVE
TURN:
Pause, listen and choose to follow Jesus
LEARN:
Reflect on Scripture each day, especially on Jesus’ life and teachings.
PRAY:
Dwell intentionally with God daily
WORSHIP:
Gather in community weekly to thank, praise, and dwell with God
BLESS:
Share faith and unselfishly give and serve
GO:
Cross boundaries, listen deeply and live like Jesus
REST:
Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration
We might think of these as the commandments of the New Covenant. These are not burdensome responsibilities. They are the characteristics of a faith-filled Christian life.
They are a model for crafting a Holy Lent.
Turn, Learn, Bless, Pray, Worship, Go, Rest.
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