Scripture
Exodus 3:1-12
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 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. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
Reflection
This spring, we visited Sugarloaf Mountain for a hike to the Summit. To get to our destination, we had several options to choose from. We could take a longer, less steep trail which would require us to spend most of the hike working up the incline and then we would take the very steep steps back down the mountain. Or, we could begin the hike with the very steep incline up the steps and then come down the longer, less steep trail.
We opted to take the ¼ mile very steep incline and steps straight up the mountain to the Summit. This way, the hard part would be over, we could enjoy the Summit and easily work our way back down the mountain. This ¼ mile was brutal. From the moment we stepped onto the trail, we were heading straight up. Thankfully, positioned throughout the trail were benches and large rocks where we could stop and catch our breath. Once we made it about half way up the trail, we encountered the steep stone steps that would take us the rest of the way.
This ¼ mile took us quite a while to journey, with lots of breaks. But the whole time, we were surrounded by the beauty of nature and the support of friends to encourage each other. When we reached the top, the view was even more stunning than we could have imagined. As we sat on the rocks and looked over the valley below, we rested in the joy that comes from having pushed hard and persevered, in the joy that comes from not letting the fear and doubt of the journey keep us from ever starting it.
In our Scripture reading, we read that Moses encounters a most peculiar site on his journey. As he tended the flock, he was met by an angel in a burning bush. Much to his surprise, God was calling him to begin a new journey. A journey that would free God’s people. A journey on which he would face opposition and danger. A journey he didn’t think he was qualified to take on.
But God calls him anyway and promises to be with him on the journey. As we know, Moses answers God’s call and heads out on a journey that will lead to plaques, crossing the sea on dry land, and 40 years wondering in the wilderness. This journey will change the lives and history of God’s people and will lead them to freedom.
The story of Moses reminds us that all we need is a little bit of faith and the courage to take the first step. Wherever we journey, whatever we face, God is with us. The road ahead may look too challenging, the trail too steep. But with faith, courage, and lots of breaks we can do it. And we will be rewarded with the joy of the summit, the joy of completing that which is hard. The joy of having journeyed with our God.
Prayer
You can choose to free pray, invite others in your group to offer up prayer petitions, or read the prayer written.
Comforting God, we face challenges in life that scare us and cause us to stop or become hesitant. We pray for your continued guidance in navigating these moments and helping us to see the beauty in our journey. When faced with the decision to give in to our fear or place our trust in you we pray for the strength to place our trust in you and not let our fear hold us back. We know that through you all things are possible and yet we give in to our humanness and our doubt creeps in; thank you for never leaving us when that doubt arises. In your holy name we pray. Amen.