Exodus 3 : 1-6 (NRSV)
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Daily Byte
Moses, after killing an Egyptian, had fled into the wilderness, as far from his people, and as far from God as he could go. But, years later, on an ordinary day, God captured his attention through the burning bush, and told him that he was standing on holy ground. What a surprise this must have been for Moses, that God had sought him out, that God had chosen to take an ordinary piece of real estate and turn it into a place of significance, of purpose. I suspect Moses walked more lightly on the earth after this encounter!
Think for a moment about the spaces that you live in - the buildings, the town or city, the architecture. Think about the building in which your community worships. Do any of these remind you of God’s presence? Do any of the spaces of your world feel like holy ground? How can you allow your worship to make you more mindful of the spaces you inhabit, and open you to a sense of the sacred in every place? How can you change some of the spaces where you live in order to make them more helpful for living a God-aware life?
Pray As You Go
I wish I could see a burning bush, God;
I wish your presence would just “show up” in dramatic and arresting ways, making it impossible for me to miss you;
Yet, when I remember, I find burning bushes all around me, I discover that your presence is everywhere, and all the world is alive with God;
Forgive me when I miss you, when I go through my world oblivious to your glory, when I stumble blindly through the spaces of my life, unaware of their sacredness, and your Spirit.
Open my eyes to what worship is trying to teach me, and make me a person who respects the earth, and the different kinds of spaces in it, as burning bushes all.
Amen.
Today’s devotion is taken from Rev John van de Laar’s outstanding book ‘The Hour That Changes Everything: How worship forms us into the people God wants us to be.’ Used with permission.
To order copies of this book and for other superb worship resources visit http://www.sacredise.com
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