Pentecost 23 - Year A

What do you know about God?

Well, nothing really.  Nothing ABOUT God.  However, if it is asked this way...what is your knowing of God?

My knowing of God is my relationship with God; my relationship with God is about a journey in time, and a journey in the knowing.  It is all in the same journey, and all particular to me.  And God. 

And so it is different to your journey, and it is different to Moses’ journey.  When we look at Moses’ journey with God, it certainly is a GREAT story.

What extraordinary conversations Moses had with God; what an extraordinary journey Moses went with God, both in time and in knowing. 

Near the beginning, when Moses was seemingly content with looking after his father-in-law’s sheep, God tried to attract Moses’ attention with a burning bush.  It worked, until Moses realised it was God and we are told “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”  Then this amazing conversation took place as God kept calling Moses out of the burning bush…

Here’s the gist of Moses’ unwillingness, and God’s responses:

I can’t go to Pharaoh with that big task sheet; who am I, an insignificant minder of flock’s… And God said, “I will be with you.”

next Moses said …who on earth am I going to say has sent me, I mean, who are you?  “I am who I am” said God… and here is also what you will say; be assured Moses, they will listen to you.

another “but” from Moses..  what if they don’t listen, why should they listen?  and God said, “don’t worry, I will give you miraculous signs to show them if needed, so they know you are from God.”

and then the crunch “but” from Moses … I know who I am God and frankly, I can’t talk to people like you want me to.  “I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”  And God, who is being very patient in this story, says again “I will be with your mouth and teach you what you have to speak.”

and finally Moses says… “O my Lord, please send someone else.”

And we are told God did get angry; but he did not give up on Moses.  “Right, we will get Aaron to do the talking, but you are still going to do the leading”.  And so the beginning of the journey commenced; Moses had to leave his father-in-law, his home,  and go back into the land of Egypt.

Moses’ knowing of God increased enormously that day; and so does ours as we enter the story.  Their relationship revealed a God who:

doesn’t just assure once of God’s presence, but continually;

a God who listens and is patient and keeps the big picture despite human foible;

a God who works with what is with him, staying with us, keeping the dialogue open, keeping the call open.

a God who discerns the question on our heart, and helps us to reveal it

The burning bush day, when Moses was afraid to look upon God, was the beginning of amazing conversations and story.  Then we reach this day when Moses approaches God to show him God’s ways, to show him God’s glory.  Moses has reached a point in his journey with God where he still needs reassurance, yes, but he can now ask God to show him what he needs.  In the growing experience of each other, Moses has found the questions that matter, the questions that are needed for the further journey.

Moses’ knowing of God grew deep, and Moses is still claimed as the greatest prophet.  But it was not bequeathed him, or handed to him, this special relationship with God.  It came through continual dialogue, and a negotiation together to discern what was best for these people on this special journey.  Moses and God listened to each other and Moses became more and more confident of who he was because of that mutuality.

We have recently changed the “Come to the Waters” presentation, the conversation we have with baptismal families once a month as they prepare for their child to be baptised.  I should say that it is always evolving, because this community is always evolving and we always need to reflect with integrity who we are…Anyway, David and I have recently spent many hours on “rejigging”, and part of that was to discern and distinguish what happens at baptism with what we believe happens.  The motifs we are working with are “gift” and “journey”.  We claim that baptism is the hugely significant beginning of a faith journey with God.  It is the day we claim that “you and me God are in this together”.  And we explore the amazing “sealing with the Holy Spirit” action that takes place as each forehead is signed with the cross in chrism oil.  The action of Chrismation; the branding of Christ in and on our lives.

We are then on a journey with God…and it is a faith formation journey.  Relationship with God is about forming all the time around that truth in our lives.  Moses’ baptism was through the burning bush; he spent the remainder of his 120 years dialoguing with God, discerning with God, growing with God, actioning his life with God.  His life was continually being pulled by God; called and pulled into God-formation. 

We have explored in recent sermons about the choice we are given to stay and be in that God-relationship.  Last week we compared it to putting on the wedding gown that God provides – we are always invited into the banquet, but we must respond appropriately.  By putting on the wedding gear, we acknowledge who we belong to and a mutual relationship of expectation begins.

To be a living, growing relationship, God expects life and growth.  If we are continually forming, then it is about action-reflection living, not just action and not just reflection.  The Word of God, Christ himself, has been given to us to shape this life and growth.  Today’s Gospel is no exception; it is there, spoken in our lives, and we have to do something with it.  What we do with it is what we talk to God about…

There is always the choice to let the words stay on the page.  There is the choice to let the words slide over you, or to glance at them and say “oh yes, I have heard that story before.”  Let me assure you, not only because it is my job, but also my experience – you have never heard these words before until you hear them today.  Today is a new day of God’s word in your life.

It is in the living word of Christ that our lives are formed, and our knowing of God deepens.  What could you say is formed in us today?  what is a new knowing?  It is always unique to each of us of course, as the “I” story of who you are meets the “God” story…  and we also are learning that as we open the story amongst us, that is the people of God, the church, the “church” story also is being formed.

Today it seems to me, through the Gospel reading, we are being formed in searching to ask the right question of Christ… within each of us there are so many questions about life, about God, about ourselves. Today we glean Jesus’ wisdom in discerning the presenting question and challenging those around him to expose the real question they need to ask. 

You are perhaps realising that this sermon is actually very personal; I am revealing the things of faith journey that I am passionate about.  I believe that our life of journey with God is about searching always for the questions we really want to ask God; and my experience is that we need Christ and each other to help us in that articulation.  I believe that in our journey of depthing our knowing of God, we need to reflect on that relationship in the context of what is happening in our lives, and where God is in that.  My experience is that we need Christ and each other to help us in that reflection.

This weekend and next I am with people beyond the parish doing just that; reflecting with ordinands on their journey and their God in their lives; and then exploring with others next weekend about what is God calling us into in our life.  All of this is conversation, as indeed are the many conversations we have in and beyond community, and about listening.  It takes courage to be part of such conversations because entering other peoples’ stories is risky.  Where will God take me in this?  where will God take us in this?  no wonder Moses hid his eyes from the burning bush.

But God did not ever give up on Moses, and God will not give up on me or you.  The living miracle revealed to us in the scriptures – which Jesus threw at the Sadducees when he said “You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God” – is that God is in covenant with us and will never leave us or give up on us. 

This week you also will be in conversations with many people– and the people you are with will have a God-experience if you are open to … where will God take me in this?  where will God take us in this?  Paul names it to the church in Thessalonica.. “because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction”.

God revealed God’s power and glory to Moses, and continues to do so for us all if we enter and trust the God-conversation. 

The Lord be with you.