Sermon: Called and sent (Exodus 3:1 15) Text Exodus 3:1 15 Dan Mueller, 3rd Sept 2017, After Pentecost 13 1 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, 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. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 1 of 6
13 Moses said to God, Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? Then what shall I tell them? 14 God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. 15 God also said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, The LORD, the God of your fathers the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. Sermon May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight O LORD, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Introduction In our Old Testament reading God calls to Moses from within a burning bush. But Moses makes five excuses (Exodus 3:1 4:17): (1) Who am I? (2) Who are you? (3) What if they don t believe me? (4) But I can t speak. (5) Send someone else. These excuses basically boil down to two questions: (1) Who am I? and (2) Who is God? I think everyone who has ever lived is asking these questions! This week I was thinking about this question Who am I? And I thought we d play a game to illustrate: I ll say something about who I am, and you stand up if that s also you. I am a child. I am a husband. I am a father. I am a pastor. I am a Richmond Tigers supporter. I am an Australian with Germanic heritage. I am a banana-bender (i.e. born in Queensland). I am green-eyed. I am an engineer or problem solver. I am a bit tired. I am an avid reader of books. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 2 of 6
This little exercise shows us that we have some things in common, but not everything. We are all unique. There is a set of I am statements and stories that define just you out of seven billion people. But this exercise also shows that who we are is not constant. We are changing all the time. The way we see ourselves is in flux. Others may try to influence who we are (e.g. advertisements). Over time our varying feelings and experiences change who we are. So where do we get our identity from? Who am I? Who am I? Well two thousand years ago, Moses a shepherd asked this same question. Thousands of philosophers, artists, scientists, politicians have grappled with this question so what can a two thousand year old, stinky shepherd bring to the table? Well, this shepherd had an encounter with God, so we can actually learn quite a lot! In making his excuses, Moses reveals where not to look to define our identity. (a) What if they don t believe me? (Exodus 4:1 9). Moses is wrongly seeking his identity in the eyes of others. God answers this excuse by giving Moses some miraculous signs (turning his staff into a snake, and leprosy on his hand by putting in/pulling out of his cloak). These signs point to God the Creator. (b) But I can t speak (Exodus 4:10 12). Moses is wrongly seeking his identity in himself, from his perceived skills and abilities. God answers this excuse by telling Moses that he created mouths and ears and eyes. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say says the Lord (Exodus 4:12). Again this points to God the Creator. When you look at yourselves and ask Who am I?, do you struggle to find your identity, just as Moses did? Do you let others tell you who you are? Do you let your own perceptions stifle the person God has created? Who is God? After asking Who am I? Moses asks God Who are you? (Exodus 3:13 16). We read: Moses said to God, Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? Then what shall I tell them? (Exodus 3:13). Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 3 of 6
Asking for God s name is like asking Who are you? Moses encounter with God reveals who God is. (a) God makes himself low. At the start of our text we read that Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up (Exodus 3:2). God is one who has come down to earth to reveal himself to Moses. God has made his presence lowly so that he can enter into genuine conversation with humankind. God does this through nature through a bush. The natural does not stand against the divine, but God uses nature as his instrument God uses created things for his purpose. (b) God calls out to humankind. Next we read that God called to [Moses] from within the bush, Moses! Moses! (Exodus 3:4). God is a speaking God, and he calls out and speaks to humankind. God wants to enter into genuine conversation with his creation through speech. God desires communication, intimacy, and relationship with all humankind. (c) God is with us. Our reading says that God has seen and heard and experienced. The Lord says, I have indeed seen the misery of my people. I have heard them crying out. And I know their suffering. (Exodus 3:7) Who is God? God is with us. God is one who has experienced and knows our suffering. God is one who wants relationship with his creation. God is one who invites lowly shepherds to look at him, and speaks to them. God is one who has come down to earth to deliver his people (Exodus 3:8). Just as God revealed who he is to Moses from within the burning bush, so also God reveals who he is to you through Jesus Christ. The lowly baby Jesus born in a manger was also looked upon by shepherds and called Immanuel (which means God is with us ). Later Jesus said that he is the living bread that came down from heaven, and whoever eats this bread will live forever (John 6:51). Jesus experiences and knows our suffering, to the point of death. But he is not powerless in the face of suffering. Jesus came down to deliver you from slavery and death by his own death and resurrection. Jesus reveals the God who makes himself lowly. Jesus reveals the God who wants to enter into genuine conversation with humankind. Jesus reveals the God who is with us in our suffering. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 4 of 6
Who am I? In light of who God is, let s revisit the first question Moses asks: Who am I? Moses asks Who am I?, and God answers I will be with you (Exodus 3:12). When Moses asks Who are you? (e.g. What is your name? ) God says I AM WHO I AM, or another translation I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE (Exodus 3:14). Who is God? God is and will be. God will be with you, he says. That is who God is: God is with you. It is not yourself or any other created being or thing that gives us our identity. Our identity comes from the God who is with us. Who am I? I am the one who God is with. Who are you? You are the ones who God is with. Called and sent This scene in the journey of Moses also shows us that when God is with us, he calls and sends us. (a) We are called. God called out from the burning bush Moses! Moses! Yet that was not when Moses was called; Moses was called from birth. God has orchestrated all the events in Moses life to lead him to be tending that flock on the side of the mountain. God wanted someone who could appear in Pharaoh s court, so he arranged for Moses to be saved from death by Pharaoh s daughter and raised as Pharaoh s adopted grandson. God wanted a shepherd for his people, so he sent Moses to look after animals. God wanted a patient leader, so he trained Moses for forty years in the wilderness (Acts 7:30). God placed Moses exactly where he wanted him to be. Likewise God has and is orchestrating the events in your life, to lead you to your exact situation. You have been shaped and placed exactly in the right location to serve God in the way he needs. You are called to serve God where he has placed you. (b) We are sent. God sent Moses saying, So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10). God placed and sent Moses to the king of Egypt does that mean God is sending you to the king of an overseas country? Well perhaps, but probably not! See God tends to use us in familiar places. In the case of Moses, God sent Moses to a familiar place: he sent Moses back to very own people and his adopted Egyptian household. God sent Moses home. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 5 of 6
I propose that God is also sending us to familiar places and situations. The German reformers, like Martin Luther, used the German word stand to describe God s calling and sending to the places where we live. The German word stand is sometimes translated into English as vocation or profession or calling or station. Our calling is where we stand in life. There are four places that we stand, we have four stations in life where we are sent: (1) our family (2) our workplace, (3) our community or society, and (4) our congregation and church. This is where God has sent you. God has sent you home and somewhere familiar. And he is using you as his instrument. Let s play again the game from the start: I am called and sent by God to my family: to pray for my immediate and extended family; to confess my sins and ask forgiveness from members in my family. I am called and sent by God to my workplace; to my business, farm, house, garden, school, wherever I work : I am called to receive those who God brings across my path; to listen and comfort and pray for my colleagues and friends; to speak God s word of encouragement and peace. I am called and sent by God to my community: to serve the weak and lowly; to be a responsible citizen; to welcome the stranger. I am called and sent by God to my church: to be an active member and participant; to pray for the world, the church, and each other; to speak God s word of encouragement to build up the church. Amen! Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 6 of 6