A Weekly Communication from the Executive Presbyter, San Gabriel Presbytery #28 – September 2, 2008
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.
(Exodus 3:1-2)
The Ordinary Places Where God Calls Us
This week's lectionary text takes me to a warm and familiar place in the Old Testament. We are taken to that famous scene where Moses is called by God to be a prophetic voice for and on behalf of the children of Israel. This Sunday I was encouraged to see or focus on this familiar text in a new way. I was reminded that God speaks to Moses - not while Moses is in a temple. God speaks to Moses - not while Moses is deep in prayer. God speaks to Moses while Moses is doing his daily work and chores. Moses was tending the flock for his father-in-law. It was here in this ordinary place that Moses encounters the God of creation, the God of Israel, the God of the covenant. This struck me in a new way. God calls Moses while Moses is doing what he does day after day, hour after hour. God calls Moses in the midst of what would have been his ordinary and at times, monotonous routine. Is that not also true for us - for you and me?
How often do we convince ourselves that God really only speaks to us at church. We forget that you and I are invited to receive God's message - not simply in the sanctuary of those places where we worship. We are invited to receive God's message - not simply when we are with other Christians. We are invited to receive God's message - not simply when we are with Christians with whom we agree. Moses reminds us that we are to receive God's message in those places where we work, play, and live. It is precisely in this place where the sovereignty of God meets the "ordinariness" of humanity that allows for the transforming power of the incarnation in the world. It is precisely in these places that occupy the apparently mundane nature of our lives that we are invited to receive God's message.
For Moses, receiving God's message while working meant he would lead a people to a new way of life. Some of us might be thinking, we don't have a "people" to lead. But I suspect that would not totally be true. All of us interact with children, young people, men and women whose lives are broken. Our witness to those with whom we meet everyday matters. Our witness - our respect for one another; our compassion for the least among us; our prayers; our handshake; our embrace; our words; our mercy; our humility - it all matters. And it matters even more when they are reflected in those places where we work; where others can experience God's grace through us. This call to lead others to a new way of life is not reserved for ordained officers of the church. This call is not reserved for Ministers of Word and Sacrament. This call is to each of us who dare proclaim ourselves as disciples of Jesus.
As we begin another calendar year in the programmatic life of the church, I invite you to consider how you will respond. How will you respond to God's call in those places where you live, work and play? How will you respond to God's call in the midst of the mundane? How will you respond in the board room; in the conference room; in the sports field; in the classroom? How will your life reflect your "yes" to God's call in the "ordinariness" of it all. God is indeed calling each and every one of us - right here right now.
Today at worship we were invited to come forward to receive a blessing for the "work and labor" we are a part of. It was a re-commissioning of sorts which I would like to share with you. I invite you to answer the following questions in the depths of your hearts.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body, and given gifts for a variety of ministries for the common good.
In the ministry of your daily life and work, will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
In your daily occupation, will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
In the vocation to which God has called you, will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
May each of you feel the hand of our God upon you. May you be richly blessed this year as you again respond to God's call and witness faithfully in this world, for it is precisely in the world that we are called to bear the light and hope of Christ. May God use the ordinary nature of who you are to help bring forth the extraordinary and transforming hope of the Gospel.
