Called to Sacrifice August 31, 2008

Exodus 3:1-15
Matthew 16:21-28
The beauty of this morning's sermon, of our readings this day, are that as much as we try to live life on the surface, going through the motions, reading this as story, we are also CALLED. The Call forces us to question, what do I really believe in, what gives my life meaning, what is important. As much as we may long to remain on vacation, to cling to the lazy days of August, God has a use for us, a purpose, that has no glory, no accomplishment, no reward, but God will not let us go. In Seminary, hearing these passages read, we were so moved that the students would take off their shoes and leave them at the door, for these words touch what is HOLY, what is SACRED in life.

There is a difference, a significant difference and tension, between answering the question “What do you want to be?” and “What are you Called to give as your sacrifice?”
From the time of our infancy, parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends match our character traits, interests and skills, as if to spiritually discern who and what we were predestined to be. In the spirit of Shirley McLean and the REINCARNATIONALISTS, surmising that in a former life, I was the Queen of England, or the Queen of Sheba, a Teacher, or a Juggler or Chemist; and that our vocation, WHAT we are trained to do, determines who we will be. When my wife and I first got engaged, before we were married, family tried to imagine, based on who we are, what our children would be. Not simply in eye and hair color, height and disposition, but creating their resumes, anticipating their degrees and personalities based on the NATURE and NURTURE of family even before they were conceived. In Contrast, the Bible asserts that we are NOT What we do, or what we want, so much as BY OUR COMMITMENTS, what we most value, and even more by what we vow we believe we would SACRIFICE our lives for.

We do not dwell on SACRIFICE much in our culture. A sacrifice has become: NOT buying a car when we desire; passing the offering plate; a sacrifice is giving a pillow to students going to college; a box of macaroni to the Food Pantry; sacrifice is a trip to Africa; making a sacrifice is not being able to vote for the candidate we wanted. BIBLICALLY, Sacrifice is not concerned with our possessions, or our accomplishments, not our adjusting our calendars and timetables, or our doing without, not choosing to have a “STAYCATION” rather than a Vacation to Tuscany or Beijing, because the house needs a new roof. Sacrifice is a SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT a recognition that what I love most in this life, what I most desire, I give as my gift of my life to God.

We are a strange and wonderful Church. Where the majority of churches in our community and across the nation have a Median age of 70 and have FUNERALS on a very regular basis, we celebrate a WEDDINGS & BAPTISMS a minimum of twice a month. The wonderful part of this, is that not only do we assist the individuals and families these celebartions, but as a PEOPLE OF GOD we WITNESS and SEE and HEAR as God said to MOSES “TRULY HEAR” the COMMITMENTS of husband and wife who despite the world saying go for all you can get, fulfill your every personal desire, VOW to God and one another to live their lives for this other. They claim this child, their baby, is a GIFT OF GOD, whom they offer to GOD, and whom we VOW to pray for and to stand beside before we know what they believe of will do no matter what.

In order to read the story of MOSES at the BURNING BUSH, we need to remember what has gone before... We know and remember that GOD is the God of Abraham, and of Isaac and of Jacob, Jacob who wrestled with God to become the Nation of ISRAEL. And we recall that PHAROAH was so filled with ANXIETY, STRESS and FEAR, this KING who thought himself to be a GOD, ordered the death of every male child in the River Nile. A couple fell in love, they committed their lives to each other, then they had a baby, a boy baby. They hid the child as long they possibly could, then knowing what Pharoah had ruled, they placed their baby in a basket in the river, hoping and praying he would be SAVED, even setting his sister to watch over and witness what would happen. The boy-child MOSES was saved and brought into the family of the Pharoah, AS IF a HEBREW Child of Pharoah. As he grew up, one day he witnessed an injustice, an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. In the ensuing struggle Moses killed the Egyptian, and even if an adopted son of Pharoah, even if his cause was just, still he had broken the Law, he had blood on his hands from having killed, so he fled to hide in the hills. There he fell in love and married, and took up a quiet safe life as a Shepherd for his Father-in-law.

Moses was all alone on the hillside with the Sheep, when he saw the BUSH BURNING, which in Hebrew is the Phrase “SENEH” and is told you are going to lead God's People to SINAI.

We hear this story, and what clicks for us, is the BUSH, but the BUSH is NOT GOD, the Bush has no importance, except as a SIGN to get Moses' attention. Then Moses hears a Voice, not a still small voice talking to him, asking questions. But out of the Bush, Moses hears a VOICE CALLING HIM BY NAME. There is something personal, commanding importance when we are called by Name. No longer “HEY FOLKS, SOMEBODY, WOULD ONE OF YOU?” But rather claiming personal relationship to You,”MOSES”, “MARIE”, “RUTH”, “ANDY”, “BUNT”, “RICHARD”, “CASSONDRA”, “ELSIE”, “LUCY”, “STEVE”, “TIM”, “TODD”. And Moses responds “WHO ME?”

Over history, the Church has agrandized the idea of a CALL, that ala Cecil B. DeMille or Steven Spiellberg, the Clouds part, brilliant white sunlight pierces through to shine directly on the One, who unconditionally knows and accepts all that is said, while music plays softly in the background. Not so with Moses. FIVE TIMES he tries to get out of this, to get away. Moses asks: “WHO ME?” then “AND JUST WHO ARE YOU?” next though he is arguing with God Moses says “I AM NOT ABLE TO SPEAK PUBLIC LET ME GET MY OLDER BROTHER AARON”, then Give me a SIGN/PROOF that this is real, and God gives Moses three, his rod is changed into a SERPENT, is hand given LEPROSY then healed, finally WATER is turned to BLOOD. With all his objections, all the ways Moses tries to get away, God never says NO, nor does God placate or accept Moses' excuses. God responds, “Okay take your brother Aaron, and You go!”
By the way, how did Moses get an older Brother, I thought Pharoah ordered all the Boy Babies killed? This is one of those wuestions The Bible does not answer.

Like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, MOSES should have been satisfied with This is the God of our Ancestors, who has been faithful, but he presses for a NAME for GOD. God called me by name, so I want to have that intimate personal power over God, to be able to Call God, knowing I have the right one, the real one, knowing God will answer. Moses asked and God gives to Moses a NAME: YHWH, a name so holy, so revered that the people of faith for thousands of years never spoke the word, never pronounced the name YAHWEH, but instead would read the letters YHWH and instead name ADONAI. The Word Yahweh, actually is simply conjugating the Verb: TO BE. “I AM WHAT I AM; I HAVE BEEN WHO I HAVE BEEN; I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE”. The sound of the name YAHWEH is like the sound of the wind on the water or through the trees. But the beauty of this name, is also that it is an affirmation, that EVERYTHING IN LIFE everything that has being, EVERYTHING IS/ WAS/ WILL BE because God is in it. As much as there is a tangible reality, there is also a spiritual.

The point here is not that OUR CHOOSING A VOCATION TO ACCEPT THE CALL TO MINISTRY, or the Call to Believe is anything more or different than the Call Decision to be a Stockbroker, or a Chemist, or a Doctor. The CALL OF MOSES is a CALL TO RISK, a Call to Sacrifice. Moses has a safe life. A Life of comfort and obscurity. He planned to live out his days on Mount Horeb, with his wife, inheriting the Sheep of his Father-in Law, Jethro. BUT GOD, called Moses, and Moses did not escape and hide.

For Jesus, to be the Messiah is to give up Divinity in order TO BE ONE with humanity, to be one with creation. And YET, to be the Messiah, means that he must sacrifice, that he must give up that vey life, to die for us.

So what do we most treasure? What is most dear and precious to us? And what are we willing to sacrifice that for? We are very blessed, with everything our minds can imagine, what then are we willing to give our lives for?