"Where DO You Stand?" September 3, 2017

Exodus 3: 1-15 Matthew 16:21-28 Throughout the last decade Professor Niebuhr member of this community of faith, and good friend, has on this Sunday at the end of summer entreated us to pray for the Parents, Students, Faculty beginning the journey of discovery and self-sacrifice. Late this summer, I heard parents and grandparents of 2, 3 and 4 year olds, describe awareness of their child turning their head to take in and to absorb, trying to learn, to make sense and master their world. There are basic lessons of algebra, geometry, geography, economics, literature, chemistry and biology, we each must learn in order to compete professionally, and to play Jeopardy at 7:30 each evening. But what occurs to me this morning, is that while we assume universal public education, where intellectually we build upon what we know, we memorize and practice in order to repeat and perfect and understand; …that we are Called by God, Called thru Jesus Christ, stepping into what we do not know, to step out of our comfort-zones, to make new applications, to venture where no one has ever gone before, because that is where we make a difference in the world, where problems are confronted/solved. Nostalgically, it seems our ancestors mastered trades. Working as an apprentice they learned plumbing, in order to earn a living fixing any problem of water, waste or gas. Working as a Carpenter, they learned how to choose boards as straight, grains which were tight, to miter and to dove-tail joints. A Banker was a Banker, a Lawyer a Lawyer, a Salesman a Salesman. But the reality is that throughout the world, prior to WWII, every person did what they had to do to survive, life was not so specialized, or disposable. In eulogies, what many most admire about their parents and grandparents is that they could do anything, no circumstance was ever insurmountable! This summer, as a theologian and doctor of ministry on vacation, I found exceeding joy working with my spouse, not only in the carpentry of cutting and nailing oak floors for our home, but also converting a double sink to a single, connecting the dishwasher through the disposal, and finishing before family arrived. We recall from Charleston Heston’s Moses in the 10 Commandments and Sunday School, Moses led the people for 40 years from Egypt to Israel. However, the story of Exodus is not so simple. If it were, there would be no mystery, no struggle, no God, nor need for God. Moses would simply have followed his GPS. But in addition to people (we claim to be ancestors of our relationship with God) going from Egypt to Israel, The Book of Exodus is about an enslaved people, whom God heard in their suffering, learning to trust and act in faith, in relationship to God. Representative of this people of God, Moses is a Foreigner in an alien world. Preparatory to this story, remember a few weeks ago, that Jacob (Abraham’s grandson) wrestled 20 years with his parents and brother Esau, then 20 years competing with Laban, before returning to wrestle with God. Jacob survived, although his hip was put out of joint, he could not receive a name for the one he wrestled with, but Jacob was given a new identity as Israel, who wrestles with God and everyone else. Whether literally double, or figuratively for two full generations, the Chapters of Moses’ life are recorded in 40 year allotments. Last week we read of Moses, a baby of Israel in a time of infanticide-genocide, drawn out of the waters to live the next 40 years in Pharaoh’s family. One Hebrew under the care of Pharaoh while Egypt was killing all Hebrew babies, in a time of slavery. Something in Moses recognizes injustice, that when he witnesses an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, Moses kills the Egyptian. When Moses learns others know who he is, a Hebrew in Pharaoh’s protection, who killed an Egyptian, he flees to the Wilderness. For 40 years Moses lives in the household of Jethro, a Priest of Midian, taking Jethro’s daughter as wife, and caring for Jethro’s flocks as a Shepherd. There are circumstances uncommon to us, which elsewhere happen routinely. This week in Texas’ flooding, chemicals no longer refrigerated suddenly exploded. Years ago, I had travelled through the Maquiladoras in Mexico’s border communities, when suddenly the ground beside the roadway exploded in fire from chemicals dumped on the roadside. In the wilderness, in extreme heat, it is not un-natural for bushes to spontaneously ignite. What is of importance here, is Moses pays attention, he leaves his flock to go witness why the Bush is on fire but not burned up, never consumed or exhausted? A voice Calls him by name! … Moses, Moses! Mario! Dave! Ginny! Donna! This is not an exchange with a submissive, humble shepherd, saying “Who am I?” Moses is a wily conniving murderer, who thinks he got away with it, hiding out from the world, hiding from God. The instruction to remove his shoes has many dimensions: Wearing shoes meant you were prepared to run, this comes up with eating the Passover with your sandals tied, girded, staff in hand; Jesus sending out disciples without extra sandals, to stay. Sandals are a barrier between you and the place, so you did not leave footprints, or take on the cuts or dirt of the place…but with God, there can be no barriers between. Historically shoes have been recognized as from different places, Italian Loafers, French Stilettos, California Earthshoes…the earth, all earth is holy, belonging to God. Even more, according to Genesis, humanity was formed by God from out of the dirt, this is our essence, you are not taken out of the waters of chaos, you are taken out of the dust God separated from chaos when Light, Order, Time and Space were Called. But the response of Moses, is not THANK YOU LORD, but instead “Whom do I say?” Just as with Jacob wrestling, He wants to have a name for God so that he can have God on a leash to call upon whenever he desires something. Instead, God replies I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE, when pressed: The Name God gives is not a noun, but the verb “To Be” recognizing that everything that exists or ever will be is because of God and God adds “Tell them, The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has sent me to you.” Subtly, the Call of Moses, becomes his being Sent. So what Moses thought he could step aside to know, to understand and own, has instead required he take off his shoes and be known, instead of being an alien, an unknown in no-man’s land, Moses is sent as a representative of God, on behalf of the people of God, to confront Pharaoh. The curiosity of Christian faith is that caring for others, compassion, changes where you stand, changes what you represent and stand for. Peter made the greatest affirmation of faith ever stated: “You are the Son of God!” but having done so, having named Jesus as the Christ, Peter cannot control Jesus. The name Jesus, comes from Joshua, meaning “Savior sent from God” and Christ comes from Messiah, meaning “Anointed of God”, again descriptions of belonging to God, not identities to be used when we want to call our genie. Jesus identifying “Whomever would follow me needs to take up their cross” is not about personal burdens of my family members illness, or problems, the cross we have to bear, is about self-desires being sacrificed for God’s will. Many of you will recall Steve Thomas who was the Interim Pastor here before me, and we became close friends. When Steve arrived, Session members looked to him stating we need to do a Building Campaign, and he responded saying I am an Interim Pastor, we do not do building campaigns, I do not know how to do building campaigns. But this was one of the needs of the church at the time, and he learned. After serving here for ten years, Preaching and Praying, going on Mission Trips, teaching Bible Study and leading Building Campaigns, the refugees we sponsored asked “who will go for us”, and I stepped out of my comfort zone, as have many of you in creating this mission. The part that has often been misconstrued and misunderstood about Mission. By “Being Sent by God”, while there were accomplishments for that other people of God, we each grew in our faith and understanding, we stood in a different place, representing something more than ourselves, representing God to the world.