God sees us.  He saves us.  He sends us.

In our verses in Exodus today Moses was tending the flock of his father in law Jethro, in the land of Midian.

Exodus 3:1-15


The Burning Bush

1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Moses was born in a time in Egypt where the Israelites had become feared and hated because of how they had prospered there.  Pharaoh had decreed that all male babies born to the Israelites were to be thrown into the Nile and drown.  Moses mother in faith placed Moses in a basket in that very river.

God in His grace saw Moses there, helpless, unable to save himself.  He brought Pharaohs daughter along at that moment and She found him. Having mercy on him she pulled him from the water.  Moses sister Miriam was there and asked if she’d like a nursemaid for him.  Moses ended up back in his mothers arms to be cared for until he was weaned.  Moses father was a Levite, his mother from the house of Levi.  He would have been surrounded by their faith and prayer until the time he took his place as Pharoaohs daughters son in the household of Pharaoh. God saved him and gave him life.

As with Moses, God sees us.  And He saves us.

Ephesians 2

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He comes and gives us life and purpose.  Through Gods grace we are given faith.  It is a gift.  And being his workmanship, He gives us identity, we are his children.  And as His children we are created in Christ for good works.  Paul says that “we should walk in them” Our life is not a series of random choices, in Christ we have our identity, a purpose, and specific works that God blesses us with.

Back in Exodus 3  - It says in Exodus that when he had grown up he went out and saw the burdens of his people. 

On seeing an Egyptian beating an Israelite, he struck down the Egyptian.  This became known and he fled to Midian. 

In Midian he found a wife and made his home with them.    The word says he was content. 

Too often, the burdens he’s placed in our hearts scare us.  They seem too big.  Or we may step out into what he’s calling us to, and we encounter resistance or failure.  And we retreat.  And we find contentment in a lesser life. 

We can’t run from God.  He comes to that foreign land and speaks to us and reminds us of who we are.  We are his, loved, made alive, created for good works.

God appears to Moses in a burning bush. 

2 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.  Exodus.

God comes to us.

God continuely pursues us.  And its in His presence we know who we are, our faith is renewed and we follow Him.

And the good works he’s prepared for us always have a part in Christs commitment to seek and save the lost.  To bring life and healing.

God hears the cries of the oppressed…

9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

And He responds by sending us. And those he sends rarely feel qualified or prepared:

Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

This is something I have recently experienced.  Again.  I have felt unqualified, uneducated yet feeling called to ordination as a Deacon.  I went to winter conference struggling with those questions.  On the 2nd day Simon Ponsonby, a priest from England spoke.  He said many amazing things and then he told his story.  How even though he had spent years sharing the gospel, when approached to seek ordination as a priest in the Anglican church his response was that he was uneducated, unqualified.  But knowing that is what God called him to, he stepped out in faith, despite his fears.  And in hearing that, I knew that I could too.  That despite my fears, the call to ordination is real.   God confirms this is his call.  He is with me in this.

As He sends us, He goes before us, guides us, and provides for us.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 

            1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.  

He goes before us and guides us as he guided the Israelites in the desert.  A cloud during the day to guide them and to shield them from the hot sun.  A pillar of fire by night to guide them and give them warmth in the cold desert.  And He provides for us the bread of life and living waters.

We know this by faith.

Hebrews 11

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

But we still need reassurances.

Moses questioned God, how would the israelites know that God had sent him? : 13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”

Gods unchanging answer is:

 “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  I AM WHO I AM.  Is our God. 

He sees us, He saves us.  He sends us. 

As we continue in this season of Lent.  May we remember with gratitude that God sees us.  May we ponder the road Christ took to save us.  May we open our hearts to where God is sending us.

Moses went on to lead his people through the waters to the land of  promise. We all pass through the waters.  The same blood was shed for our salvation.   God sent His Son for us.  As we remember in the Eucharist, His body was broken for us.  He is the bread of life.  His blood was shed for us.    Amen