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March 11, 2007 Sermon

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Sermon March 11, 2007

Third Sunday of Lent—Year C

Gary Sanford San Angelo, TX

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, Amen

Have you ever come upon something that just didn’t seem to make sense? A bush burning alone on a mountain would certainly attract your attention, just as it did that of Moses. And imagine Moses’ amazement that, while there was flame, it did not seem to be consuming the bush. It would definitely make one stop and look. And then the voice, “Moses, Moses.” I would imagine that Moses, knowing he was alone on the mountain, would have been frightened, but he bravely replied, “Here I am.” And what a shocker when the voice tells him he is standing on Holy ground and further says, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”

Surely he wondered, “Why me, what could God possibly want with me.” But, God had a specific plan for Moses. He was to free God’s people, the Israelites, from bondage and lead them out of Egypt. Knowing the terrible oppression that the Israelites were under, we like to think that he would jump at this opportunity; however, that is not exactly what happened.

Moses has got to be thinking, “How can I return to Egypt, a country I fled to avoid being tried for murder, and confront Pharaoh who would surely throw me in prison?” So he offers up excuses why he can not perform this task. In today’s Old Testament reading only two of his excuses are mentioned, but if we read further we can see that they don’t end there. And Moses is not the only one to question God’s will. There are several instances where ability is questioned in scripture. Sarah laughed, Isaiah said he was a man of unclean lips, Jonah ran away, and Jeremiah’s excuse was that he was only a boy. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, had an excuse. But all were called and all did as they were commanded.

Moses’ first excuse was probably the same question we all would ask, “Who am I?” Who am I that God would call me? Most of us would probably make this same excuse if God were to ask us to do something really important. Our first response would understandably be, “I couldn’t possibly do that, I’m not good enough” or, “I’m not worthy to serve you in such a manner, Lord.” But, just as with Moses, God has an answer for that: “I will be with you.” Moses knew he couldn’t do something like this by himself, but God did not ask him to do it by himself. God promised to be with him, to guide him and direct him. This is a very important lesson: We can do nothing by ourselves, but with God all things are possible.

Seeing that that excuse would not work, Moses continues to question God. “What if I go to the people and say that the God of their ancestors sent me, and they want to know what your name is. What do I tell them?” The name of God, being too holy to be spoken, though known, does seem to make this a difficult question. God responds, and says to tell them, “I am who I am.”—the words can also be translated to mean “I will be who I will be,” or, “He causes to be,”—and just to make his point God reminds Moses of what has already been said: “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” No mistake about it, the Israelites knew who that was, as did Moses.

With the first two excuses, Moses has questioned his worthiness and his ability to promote God’s cause. Neither of which worked. Now he moves on to the ‘what ifs’. “What if I go to them and they do not believe me?” “What if they won’t listen to me?” We’ve all heard them. We have all used them, but God has an answer. God tells Moses that he will be given certain signs. Signs that will convince the people, signs that may be challenged, such as the staff that turns into a snake, or the water that turns to blood, but signs that will none the less ultimately convey the power of God.

Moses, not about to give up, says he is not a good speaker and wouldn’t now what to say. No escape here, God says to Moses, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, The Lord? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.” As with Moses, God will give us the help and tools we need to do what is his will.

Running out of excuses, and not really wanting to take on this responsibility, Moses is now going to have to come right out and say, “O, my Lord, please send someone else.” But God is not going to take ‘no’ for an answer; however he does agree to send Aaron with him to speak for Moses. God tells Moses, “You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.”

Seeing no obvious escape, Moses bows to the inevitable. He goes with Aaron to see Pharaoh and, well, you know the rest of the story.

You and I, all of us, are a lot like Moses. Instead of a burning bush, God has revealed Himself to us in the form of His Son, sent to us as a human being…just like us. A man who lived as one of us, who ate and drank, laughed and cried, and suffered just as we suffer. And just as Moses was given signs to prove God’s existence and power, Jesus was sent as a sign to the whole world of God’s redeeming grace. And God wants us, just as he wanted Moses.

He has a mission for us: To seek and find Christ in all people, to proclaim the Good News of the Gospels where ever we may be, not just in church on Sunday, but every day. In our homes, at work and at play. This is a mission not just for each of us individually, but corporately for all of us, for the whole church, and for this congregation.

And forget the excuses. Just like Moses we are very good at making excuses, but God is not going to take ‘no’ for an answer. We say we are not worthy. But that is not going to work. Read your bible, unworthiness never stopped God from using whoever he called. It doesn’t matter if someone asks a question you can’t answer, or doesn’t pay attention, or even if they laugh at you. God is with us. We may even say we aren’t able to do what is asked—that we are too old or too young, too small, too whatever. God doesn’t care. He is not interested in our ability or inability; He is only interested in our availability and our willingness to accept Him as our Lord and Master.

If we open ourselves to His presence, listen to Him when (not if, but when) He calls, He will use us in ways that we never expected. After all, God knows what God is doing, even if we do not. Never say, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else.” We ARE the someone else.

God, You have said that obedience is more important to You than is sacrifice. Because I believe that You meant what You said, I now pray Your powerful words. God, in Jesus’ name, I ask You to help me be obedient to You in every way and in every situation. Having asked You for it in Jesus’ name, I believe that it will happen, and I thank You in His name. Amen.

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