Burning Bushes

Thursday, January 4, 2007 -- Daily Office Year 1

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 940)
Psalms 85, 87 (morning) // 89:1-29 (evening)
Exodus 3:1-12
Hebrews 11:23-31
John 14:6-14

Today we continue the New Year's series of readings about the call of the Hebrew patriarchs -- Abraham (Tuesday), Jacob (Wednesday), and today, Moses. It is the familiar story of the burning bush.

The bush-that-burns-but-is-not-consumed seems to me like a symbol of the passion that burned in the heart of Moses and in the heart of God over the injustice and the mistreatment of God's children. Moses is in hiding in the wilderness because of his own passionate response of violence when he experienced that injustice firsthand. God tells Moses, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cries on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them..."

God calls Moses to be his voice and arm of advocacy. God intends to bring his people from slavery to liberation, from oppression to freedom, from dependence into interdependence. For Moses that begins as a political calling, but his is a deeply spiritual mission as well. With God's help he will create a spiritual community grounded in the laws of just relationships.

We also are called by the burning bush. God invites our hearts to burn with passion against injustice. It is Jesus, as well as Moses, who is our example. God wants to lead every person out of Egypt and into the promised land. For some that is a physical, economic and political liberation. For all that is a liberation from our bondage to self-centeredness, pride and fear.

It takes great passion and trust in God to leave Egypt and travel into the wilderness to escape our present bondage in the faith of future promise. "How can we know the way?" asked Thomas. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." In this journey, all things are possible.

Lowell
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The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR