Lightning, Risk, and Awe - August 15, 2021

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Exodus 3:1-12a

Lightning, Risk, and Awe Rev Kim Poole Moscow First United Methodist Church Moscow ID August 15, 2021, When God chooses people to accomplish a task for God often the person chosen would not be the one you are I would pick to be our leader. God often chooses people that we would consider the least likely to succeed. There are two men in the old testament that God chose at the very beginning of the story of faith that I believe had to be chosen simply because God

knew them better than we could see them.

The first was Abraham who was chosen according to history because he was a man of great faith willing to leave behind all that he had in order to follow God into a new promise. As the story of faith is written Abraham did indeed do those things. From Abraham‘s willingness to follow God came the fulfillment of the promise that Abraham's children with a number greater than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand in the desert. But along the way, I’m becoming the father of Isaac and grandfather of Jacob who would let her be called Israel Abraham changed his story to protect himself as well as his wife from strangers. If he had been Pinocchio his nose would have grown several times in the course of history as he told others along the way that Sara was not his wife. But then again what are a few little white lies?

And then there was Moses. He had the unfortunate beginning in life to be born in Egypt when Pharaoh was jealous of the Hebrew nation and had ordered all newborn boys put to death. By God‘s intervention, Moses was raised in an Egyptian household. But Moses had a temper and he killed a man one day and fled for his life. He ended up in Midian and tended his father-in-law’s flocks.

For their shortcomings both Abraham and Moses shared one thing in common. God appeared to them and in the message given during that appearance both of them were shaken from the very core of their being.

Let’s step back just a moment to the sermon from the last two Sundays where I used an example from Walter Brueggeman about the importance of engaging in dialogue with one another. Last week we used his example of what a thick dialogue might look like. I think dialogue is one where the two people in conversation go back-and-forth building a relationship by digging deeper and deeper into the meaning of the dialogue they are having one with the other. Out of the thickness that is built and that dialogue comes a deeper relationship between the two persons in dialogue.

You may remember that I made the observation that our relationship with God also grows deeper in our ability to go back and forth with God and dialogue and that we build a thick relationship with God the more time we spend in conversation and dialogue. The more we ask questions of God and listen intently for answers the deeper our relationship grows.

Brueggeman believes that there's a three-step entrance into thick dialogue. He refers to these three steps as the lightning strike, an exposure to risk, and an awareness that arises from a state of awe.

The lightning strike occurs mostly as an intrusion — when we encounter something that is so out of the ordinary that we are moved out from complacency and find ourselves fairly open to beginning the dialogue.

From the shock of the lightning strike, we sense that we are in a place or situation, or time of risk. We often are asked to consider something we would never think of doing.

And because of that thought and the conversation with God we are often lead into a place of awe where we live by faith rather than by sight and hopefully not in fear.

Let’s look again at Abraham and Moses as examples of the lightning strike the risk and their awe.

Consider Abraham with his young son Isaac when Abraham hears God tell him to take Isaac up on the mountain as a sacrifice. That was certainly a lightning strike that led to a risk for both Isaac and Abraham. When they reached the area where the sacrifice was going to occur God provided a ram rather than asking for the sacrifice of Isaac. That was the moment of awe where God and Abraham encountered one another in a new way.

Consider Moses minding his own business tending his father-in-law‘s flocks when his attention is drawn to a bush that appears to be on fire but it’s not consumed. As he draws near to look at the bush he hears the voice of God calling to him and when he responds to God God instructs him to remove his shoes as he stands on holy ground.

Consider Moses standing with all the Hebrew children gathered around him at the sea in front and pharaohs army's approaching from the rear. God tells Moses what to do and the water parts and the Hebrew children begin to walk across the sea on dry land.

That's the lightning strike. Walking that many people that distance with the water parted to the left and right and pharaohs chariots drawing closer and closer was the risk. Making it to the other side and the waters coming down on top of pharaohs' chariots and armies was the moment of awe.

Hopefully, you get the point of the illustration of the lightning strike, the risk, in the moment of awe.

How do we use this concept as a means of entering into a dialogue with God and with others that would be thick enough to help us live in these anxious times?

I think we have to realize that the lightning strike for many of us will not be like the lightning strike for Abraham. God may call us to do many things and make many sacrifices but very seldom will any of us receive a request to consider taking the life of our only child.

The chances are probably greater that we might encounter God in some unexpected manner just as Moses encountered God and the burning bush.

For the vast majority of us, the lightning strike will occur probably in such a manner that we don’t even realize until after the fact that there was a storm cloud over our head. Most of us encounter God in rational moments — often as we read the Scriptures, or listen to a sermon, or possibly even when hearing a song on the radio.

I would imagine that many of us if we look back through the years of our lives we can trace certain Life-altering changes that occurred in the same pattern of the lightning strike, risk, and awe even if we might not have characterized any one of the three phases by the terms Brueggeman used.

For me, one such sequence of events actually involves my calling to ministry. I suppose I would relate to the concept of a lightning strike when I found myself facing A potential job loss in my first job out of college. I had a part-time job as an education and youth director for disciples of Christ church and went in to visit with the pastor about my dilemma. After listening to me This kindly gentleman simply looked up and said “have you ever considered pursuing a seminary education?”

Well, no, I thought. Seminary is for ministers and ministers are men. So it never occurred to me. He explained to me that currently women were beginning to be ordained in several denominations and encouraged me to drive up the next day from Waco Texas where I was living to Fort Worth to visit with the dean of admissions at bright Divinity school at Texas Christian University.

By this time I was beginning to offer as many excuses as Moses did about his unworthiness to be a leader. I was United Methodist even though I was working for the Disciples church. Brite was a disciple seminary at a disciple university. He countered with the fact that there were Methodist students there as well.

The next day I was in the car on my way to Fort Worth without an appointment to see the dean. When I arrived I was welcomed into his office and we visited for a while. Answered my questions, give me a catalog for the school, as well as an admissions form. Registration was two days later and four days later I started class.

It was somewhat risky because while women were being ordained that did not guarantee that this woman would be ordained. Graduate school and in particular three years of graduate school was an expensive venture however the disciples gave every student between 70 and 80% tuition discount regardless of denomination. So it was less risky. By the time I graduated And was appointed to my first church two weeks after graduation I suppose it was either time to be awestruck or lightning strike again. I think a little bit of both.

In many ways, it was all so matter-of-fact. But in many more ways, it was amazing as I have looked back through the years to see God’s hand from that conversation in Reverend Luke Bolin’s office that afternoon until I stand here preaching today. I can assure you that if the hand of God was not leading a pastor over the last 40 years that God is surely leading the pastor in the last two years. There is not a day nor decision that goes by that I don’t fully lean on God‘s faithfulness and that God does not provide me with the right answer for the right time even when many people disagree with any answer and any decision that’s made in these challenging and changing times.

I started the sermon with the story of Moses and I ended the scripture reading really in the middle of the verse. But it seems so appropriate. There is Moses how many witnessed something on the rest of us have ever witnessed — the call of God in a burning bush. And as he assesses the risk of what God is asking him to do I can assure you of two things. Moses took advantage of the fact that God was willing to dialogue with him and made excuse after excuse for why he could not do if I am not asking him to do. In return, God stayed in the thick of the conversation with Moses countering every excuse with a gift from God including God’s very presence. And the second thing occurs even before the back-and-forth dialogue occurs which helps to strengthen the relationship between God and Moses. The second thing is really the first and only thing we need to know about God and our relationship with God

When Moses asked God, “who am I to do this?” God replied, “I will be with you.”

Plain and simple: God says “I will be with you.”

God never changes the course of our life without standing beside us. God never asks us to go anywhere risky without going with us along the way.

God never asks us to give up the desires of our hearts and to sacrifice all that is important to us without promising to be with us in the good days and the hard days.

Who are we to respond to God who speaks in the lightning, in the risks, and in our awe? We are the beloved children of God, and God will be with us.

We have a lot of decisions to make in the days to come. We have a lot of risks ahead of us as well. Not everyone will be happy with any decision. Not everyone will be upset. That is the risk. In the long haul, over the months ahead, the one thing we can be sure of. If we respond to God’s call with authenticity and integrity, with faith and grace, God will be with us.