Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“ There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. ”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, September 27, 2018
by Daniel D. Maurer, Clergy Stuff
One of my favorite songs from the group Sixpence None the Richer is "Anything." Here's the first stanza of the lyrics:
This is my forty fifth depressing tune.
They're looking for money as they clean my artistic womb.
And when I give birth to the child I must take to flight
'Cause the black in our pocket won't let us fight a proper fight.
So hey baby can you shed some light on the problem maybe?
'Cause we're all tired and we'd like to know
If we should pack our tents shut down the show.
Yes we should like to see a burning bush-type sign.
But anything would be fine.
And here's a vid stolen off YouTube of the song. (It's really catchy and I love the singer's voice.)
Basically, I think the song's about the need for musical artists to constantly pump out music to make money.
But the point I'm getting to (really, I am!) is that we all would like a sign like a burning bush from God. We'd love to be Moses and have it spelled out for us. Right?
I know I would. Sometimes, anyway.
Interesting, though, is the fact that Moses argues with God and even bargains with the Creator of the Universe. Even more interesting is the fact that, in the ancient desert, burning bushes were actually quite common, but NOT in the way we'd might think. Who-da-thunk.
Signs and wonders appear all the time, though, and we miss 'em.
Open our eyes, dear Lord of life, to see burning bushes all around us, and to heed your voice.
Narrative Lectionary Daily Reading:
Exodus 3:1-12
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘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.
Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from 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 country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ He said, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.’
Related & Recent Posts
An
Exceptional
People
Blog Posts
SIGN UP NOW