Why a Bush?
Excerpt from Exodus 3:1-12
"There the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing; yet it was not consumed."
Reflection by Lillian Daniel
Given that God can do absolutely anything, why did God appear to Moses as a burning bush? When God finally decides to appear, this smoldering shrub has always struck me as decidedly anticlimactic. Yes, a bush suddenly on fire is unusual, but let's be honest, if this were a scene in a movie, would you be on the edge of your seat? I don't think so.
Why not a burning mountain? Or let's push physics even further and have God appear as a giant glacier on fire in the middle of freezing ocean depths. Now that would be impressive.
I personally would have preferred God to appear as some kind of creature, but not an ordinary one, like a fox or a muskrat. How about a dragon? If I were God, I would definitely appear as a dragon. It would rock Moses' world, impress everyone else, and allow me to fly, all of which seem divine to me.
But the mystery of God's motives is what this story is all about. God is not like us. God couldn't care less about impressing people, or flying, I imagine. God has already created all there is to experience. So when it came time for the big reveal, God appeared as a burning bush, a bush that was on fire but not consumed by fire.
I think God was trying to let Moses know that God isn't just in the amazing things, but in the ordinary things. I think God wanted Moses to never again look at a boring old bush the same way. I think God wanted Moses to see the possibility for a fiery miracle in every hedge, shrub and potted plant from then on.
I think these things, but of course I don't know them. No one knows God's motivations. Instead we are left with these amazing stories of the weird ways people encounter God.
Prayer
God, help me to be on the lookout for you in the most unexpected places. Open my eyes to see you in the small and the boring, as well as the majestic and the impressive. Because you can start a fire just about anywhere. Even in me. Amen.
Excerpt from Exodus 3:1-12
"There the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing; yet it was not consumed."
Reflection by Lillian Daniel
Given that God can do absolutely anything, why did God appear to Moses as a burning bush? When God finally decides to appear, this smoldering shrub has always struck me as decidedly anticlimactic. Yes, a bush suddenly on fire is unusual, but let's be honest, if this were a scene in a movie, would you be on the edge of your seat? I don't think so.
Why not a burning mountain? Or let's push physics even further and have God appear as a giant glacier on fire in the middle of freezing ocean depths. Now that would be impressive.
I personally would have preferred God to appear as some kind of creature, but not an ordinary one, like a fox or a muskrat. How about a dragon? If I were God, I would definitely appear as a dragon. It would rock Moses' world, impress everyone else, and allow me to fly, all of which seem divine to me.
But the mystery of God's motives is what this story is all about. God is not like us. God couldn't care less about impressing people, or flying, I imagine. God has already created all there is to experience. So when it came time for the big reveal, God appeared as a burning bush, a bush that was on fire but not consumed by fire.
I think God was trying to let Moses know that God isn't just in the amazing things, but in the ordinary things. I think God wanted Moses to never again look at a boring old bush the same way. I think God wanted Moses to see the possibility for a fiery miracle in every hedge, shrub and potted plant from then on.
I think these things, but of course I don't know them. No one knows God's motivations. Instead we are left with these amazing stories of the weird ways people encounter God.
Prayer
God, help me to be on the lookout for you in the most unexpected places. Open my eyes to see you in the small and the boring, as well as the majestic and the impressive. Because you can start a fire just about anywhere. Even in me. Amen.
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