Exod. 3:1-8,13-15; 1Cor.10:1-6,10-12; Luke 13:1-9; Psalm 103

March 24, 2019

Craig Terlson

 

Reimagine Pt. 2 (The Burning Bush)

 

“A short time later, when the carpenter was taking measurements for the coffin, through the window, they saw a light rain of tiny yellow flowers falling. They fell on the town all through the night in a silent storm, and they covered the roofs and blocked the doors and smothered the animals who slept outdoors. So many flowers fell from the sky that in the morning the streets were carpeted with a compact cushion and they had to clear them away with shovels and rakes so that the funeral procession could pass by.”

– Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude, 1967

 

This is one of my favorite images from one of my favorite books. The small town of Macondo in South America where it rained yellow flowers after the death of a beloved Patriarch. In an interview, they asked Marquez about his use of magic realism in his fiction - the term coined for these magical, mystical events that happen in the middle of very realistic stories. He was confused by the question, and finally answered it by saying... that's just South America.

In other words—this was his reality, and these things happened all the time.

Last week, I talked about another mystical event that we call the transfiguration, and today I am going to look at the story of Moses and the Burning bush, found near the beginning of Exodus.

To refresh your memory from last week, I talked about the idea of Reimagining scripture, and how scripture is ancient, diverse, and ambiguous—and these qualities, rather than hindrances, are gifts to us. I do want to say that I talk about this with care—this is a lens I have begun to use based on who I am reading, and what I've experienced— and for some, these notions may be difficult, even troubling.

But walk with me a bit, and I promise I won't upset too many apple carts.

 

So, in terms of ancient. Once again we have a story with elements that the original hearers would have recognized, and that we miss. From Chapter 2 (Of Exodus) onward, we have something that resembles a hero's folk tale. It sounds like other tales the Hebrews would have been familiar with. The story of a miraculous survival of a baby (a fine baby it says—very similar phrasing to the "saw that it was good" in the Creation stories of Genesis), the baby is put in a basket (which was an egyptian loan word... only used one other place in the Bible - that of Noah's ark), and then plucked out of the water by an unnamed daughter of Pharoah.

Then later, Moses as an adult flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian, and then returns as a national deliverer... which parallels the story of Jacob in Genesis, as well as other extra-biblical narratives of the 15th C. BCE where the hero has to flee his home because of a crime, and then returns to lead their people. (Read the Syrian story of Idrimi or the Egyptian Sinuhe have very similar narratives).

And again, I don't mention the other stories that parallel Moses story to cast aspersion on their factual content—no, it is to show the amazing diversity and richness of these stories that lead us to awe, wonder, and wisdom.

The Bible is a collection of stories of people's encounters with God. And the burning bush is an amazing one.

So when we come to Chapter 3, where Moses will encounter God for the first time (which is really the beginning of the Hebrew nation, and thus the beginning of it all - it's interesting that scholars say this text was most likely compiled before the writing of Genesis... as this is the beginning.)

But on the encounter, here it is good to be reminded that Moses is a murderer on the run—lest we think we are not worthy to have an audience with God.

Now, the reason I began with the Marquez raining yellow flowers story, is to say that was his reality—events like this just happened, and were not questioned. From what I've read, it certainly this does seem to apply the same for original hearers of Moses mystical experience. This stuff just happened.

Mike McHargue, Science Mike from a number of podcasts like the Liturgists has book called Finding God in the Waves where he describes the markers of a mystical experience. He says that the first marker of a mystical experience is that it transcends language. It's nearly impossible to articulate the event.

Listen to what Moses says about the bush: it was blazing, and yet not consumed. You can sense his challenge of trying to explain what he is experiencing.

Here are the other 7 markers of a mystical experience that Mike compiled based on studied and documented scientific and anthropological data:

1.         The experience transcends language.

2.         The experience reveals hidden knowledge.

3.         The experience is limited in duration.

4.         The experience happens to you, it is not initiated or controlled by the one who experiences it.

5.         A sense of unity or completeness.

6.         A sense of transcending time.

7.         An encounter with the “true self” that transcends life, death and ego.

 

Now, I've had 2, maybe 2 and half mystical experiences in my life that certainly match up to those markers.

And Further to Mike's story, he has described his experience as something that happened to him while he was a confirmed atheist, and at a Christian conference (led by Rob Bell), and that something that happened to him on the shores of the pacific, a mystical event that is both absurd and has no rationale explanation, changed everything for him. Basically, he met Jesus.

 

Another thing to point out in the telling of the story is when Moses turns aside to try and understand just what he is seeing, he is met with something that maybe is a bit dangerous? Surely to be met with awe and respect anyway, because recall, that looking into the face of God was a fatal event... earlier in the story, an Angel first appears, a mediator of God really, as it could not be imagined that God could be met face to face.

 So God says Moses, and he says his name twice (Moses, Moses), possibly to reassure him that this is not a mirage, this is happening. And as soon as Moses says Here I am - God says - come no closer! (my translation actually has an exclamation mark here) Wow. This is kind of scary, and yet amazing stuff. I wonder if we miss the drama and awesomeness here? We certainly do if we get tied up in whether it actually happened or not, or happened this way, or whatever. Instead, put yourself into the reality of this story - as you say here I am - and God tells you to take off your shoes because you are standing on Holy ground. Like Moses, and other mystics, we are pulled toward the light, the furnace, the fire of God, and yet are at the same time afraid.

Have you ever had an experience like that? Some might say no, shake their head, of course not, that only happened to murderers on the run in the Bible. But I am convinced that these meetings with God do happen. I have had them happen to me. Perhaps the reason the Bible tells us many of these stories is so that when it happens to us, we will recognize it.

And take a look at where this experience happens to Moses, it is not in a church or a temple, it is in the middle of creation, actually in the middle of his day job. He was watching his father-in-law's sheep when this happened.

And what happens next is of great significance. After the encounter with God, Moses is put into action. For sure there is hesitancy on his part. But God assures him that he didn't just show up to say hi. It is so Moses can bring his people out of Egypt.

Here is Rohr talking about the story of the Burning Bush:

Again, we see the inherent connection between action and contemplation, the dialogue between the outer journey and the inner journey. Contemplation is the connection to the Source of Love that allows grounded activists to stay engaged for the long haul without burning out. Moses shows us that this marriage of action and contemplation is essential and possible.

I draw this out to say that these experiences are what call us into action. And no, I am not saying that hope you all go home and find some vegatation on fire, and then go out and change the world (well, maybe) – but to say that is why we meet here in this place, why we worship together, why we go to this table.

There are many fine groups that gather and do very good work all over this city and the world - and this is a very good thing. Increasingly I am seeing there is no seperation between sacred and profane, between church and secular society.  Especially, If you take a much longer view of what I referred to last week as the Universal Christ - Christ is another word for every thing.

So this is to say we are all building the Kingdom to use that language.

 

Moreover, about why we are here this morning... I am thinking about how this reflection of God's church gathers, I find it is good to be reminded that our encounters with God, big, small, tiny, mindblowing, are all there to remind us who is at our centre.

And then to send us out into the world to co-create with God a kingdom of justice, love, and mercy. This is why we come together, and this is why we have a collection of sacred texts that tell of people who also encountered God in burning bushes, in rainbows in the sky, blinding lights, strong winds, quiet breezes, food from the sky, and waters that part... all the way to the life of a carpenter who said the most amazing things. These stories remind us where we came from, who we are, sometimes where we went wrong, and where we might want to go.

Hearing these, or better inhabiting these mystical stories, is a way that we are prepared for our own mystical encounter with God. And if mystical is too big a word, consider encounter, or just meet God. When we meet God and say, here I am (like Moses did), the next movement is then... what will God ask us to do. Uncomfortable stuff? Scary stuff? Profound stuff?

Or at least stuff where you should take your shoes off.