Passage for Reflection: Exodus 3:1-12
I’ve been a part of many mission trips, service-learning activities, and other enrichment offerings that involved travel. For each of these occasions, participants engaged in significant planning and preparation. We felt a need to prepare to enter new spaces.
While there were never any “Holy Ground Ahead” road signs, there were ample warnings. And, from the moment we stepped off of the plane or bus, we knew we had arrived on holy ground. We, the people of God, had traveled to serve God and to encounter God in new ways.
In Exodus 3, Moses was taking a trip. In today’s language we might say he was traveling for work or even that his work was traveling. He was leading his flock toward Mount Horeb. It was just another day of life and work . . . until it wasn’t.
God made Godself known to Moses through a burning bush. The bush kept burning, but wasn’t consumed. Moses took off his sandals, stood directly on holy ground, and listened as God shared a life-changing message.
It’s true: you can plan religious trips and other travel opportunities to encounter the divine. More often, however, you’ll encounter God when you least expect – perhaps in the middle of your everyday travel. Whether walking around your neighborhood, driving to the grocery store, or while engaged in some other very ordinary activity, be warned: there is holy ground ahead.
This post was originally published in the Lectionary for Life Series for the Center for Congregational Ethics on May 6, 2023..