A Burning Bush | Ed’s Inspirations
There are a number of "God calls my name" stories we are familiar with, such as the encounter Moses had with a bush that flamed up but wasn't consumed. He was drawn to this unusual sight. Briefly the events are as follows: He heard his name called by God, he said "here I am", and then God told him to take his shoes off as he was on holy ground. God also told him His own (Gods) name, and then God sent him off on a mission.
One aspect of this story intrigues me. We know our names: Ed, Peter, Francis, Sharon. But do we? Perhaps scarcely. Moses answers the Voice after it calls his name twice. "Yes, I'm right here". He understood immediately that the voice knew him and was talking to him. Names are about identity, we grow into them, however we have trouble with identity. Have you stood in an elevator with people where everyone avoids eye contact. If we could be 100% comfortable in our skin we could gaze lovingly at people, well perhaps that would be a tad intense. Our friends who spent a decade in Senegal, greet people in the Senegalese tradition in which you repeat their name several times, and you might also say "I see you ______" and so on.
CS Lewis wrote in The Weight Of Glory about how we are so unaware of the eternal potential of ourselves and those around us, that if we could see ourselves and others now in the light of what we will be, we would fall down and worship these creatures! Lewis says, "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal" The fact that we don't see our own glory is part of the tragedy of the fall. We all know the story of the man/woman who wanders the streets wondering who they are. Who am I really? My name is Ed and after 68 years of life I am starting to feel as though I'm getting to know who I am. Starting! This is on a basic psychological human level. When I place myself additionally in the arc of God's story I feel as though I'm adding a layer of complexity. Oh I know what I like, what I'm gifted in (or at least what I'd like to be gifted in), what spiritual disciplines I suck at, and finally my shortcomings and for the propensity for sin that I live with. There are though, the "am I worthy" questions. We must know we are worthy!
Have you had a burning bush in your life or a series of them? Should we look for unusual experience to be a catalyst in our lives? Could there be days where even mundane events could point to a burning bush? Something extraordinary, a sudden flaring of your spirit, a word from a stranger, a paragraph from a book, even a day of struggle with sadness. Then there is pain and the suffering of loss. Can these be moments that speak your name? A burning bush could be an epiphany, a moment of self reckoning, of burgeoning awareness of God's favour towards you, and for some the beginning of a wild ride as the love of God overtakes their lives.
The "I see you" from God in the bush towards us, is more than a Godly greeting. It is a life-changing, resounding affirmation of His beautiful face turned towards us. The One whose demeanor dispels all notion of lostness, whose gaze grounds us into the truest home in the cosmos! The face of the one that has not one speck of doubt about His love for us. Not an iota. It is a love that spills over from the surplus of love within the Trinity.
Some of us find it difficult to place ourselves in this love. Today I failed you God, frustration and disappointment reigns in my heart towards myself(and then oft towards others). Like the people in the elevator we avert our eyes from Him, preferring the mask. Like Moses, we too avert our eyes because of the brightness of that vision. Perhaps the burning bush is a way to get our eyes accustomed in degrees to the greater light that is blinding. You know it was us who turned away, never Him.
Perhaps your burning bush leads to the realization that God likes you! Perhaps it leads to an assurance that God is never tired of you and your shenanigans, that he can hardly wait until you wake up so you can be together. Did you know, He sang over you all night while you were sleeping? God knows your name and what it means. He knows who you are and what you are becoming. He is super enthused about that! Of course He is. We could only love God if we knew He was good, and we know that in spades.
Isaiah tells us in chapter 62 that God rejoices over us like a bridegroom over His bride, that we will be called The redeemed of the Lord, and we will be called sought after or pursued! Does a burning bush excite you? I hope so. Could it be a portal into hearing your name called from a deep place, a source of the greatest love you'll ever know, providing a vision of your great worth and significance. This is Holy ground we are standing on. Go!
-Ed