Dear friends in Christ,
One of the choices for this Sunday’s Old Testament comes from the third chapter of Exodus, with its account of Moses and the burning bush.
As Moses is doing his shepherding work one day, he sees something strange just off his path. A bush burns but is not consumed. Moses says, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight.” On that day, he had places to go, people to see, things to do—and sheep to tend. Yet he turned aside.
Moses could not have known he would encounter the living God in this strange place. But he turned aside. His willingness to set aside his plan for the sake of something numinous led him on a journey that would transform not just his life, but the whole world.
In our world today, we are programmed to be task-oriented. We need to accomplish things. We keep busy. I wonder how many things I have missed because I was not willing to turn aside from my plans.
On more than one occasion, God has reached me when I wasn’t expecting it. These encounters may not have had the flair of a burning bush or the voice of God, but they were every bit as real. And, still, I know there are times when I pressed on with my plan even when something extraordinary was within sight.
As I hear the reading this Sunday, I hope I learn again to be open to God’s presence. And I hope you can be ready to “turn aside” when something numinous is on your horizon.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
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