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Last week the Lectionary had us reflecting on Moses' encounter with the burning bush, told in Exodus chapter 3. In preparing for the sermon, I listened to the first episode in a new podcast, The Green Lectionary Podcast. It features really interesting commentary on weekly lectionary passages from a creation care perspective, from multiple ministers and theologians. I highly recommend it for those needing inspiration for how to read Scripture through an ecological lens.
In the conversation that ensues about this verse, Rev. Joshua Scott makes the following point:
When Moses takes off his shoes the ground does not suddenly become holy. It’s not that that parcel of ground is more holy than anywhere else. Moses takes off his shoes and discovers that the ground has been holy the entire time. Part of recognizing the holiness of God is recognizing the holiness of the land that God created. It’s like the Sabbath. It’s not that the Sabbath day is inherently more holy than the other six days of the week. But by following, on one day of the week, the natural rhythms that God has built into the very fabric of the universe, our eyes may be opened to see the holiness of every day.
As Poet Elizabeth Barret Browning writes:
Earth is crammed with heaven
and every common bush afire with God
But only the one who sees
takes off their shoes.
You could also say that "only the one who takes off their shoes to feel the ground, sees".
When’s the last time you’ve taken off your shoes, so to speak? When’s the last time you’ve seen the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary? Is it "once in a blue moon"? Did you take time to see the Blue Moon last week, by the way?
Most of us move so quickly that our surroundings become no more than the blurred scenery we fly past on our way to somewhere else. We pay attention to the speedometer, the wristwatch, the cell phone, the list of things to do…Reverence requires a certain pace. It requires a willingness to take detours, even side trips, which are not part of the original plan.
That's from Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World.
We live in a world of wonders calling us to stop and notice. The story of Moses’ call reveals to us a God who calls out to us from within our world, from the very midst of our everyday lives. Pay attention.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
Last week the Lectionary had us reflecting on Moses' encounter with the burning bush, told in Exodus chapter 3. In preparing for the sermon, I listened to the first episode in a new podcast, The Green Lectionary Podcast. It features really interesting commentary on weekly lectionary passages from a creation care perspective, from multiple ministers and theologians. I highly recommend it for those needing inspiration for how to read Scripture through an ecological lens.
In the conversation that ensues about this verse, Rev. Joshua Scott makes the following point:
When Moses takes off his shoes the ground does not suddenly become holy. It’s not that that parcel of ground is more holy than anywhere else. Moses takes off his shoes and discovers that the ground has been holy the entire time. Part of recognizing the holiness of God is recognizing the holiness of the land that God created. It’s like the Sabbath. It’s not that the Sabbath day is inherently more holy than the other six days of the week. But by following, on one day of the week, the natural rhythms that God has built into the very fabric of the universe, our eyes may be opened to see the holiness of every day.
As Poet Elizabeth Barret Browning writes:
Earth is crammed with heaven
and every common bush afire with God
But only the one who sees
takes off their shoes.
You could also say that "only the one who takes off their shoes to feel the ground, sees".
When’s the last time you’ve taken off your shoes, so to speak? When’s the last time you’ve seen the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary? Is it "once in a blue moon"? Did you take time to see the Blue Moon last week, by the way?
Most of us move so quickly that our surroundings become no more than the blurred scenery we fly past on our way to somewhere else. We pay attention to the speedometer, the wristwatch, the cell phone, the list of things to do…Reverence requires a certain pace. It requires a willingness to take detours, even side trips, which are not part of the original plan.
That's from Barbara Brown Taylor, An Altar in the World.
We live in a world of wonders calling us to stop and notice. The story of Moses’ call reveals to us a God who calls out to us from within our world, from the very midst of our everyday lives. Pay attention.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
