The Burning Bush

           `This is the season for the Sumac to show its splendour. For me, it’s at its best when the top of the leaves are green and the undersides have already turned that brilliant red. I attempted to catch the amazing effect of the sun shining through the green to the fire beneath with my camera.

We drive down the road and exclaim, “Wow, that’s beautiful”. Then we keep right on going, our busy day calling us onward.

            In the Bible story of the burning bush, Moses followed his curiosity and stopped to investigate. He met God. “Take off your shoes,” God said, “You’re standing on Holy ground.” I think Moses had an advantage. He walked in a dry and dusty land where scraggly bushes dotted the landscape. The burning bush was hard to ignore.

            This wonderful country of ours, with its fertile soil and sparkling lakes, is truly Holy. We forget to stand in awe, maybe because we are sated with its beauty and peacefulness. Moses was curious. Too often we respond with apathy. We let the wonder of our world slide by in a blur, as our cars rush down the highway.

            When Moses stopped and took off his shoes, he opened himself to God. In the story, God gives him a job, a big job. “Lead my people out of slavery,” God says.

Is that the reason we refuse to stop and let the glory of creation enfold us? Are we afraid that God might give us a job, too?

Moses was certainly afraid. “I can’t,” he responds. “I don’t speak well. Pharaoh won’t listen to me.” So God tells him to take his brother, Aaron. with him. He didn’t have to do it alone. Not only did he have Aaron’s help, but God was with him, offering wisdom and power.

We, too, can risk stopping to soak in the beauty of our world. We can risk meeting God, for God does not expect us to work alone. With any task God sets before us, if we open our eyes and hearts to God, there will always be at least one person to help if not more. And of course God will be with us.

Over the next week, pull off the road and stop. Check out the beauty around you. Enjoy the feast of God’s creation. Take a risk and experience the holy.