Taking the Risk to Turn Aside

"...the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, 'I must turn aside and see why the bush is not burned up.' When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!.' And he said, 'Here am I."... Then the Lord said...'I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.' But Moses said, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' He said, 'I will be with you; and this shall be a sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.'" (Exodus 2-4, 10-12)

God changes us. It is a risky thing to turn aside, as Moses did, for whenever we risk a meeting with God, God might ask something of us. Maybe this is one reason why, as human beings, we don't turn aside to be with God as much as we might. Maybe we are afraid of what God might ask of us.

Who am I to lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Who am I to tell another about my faith, and why I believe that Jesus is the Christ, and what a difference he has made in my life? Who am I to try and do something about global warming, or the obsession that our country has with violence? Or (as Julia and I have been saying to each other, and to other couples recently), who are we to be teaching a class for couples on forging deeper connections with your partner?

Yes, I suppose we can all relate to Moses. On the one had, the things God can do to get our attention are so amazing and fascinating, and some of our experiences of God are so overwhelmingly wonderful, that we want more, and we are curious enough to turn aside. On the other hand, once we turn aside, God might shine a light on something in us that we'd rather not look at, or we might hear God asking us to do something that we're not sure we have the confidence or the abilities to do.

What we forget is that it is not all up to us. God doesn't ask us to do something, and then disappear. God's promise to Moses is his promise to us, too. "I WILL BE WITH YOU." That is what he said to Moses. And Jesus said the same thing to the apostles, after he was resurrected, and before he ascended into heaven. "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

That is one of God's top traits, I would say - his staying power, his faithfulness. But God not only is with us. God also equips us. Think of what you know of all that ensued with God and Moses. Moses gave God every reason he could think of as to why he was not the right man for the job. But God didn't listen. God just kept saying, in one way or another, "I will be with you. You won't be doing this by yourself. I will give you the strength you need. I will equip you. I will support you. I will lead the way."

Two members of St. Ambrose have been sharing their views on this topic recently. They have said to me. "You know, God doesn't call the qualified. God qualifies those whom he calls." They are absolutely right! That has been my experience in life - as a husband, as a father, as a priest, as a leader. There are many, many instances when I don't feel qualified, or I feel inadequate to the task at hand. But God keeps calling me forward. He doesn't let me off the hook, and say, "You're right. I've got the wrong guy. It was nice while it lasted. You can be done being a father now. You can be done being a priest." No. God somehow shows more faith in me than I sometimes have in myself. God keeps encouraging me, teaching me, challenging me, forgiving me, inspiring me, reminding me of what He's done before. In short, God does whatever is needed to help me out, and to keep me moving, so that I can keep following. And here's the best part: my life is so much more than it ever would have been, because I have turned aside from time to time, and allowed God to be part of it - and allowed God to have a say in what my life should be about.

I know that has been true for you, too.

So... will we keep turning aside, despite the risks involved? There is also a big risk, by the way, if we don't keep turning aside! The risk is that we will shrivel up and die, and not experience any of that abundance of life that Jesus said he came to bring us. (John 10:10)

In this new year, may you and I continue to trust God, continue to follow Jesus, continue to rejoice in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and may we continue to risk turning aside, so that we might encounter God in new and transforming ways. Amen.