what do we call God?

III Lent “C” Exodus 3, 1-8, 13-15

After being chased out of Egypt and away from his own people Moses is out shepherding for his father-in-law. He is in the wildernes on the “mountain of the Lord” also known as Mt. Sinai. In ancient times Mountains were seen as places of encounter with the divine, just like Popo y Itzla here in Mexico. There, at the mountain, Moses encounters an unquenchable burning bush. The fiery bush is an icon of the divine, a material or sacramental window into God’s presence that both reveals and hides. In part, the ever-burning shrub out in the wilderness signals God’s merciful accommodation. God comes down from the mountain of God to meet Moses in the bush. At the same time, the inextinguishable flame is a sign of God’s awesome and powerful holiness, a fiery holiness that is both dangerous and attractive, frightening and comforting, untamed but reassuring. God instructs Moses to remove the sandals from his feet. The gesture is an ancient practice when entering a holy place of divine presence. It is a gesture that honors the holiness of this ground, this mountain and this God. In thinking about this, usually in our culture the only place we remove our shoes is in our home. We don’t take off our shoes when we go out to eat, or visit in the home of someone. We take off our shoes when we are at home. Moses was at home, he was in the presence of his loving God. The First reading from Exodus skips over the part where God calls Moses to go back to Pharaoh, lead the Israelites out of their miserable slavery in Egypt and travel to the promised land of Canaan. Moses resists the call and raises a number of excuses. God responds. None of that matters; “I will be with you” Moses then asks, what is your name? God responds with a long explication of the divine name, “I AM WHO I AM” (3:14). Perhaps a better translation of the name from the Hebrew (ehyeh asher ehyeh) is “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.” In the Jewish tradition, this special name of God is considered so holy that it is not to be pronounced in prayer or worship. In the lectionary the word LORD is used instead. There are many explanations of what it means to say that the name of God is “I am who I am.” But I would like to focus on the second part of God’s response. “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is not the God of the philosophers. There isn’t some big long metaphysical explanation of who God is, that is God isn’t some abstract theory, or impersonal reality, rather God is one who intervenes in human history, God participates in our life. In the same way we can say our God is the God of Diana and Ralph, Betty and Cayetana, Jay and Erin. God is a personal God. Our God is one who had a relatioship with our ancestors in the past. Our God is one who has a relationship with us today. Our God is one who will have a relationship with our descendants today. If you were to ask me about my dad I could tell you a lot of things about him. I could tell you when and where he was born; when he went to school; what his profession was; I could tell you that he loved to play golf and listen to the Opera. But none of those things would tell you who he was for me. He was my dad, and that is enough! I think that God is saying the thing to Moses and to each one of us. Don’t worry about my titles, don’t concern yourself with what I can do or my actions in the past. God sends Moses to liberate his people from Slavery in Egypt. God’s promise is that he will be with Moses in a personal way. God wants to be in relationship with us. I am who I am! The reading from Exodus prepares us for the coming of Jesus. Jesus the one who comes to save us. In Exodus God saw the suffering of his people and he “came down” that is he desired to walk with his people. He didn’t send them out of Egypt; he led them to the promised land. A land flowing with milk and honey. Moses didn’t see God, no one has ever seen God. But our God is one who continually makes his presence known in our lives. What God is saying to Moses and to each one of us, “I want to have a relationship with you.” I don’t want to be a remote God in the clouds.” I want to be present in your lives and walk with you.” Obviously that is what the incarnation Is all about. It is also what lent is about. On Ash Wednesday we were invited to the traditional practices of Lent: Prayer, fasting and almsgiving. God wants to be in relationship with us, we deepen that relationship though our prayer. Let us make time to be people of prayer as Lent continues. Not to just say more prayers, but to spend time talking to a God who loves us.