Loving God, you call all those who put their trust in you into the ministry that you have prepared for them.  Teach us to listen for your leading and to trust your Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Many of you are probably familiar with the song, “Here I Am, Lord.”  We sang it a couple of weeks ago, and currently it is suggested for almost every Sunday.  Two weeks ago, it was Abraham who said “Here I am” when God called (Gen. 22:1).  Today, it is Moses who says “Here I am” (Ex. 3:4).  And, in a couple of weeks, it will be Samuel who says “Here I am” when he hears God calling in the middle of the night (1 Sam. 3:6).

         Moses, however, has the unique reputation for saying “Here I am.  Could you please send someone else?”  This is the same Moses who is revered for generations to come as a great prophet and the one who received the Law, or Torah.  However, just like all of those who are called into God’s service, Moses is undeniably human and sinful.  He also happens to be the perfect one for the job.

         God, we are told, has heard the cries of the oppressed during their slavery in Egypt.  These are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom God had made covenant promises.  These are God’s people, and God is ready to act in order to set them free from their slavery and lead them to the promised land.  And so, God gets Moses’ attention out in the wilderness by showing up in a burning bush.

         We would do well to remember that Moses is also a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  However, he was raised by Egyptians.  He knows Pharaoh and his family from the inside out, and likely doesn’t even need a translator.  Thus, in spite of the fact that he did murder an Egyptian, Moses is uniquely qualified to lead God’s people out of Egypt.  God sees this, but Moses does not.

         Moses seems to be governed by fear, and can only think about everything that could possibly go wrong.  What if they want to know your name?  What if they don’t believe me?  What if I mess it up because I don’t speak very well?  “O my Lord, please send someone else” (Ex. 4:13).  It is a testament to God’s patience and God’s persistence that God listens to all this and still refuses to take “no” for an answer.  In spite of how frustrating it might be for God to work with Moses, he is still uniquely qualified for the task at hand – and the one whom God has chosen.

         Many of the things that are revealed about God in today’s reading continue to be true today.  God continues to hear the cries of the oppressed.  God continues to call imperfect people into ministry in order to set God’s people free.  God still knows each one of us by name and knows what particular ministries we are uniquely qualified to carry out.  And, God continues to be the one in whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28), for God’s name is, essentially, the verb “to be.”

         Just like Moses, each one of us brings unique skills and life experiences and talents to the table.  At the same time, God supplies whatever we are lacking when we dare to answer God’s call into service.  Some have suggested that perhaps Moses stuttered or had some other speech impediment.  So, God gave Moses a partner in ministry – his brother Aaron – who apparently could speak quite well.

         In the New Testament, as well, we see how God supplies what is needed, as uneducated fishermen become preachers and healers by the power of the Holy Spirit.  That same Spirit continues to be given to all those who are baptized into Christ and called to share God’s love with all people.  And the Spirit gives whatever gifts are needed in order to participate in God’s mission in the world.

         Whether we are called into church vocations like pastors or deacons, or into vocations in the world that allow us to share God’s love with others, God provides all that is needed.  In fact, even if we are at a time in our lives where we have no idea what we are being called to do, God will certainly show us when we seek God’s guidance and are open to God’s leading.

         Nobody else has been given the same gifts and experiences as you have, nor has anybody else been given exactly the same calling.  But, whatever kind of service it is that God has in mind for you, you will be equipped by the Holy Spirit, just as you have already been raised to new life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Pentecost 19 (NL 4)                        Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-15; 4:10-17

October 3, 2021

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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