Moses is ten\u00adding his father-in-law\u2019s sheep in the desert when he sud\u00adden\u00adly beco\u00admes awa\u00adre of a bur\u00adning, but not inci\u00adne\u00adra\u00adting, thorn bush. This encoun\u00adter with the holy God fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly chan\u00adges his life. From now on he lives with a pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte desi\u00adre to see this mys\u00adte\u00adrious God and his life is set on a new cour\u00adse. Moses\u00bb expe\u00adri\u00adence is an exam\u00adp\u00adle of how a per\u00adson can encoun\u00adter the very Other and what the con\u00adse\u00adquen\u00adces are.<\/p>\n
In the mean\u00adti\u00adme, our child\u00adren have grown up. But I have fond memo\u00adries of visits to Toni\u2019s Zoo or Rog\u00adgen\u00adhau\u00adsen Wild\u00adlife Park. All the ani\u00admals in a pet\u00adting zoo are love\u00adly and com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly harm\u00adless at the same time. What delights the child\u00adren tends to bore the par\u00adents. The delight of the par\u00adents is pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly arou\u00adsed by the joy of the child\u00adren and less by the over\u00adfed goats or rab\u00adbits. As adults, we are far more attrac\u00adted to wild, dan\u00adge\u00adrous ani\u00admals. Goats are nice, but what are they com\u00adpared to an ele\u00adphant, tiger or eagle. If we sepa\u00adra\u00adte God from his holi\u00adne\u00adss in our thoughts and actions, God comes across to us like a bor\u00ading spea\u00adk\u00ader or a tamed goat in a pet\u00adting zoo. He no lon\u00adger arou\u00adses any emo\u00adti\u00adons in us and the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre also no fasci\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon. Wit\u00adhout reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00ading God\u2019s migh\u00adty holi\u00adne\u00adss, the\u00adre is also no real fascination. \tTalk about the pha\u00adse of life Moses was in befo\u00adre the thorn bush experience. Moses is ten\u00adding his father-in-law\u2019s sheep in the desert when he sud\u00adden\u00adly beco\u00admes awa\u00adre of a bur\u00adning, but not scor\u00adching, thorn bush. This encoun\u00adter with the holy God fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly chan\u00adges his life. From now on, he lives with a pas\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adte desi\u00adre to see this mys\u00adte\u00adrious God and his life is chan\u00adnel\u00adled in new direc\u00adtions. The expe\u00adri\u00adence of\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-7178","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"has-post-thumbnail","8":"hentry","11":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nOur the\u00adme for the year is: \u00abHoly, holy, holy \u2013 the encoun\u00adter with the com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent\u00bb. How can a per\u00adson expe\u00adri\u00adence this fasci\u00adna\u00adting holy God? The sto\u00adry of Moses gives us an insight into this.
\nPlace of action
\nMoses grew up as the adopted son of Pharaoh\u2019s daugh\u00adter at the Pharaoh\u2019s court in Egypt. The\u00adre he enjoy\u00aded an eli\u00adte edu\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. The doors to a gre\u00adat care\u00ader in the con\u00adtrol cent\u00adre of world poli\u00adtics were wide open. But then he allo\u00adwed hims\u00adelf to be car\u00adri\u00aded away by a tra\u00adgic act of pas\u00adsi\u00adon: He beat to death a slave dri\u00adver who was sub\u00adju\u00adga\u00adting his fel\u00adlow coun\u00adtry\u00admen, the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes. As a result, Moses fled to Midi\u00adan and found shel\u00adter the\u00adre with a priest named Jet\u00adh\u00adro. He gave him Zip\u00adpo\u00adrah, one of his seven daugh\u00adters, as his wife.
\n\u00abMoses was ten\u00adding the flock of his father-in-law Jet\u00adh\u00adro, the priest of Midi\u00adan. One day he dro\u00adve the ani\u00admals through the desert and came to Horeb, the moun\u00adtain of God\u00bb (Exodus 3:1 NLB<\/span>). What a social des\u00adcent: from pre\u00adsi\u00adden\u00adti\u00adal coun\u00adsell\u00ador to she\u00adp\u00adherd of the father-in-law\u2019s sheep! She\u00adp\u00adherds did not have a good repu\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon and were con\u00adside\u00adred out\u00adsi\u00adders in socie\u00adty. The advan\u00adta\u00adge: Moses lost the enti\u00adre insu\u00adla\u00adting lay\u00ader against God. God\u2019s attempts to reach the proud, arro\u00adgant and eli\u00adtist like to roll off the tongue.
\nThe\u00adre are two important land\u00adscapes in the Ori\u00adent: cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adted land and step\u00adpe and desert. The\u00adse two dif\u00adfe\u00adrent land\u00adscapes lie right next to each other. The book entit\u00adled \u00abWe amu\u00adse our\u00adsel\u00adves to death\u00bb descri\u00adbes the post\u00admo\u00addern man in the cul\u00adti\u00adva\u00adted land. He lives in a mul\u00adti-opti\u00adon socie\u00adty and gives ever\u00ady\u00adthing to have fun and never has to think about hims\u00adelf. The desert is the place whe\u00adre we can\u00adnot avo\u00adid our\u00adsel\u00adves, whe\u00adre we hear the signals from the depths of our souls. The sta\u00adtus, the sala\u00adry, the title from the cul\u00adtu\u00adral land does not count here. In the desert, we beco\u00adme rea\u00adli\u00adstic and hum\u00adble. We are hap\u00adpy for a litt\u00adle sha\u00adde, a sip of water. We rea\u00adli\u00adse that we are not living out of our\u00adsel\u00adves, but are com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly depen\u00addent. Moses is in the desert when he has an impres\u00adsi\u00adve expe\u00adri\u00adence of God. When was the last time you were in the desert? It is good ground for encoun\u00adtering some\u00adthing com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly different.
\nMoses is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly also stan\u00adding in a step\u00adpe land\u00adscape inward\u00adly, as he has a mur\u00adder on his con\u00adsci\u00adence. This is the best ter\u00adrain to get clo\u00adse to the Holy God. \u00abFor thus says the High and Lof\u00adty One who dwells in eter\u00adni\u00adty, he who\u00adse name is the Holy One: I dwell in the high and holy place and with tho\u00adse who have a bro\u00adken and humi\u00adlia\u00adted spi\u00adrit, to revi\u00adve the humi\u00adlia\u00adted, and to revi\u00adve the bro\u00adken\u00adhe\u00adar\u00adted\u00bb (Isai\u00adah 57:15 NLB<\/span>).
\nInitia\u00adti\u00adve of the Saint
\n\u00abThen the angel of the LORD<\/span> appeared to him in a fla\u00adme of fire that burst from a thorn bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it did not burn\u00bb (Exodus 3:2 NLB<\/span>). In the Negev, it can hap\u00adpen that a thorn bush is igni\u00adted by the wind due to a step\u00adpe fire. What is spe\u00adcial here is that the bush burns but is not con\u00adsu\u00admed. Moses expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces some\u00adthing unex\u00adpec\u00adted, some\u00adthing that does not fit in with his pre\u00advious life expe\u00adri\u00adence. The thorns, which can grow up to 8cm long, can cau\u00adse the worst inju\u00adries. Nobo\u00addy nest\u00adles up to a thorn bush or can make them\u00adsel\u00adves at home in a thorn bush. The fire sym\u00adbo\u00adli\u00adses the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God. \u00abFor our God is a con\u00adsum\u00ading fire\u00bb (Hebrews 12:29 NLB<\/span>). A fire warms, fasci\u00adna\u00adtes, crea\u00adtes atmo\u00adsphe\u00adre and is dan\u00adge\u00adrous at the same time. We would never think of put\u00adting our\u00adsel\u00adves in the midd\u00adle of a fire, becau\u00adse we know that we humans can enjoy the power and beau\u00adty of fire, but have not\u00adhing to oppo\u00adse the fla\u00admes them\u00adsel\u00adves. God often comes in a com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent way than we think. HE<\/span> can\u00adnot be cal\u00adcu\u00adla\u00adted. It often beg\u00adins with stran\u00adge and unex\u00adpec\u00adted things that don\u2019t fit into our pige\u00adon\u00adho\u00adles. In ever\u00ady\u00adthing, he is and remains the unavailable one.
\nSomeone chal\u00adlen\u00adged me with the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing state\u00adment: The qua\u00adli\u00adty of a Chris\u00adti\u00adan group depends lar\u00adge\u00adly on how serious\u00adly they take the holy God. Do we have a sen\u00adse of rever\u00adence for the stran\u00adge, mys\u00adte\u00adrious, unavailable God or have we degra\u00added him to an avun\u00adcu\u00adlar super-good-guy?
\nAnyo\u00adne who encoun\u00adters this holi\u00adne\u00adss, this beau\u00adty and majes\u00adty, wants to expe\u00adri\u00adence it again and again. Moses was also grip\u00adped by a lon\u00adging that would not let him go. The\u00adre is not\u00adhing grea\u00adter than being clo\u00adse to Him, befo\u00adre His face, and loo\u00adking at Him with the eyes of the heart. Moses later asks: \u00abLet me see your glo\u00adry\u00bb (Exodus 33:18 NLB<\/span>). God\u2019s ans\u00adwer is: \u00abI will make my good\u00adness pass befo\u00adre you and I will pro\u00adcla\u00adim my name \u00abthe LORD<\/span>\u00bb befo\u00adre you. I will give my favour and mer\u00adcy to whom I will. But you can\u00adnot see my face, for every per\u00adson who sees me must die\u00bb (v.19f NLB<\/span>). God is too holy, too dif\u00adfe\u00adrent for our sen\u00adses to grasp him and for us as human beings to stand befo\u00adre his purity.
\nThis is pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly the reason why Moses sees neither a figu\u00adre nor a face of God, but only hears a voice: \u00abMoses, Moses!\u00bb Moses is cal\u00adled by his name twice. The stran\u00adge, incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble God knows his name befo\u00adre Moses knows the name of the one who is spea\u00adking to him here (Exodus 3:13). God is like this: on the one hand holy, unavailable, mys\u00adte\u00adrious, but also per\u00adso\u00adnal, mer\u00adciful and clo\u00adse. The dou\u00adble naming is typi\u00adcal of when God beg\u00adins to wri\u00adte a new sto\u00adry with a per\u00adson. When He calls, some\u00adthing hap\u00adpens. If He does not call, not\u00adhing hap\u00adpens. At the begin\u00adning of every sto\u00adry of a per\u00adson with God, the\u00adre is always the holy God who takes the initiative.
\nHuman reaction
\nMoses says to hims\u00adelf: \u00abThat\u2019s stran\u00adge. [\u2026] Why does\u00adn\u2019t this bush burn? I need to take a clo\u00adser look\u00bb (Exodus 3:3 NLB<\/span>). Moses is pre\u00adpared for the unex\u00adpec\u00adted. The\u00adre are also bur\u00adning thorn bus\u00adhes by the way\u00adsi\u00adde in our lives. The ques\u00adti\u00adon is whe\u00adther we take a clo\u00adser look at them. Do we allow our\u00adsel\u00adves to be lured out of our dai\u00adly rou\u00adti\u00adnes or our own plans? On 13 August 2006, I dis\u00adco\u00adver\u00aded a bur\u00adning thorn bush during a nor\u00admal church ser\u00advice in what is now the youth cent\u00adre. Some time befo\u00adre that, we were asked if we would fill the posi\u00adti\u00adon of pas\u00adtor in this church. This task did not appeal to us at the time. We had com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent plans. But then the fire of the thorn bush jum\u00adped into my heart and set it on fire. It still burns today. Pay atten\u00adti\u00adon to the unu\u00adsu\u00adal occur\u00adren\u00adces around you and don\u2019t miss the briars.
\n\u00ab \u00abDon\u2019t come any clo\u00adser,\u00bb God com\u00adman\u00added him. \u00abTake off your san\u00addals, for you are stan\u00adding on holy ground. I am the God of your ances\u00adtors \u2013 the God of Abra\u00adham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob\u00bb [\u2026]\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:5f NLB<\/span>). Espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly in the gloo\u00admy win\u00adter months, we look for\u00adward to every ray of suns\u00adhi\u00adne. The sun exerts a fasci\u00adna\u00adti\u00adon on us. It warms us, gives us light and makes life pos\u00adsi\u00adble. But if we get too clo\u00adse to the sun, it beco\u00admes dan\u00adge\u00adrous. The same appli\u00ades to God. His beau\u00adty, his other\u00adness and puri\u00adty cast a spell over us, but requi\u00adre us to keep our distance.
\nThe ground on which Moses stands is only holy becau\u00adse it is sanc\u00adti\u00adfied by the holy God. Ever\u00ady\u00adthing that comes into cont\u00adact with God beco\u00admes holy. Our ver\u00adse for the year is: \u00abYou shall be holy becau\u00adse I, the LORD<\/span> your God, am holy\u00bb (Exodus 19:2 NLB<\/span>). The only way to do this is to encoun\u00adter this holy God. The place whe\u00adre this can hap\u00adpen is a spe\u00adcial place. We must rea\u00adli\u00adse that we are facing the Crea\u00adtor, the LORD<\/span> of the gala\u00adxies. He towers over ever\u00ady\u00adthing by far. Com\u00adpared to Him, I am a small worm \u2013 albeit one that is loved by God. I can meet God in this attitude.
\nMoses should take off his shoes. Wit\u00adhout shoes, you burn your feet in the desert or cut yours\u00adelf on sharp stones. Only slaves have to walk bare\u00adfoot. Shoes are what we use to mas\u00adter our lives and over\u00adco\u00adme dif\u00adfi\u00adcul\u00adties. Shoes are ever\u00ady\u00adthing that we have lear\u00adnt and that we ima\u00adgi\u00adne we have, our sta\u00adtus. It is appro\u00adpria\u00adte to put all that away if we want to encoun\u00adter God.
\n\u00abWhen Moses heard this, he cover\u00aded his face becau\u00adse he was afraid to look at God\u00bb (Exodus 3:6b NLB<\/span>). The appro\u00adpria\u00adte human respon\u00adse to God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss is awe, respect and wor\u00adship. The encoun\u00adter with God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss does not first and fore\u00admost trig\u00adger joy or enthu\u00adsi\u00adasm in us, but the rea\u00adli\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon that we can\u00adnot actual\u00adly stand up to the Holy One. The encoun\u00adter with God at the bur\u00adning bush tur\u00adned Moses\u00bb who\u00adle life in a new direc\u00adtion. Encoun\u00adters with the Holy One lea\u00adve their mark.
\n
\nPer\u00adhaps you are now won\u00adde\u00adring whe\u00adther our encoun\u00adters with the holy God have not chan\u00adged fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal\u00adly through Jesus Christ. Is distance, taking off our shoes and rever\u00adence still an issue? We can all be gra\u00adteful that Jesus\u00bb sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal death has fil\u00adled the gap bet\u00adween us and the holy God and that we can approach Him as the loving Father. Howe\u00adver, in this important step that we are allo\u00adwed to take towards God, we some\u00adti\u00admes over\u00adlook the fact that God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss has not been fil\u00adled in. He has not chan\u00adged, but we have been given access to Him in order to encoun\u00adter Him in His holi\u00adne\u00adss, from which His father\u00adhood also springs. The ter\u00adror of the con\u00adfron\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon with the Holy One beco\u00admes a life-chan\u00adging ama\u00adze\u00adment at His beau\u00adty through Jesus\u00bb gre\u00adat \u00abFear not\u00bb. \u00abThe\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre I kne\u00adel befo\u00adre God the Father and wor\u00adship him\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 3:14 Hfa). I talk to my loving Father and fall silent befo\u00adre the holy God.
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Exodus 3:1\u20136<\/p>\n
\n\tGod drew atten\u00adti\u00adon to hims\u00adelf through the bur\u00adning bush. Have you also had thorn bush expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adces? What could be \u00abthorn bus\u00adhes\u00bb in ever\u00ady\u00adday life?
\n\tWhat do the ele\u00adments \u00abthorn bush\u00bb and \u00abfire\u00bb say about God?
\n\tWhy should Moses not approach and take off his shoes? What does this teach us for our dealings with God?
\n\tWhat has chan\u00adged through the sacri\u00adfi\u00adci\u00adal death of Jesus? What has remain\u00aded the same? What does this mean for our com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adon with God?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"