From Pastor PJ Brooks' sermon for 11.9.2025

Do you know the story of the burning bush?

My guess is that most of you probably do. After all, this is a story that we typically grow up with; one that makes it into our Sunday School curriculum, and because of that, we're usually pretty familiar with it. If you're not familiar with it though, and if you're hearing this story for the first time, then I have some good news for you: Today, you have the advantage. Why? Because I want everyone to pretend that they're hearing this story for the first time today.

Now, this is actually a good exercise to do when we read through scripture. Because when you know what happens next in this big, grand story, which shows us Jesus, you can sometimes miss the details. That's why I want you to do your best to come at this particular story, which tells of a conversation between God and Moses, with fresh eyes.

The story starts in the desert, and we see Moses leading a flock of sheep on a mountain. Suddenly, he sees a bush that’s on fire, goes to investigate, and what happens next is very odd: He finds that the bush is not burning up, although it's on fire.

This is where Moses meets God.

Now, when they meet, God tells Moses that He's heard the cry of His people, who have been slaves in the nation of Egypt for hundreds of years at this point. Israel has been crying out to God for help, and God is going to do something about it. That 'something' is that He's going to save them, and to do that, Moses will need to talk to Pharaoh. 

This is a big moment in the Old Testament and a big call that God puts on Moses' heart and life. And it's no surprise that Moses' response is very human and very normal: 

He simply says, "Who am I that you would send me? Who am I that I would lead a nation of people?" 

This is the part where I need you to pretend that you don't know the rest of the story; that you don't know who Moses is. Don't think of the Moses who parts the Red Sea with his staff, the Moses who leads a nation out of slavery, the Moses who goes up the mountain and brings down the Ten Commandments, the Moses who has an intense and intimate relationship with God, or the Moses who wrote the first five books of the Bible.

That's who Moses is. But that's not who he is at this point of the story.

When Moses has his first conversation with God by the burning bush, he has likely had no interaction with Him leading up to this point. He was an Israelite but not in the way that the rest of the Israelites were. He was raised in the house of Pharaoh as an Egyptian, and this caused big problems for Moses in terms of how he viewed himself and his identity. We see this in his life as an adult, as while walking the grounds of Egypt one day, he sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite, feels like he has to step in, and kills the Egyptian. Now he’s become a traitor to Pharaoh, who is going to kill him. Shortly after, Moses approaches a group of Israelites to intervene when they are fighting, but the exact opposite of what he's expected happens: They look at him and in essence, say, "Who are you? Who placed you over us? We don't want you."

At this point of his life, Moses has been rejected by the Egyptians and by the Israelites. With nowhere left to go, he runs away and ends up in the desert. This is where he meets a third group of people, the Midianites. He marries a Midianite woman, Zippora, and starts a new life with his father-in-law Jethro's family. Moses must have been so confused at this time because now, he was kind-of an Israelite, kind-of an Egyptian, and kind-of a Midianite. No one really accepted him, though, and it is this Moses who comes to the burning bush. 

Doesn't his question, "Who am I," make a little morse sense now? 

To Moses, not only was he not the best person for the job, he was the last person that could ever do it. He was the only Israelite who wasn't really an Israelite, who didn't follow the customs or the rituals, and who didn't know God. Why would God choose him to bring His people out of Egypt?

What does God say about it? 

He doesn't try to convince Moses that he is the right person for the job. He doesn't tell him that he’s qualified to do it or that He has been preparing him for this job for his entire life, even though he has, first by having Moses raised in Pharaoh's household and second, by sending him into the wilderness, where he learned how to be a shepherd, foreshadowing how he would shepherd God's people. God tells him none of this and gives him no proof of his skills or qualifications. Instead, he tells him one thing:

I am with you.

He lets Moses know that not only will he see the works of His hand, but that he'll also be back in this place in a few weeks with the whole nation of Israel behind him.

Have you ever experienced something like this? Have you ever had a call on your life, on your heart, or on your mind, something you thought God might be asking you to do? The immediate reaction that we tend to give these calls is this question: "Am I actually the best person to do this? Are there other people who have more money, more time, or better skills to complete this job? Am I really the best person for this?"

We all think this sometimes, by the way.

But is thinking and believing this what it means to be a Christian? Christianity is not waiting to 'die and go to heaven' because we are saved by Jesus. That's not what the Church is, and that’s not what Christianity is. You have been saved by Jesus, and your eternal life start now; your eternal life has already begun, and you will live forever. You have a call on your life right now because Jesus has saved you, and that means that the power of the Holy Spirit actually lives in you every single day of your life. And right now, God is asking you to do something. I don’t know what it is for each of us, but I do know that each and every one of us has a call on our hearts. It might be a call to give; it might be a call to serve someone; to love someone; to have a conversation with someone. It might be a call to do something. If you don't know what it is, then go to God and find out. But if you ask God, then be ready to open up your ears and your heart this week, because God will tell you where he wants you.

As you ask God to show you his call for you, you might find yourself thinking the same thing that Moses did: "Who am I?"

It's not a bad thing to ask this, you know. It's a good thing for us to look up at God and say, "Who am I that you would send me?" because this shows that we're humble, and it shows that God is the one who is working.

A few weeks ago, I had a 'who am I" instance. It was at a Saturday night service, and we had a baptism for a fifth grader named Riley. Pastor Jay and I walked down during the opening song to the baptismal font, and I handed the pamphlet to Riley. As I did, I could see in her face that she was freaking out. She had been so excited leading up to this day, but when the moment came and she looked around and saw all of the people looking at her, it became a lot to handle. Even so, she stood right where she was and fought through those fears. She was brave, and the baptism was excellent. After it was done, Pastor Jay continued the service, and I walked to the back to put my microphone away. And while I was there, something happened.

I lost it. 

I'm glad no one could see me back there, but I had a moment where I had a realization of the magnitude of what had just happened Riley: Eternity. This is not something that will affect Riley for a day, or a week, or a month. Her baptism will affect her for the rest of her life. Forever, Riley is a baptized Child of God. 

In life, it's really easy to get caught up sometimes in our checklists and in all of the things that we want to get accomplished. It's easy to get caught up in the joy of the day and sorrows of the day. In reality, though, most of the stuff that we do is going to fade away. It's not going to last forever. But what happened two weeks ago at that Saturday night service: that will last forever. 

"Who am I?" I found myself asking God after that moment, "that you would allow me have a glimpse of eternity? Who am I in my own life that the grace of God would be on me? Jesus, I don't deserve that, and I'm not qualified for it. I'm not qualified for eternity."

The truth is, you don't deserve God. And you're not qualified for eternity either. None of us are. But because of Jesus, when we ask, "Who am I," we have the answer.

Who are you? You are exactly who Jesus says you are. You are forgiven, you are free, you are redeemed, you are his child, you belong to him, because Jesus gave his life for you and that means that the Holy Spirit is in you right here, right now.

So, what is He calling you to do?