Here I Am, Send Someone Else

Exodus 3:1-15

Introduction

Have you ever had an opportunity come your way that totally scared you? While you valued the opportunity, the task seemed beyond your abilities.

When I think about these feelings, I automatically think about the anticipation of my basic training for the army. I did not have much time to process what was going on. I had just been sworn into the Canadian Armed Forces a few weeks before. I received my kit, including my uniform, just a week before. I had no idea what to expect. I was not really physically fit and had serious doubts about I would do with military drill.

I can still remember going out for lunch with my daughter Abby before leaving for CFB Borden. I was trying to enjoy our father-daughter date, but I kept getting drawn into the anxiety about basic training. Did I really have what it took to be in the army reserves? I was not so sure at that moment.

What I have described is only a small portion of what Moses was feeling as God called him to a mission. We are going to to take a look at his experience and figure what that means for us.

Calling Moses

Our passage starts with Moses tending sheep on Mount Horeb. But that was not the beginning of his story. Moses was a Hebrew but was brought up in an Egyptian household. Not just any household, but that of the Pharaoh. Moses grew up with all the privileges of a prince of Egypt.

Eventually, Moses began to accept his Hebrew heritage. His eyes were opened to the suffering on his people and he had compassion on them. He saw an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew slave and Moses killed the guard. Moses did it not out of hatred of the Egyptians but out of a desire for justice.

Unfortunately, things did not work out the way he desired. What he hoped would remain a secret became public knowledge. Moses was forced to flee from Egypt, from his home and everything he knew, and to make a new life for himself in a strange land.

Moses found himself a wife and began working for his father-in-law by tending sheep. It was a far cry from palace life but it was simpler. Each day would be like the next. Until it wasn’t.

Moses encountered God on the mountain. It was the famous burning bush. God didn’t appear just to say “hello.” God had a mission for Moses to undertake. God had heard the suffering of the Hebrew people and was sending Moses to lead them to freedom. 

Centuries later, God would speak to another prophet named Isaiah. Isaiah would respond with the words, “Here I am, send me.” (Isaiah 6:8) Moses responded with “Here I am,” but the rest of his response was saying, “Here I am, send someone else.” Moses had all sorts of excuses why he shouldn’t go, many of them outside of this passage.

You can’t blame Moses. He had tried to make a difference and he had failed miserably. Why should this time be any different? Especially since last time, Moses only tried to help one person and this time God was expecting him to help the entire nation.

God says a lot of things to Moses but what I want to focus on is that God says, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12) That is the difference. Last time, Moses tried to do something on his own. This time God was going to be with him. God seals the deal by revealing his personal name to Moses. This time was going to be different.

So Moses head off to Egypt, put Pharaoh in his place and casually walked off with his people to a life of freedom. Well, it was not quite that easy. In fact it was very hard and at times Moses felt discouraged. But God was with him. God did not do everything for Moses but God was with him. The presence of God can get us through but it is never a promise of ease and comfort.

Calling the Church

We can look at Moses and either praise or criticize him. It is easy for us to look at him as an isolated case, far removed from our experience. The reality is that his story is our story.

God calls us to mission. You might be thinking that you don’t recall encountering a flaming bush. We don’t need to have a bush because we have something better, we have Jesus.

Jesus calls us, as his church, to fulfill the work he has for us. In the case of Moses, it was to free the Hebrews, what is for us?

The mission of the church is rather simple. Not easy, but simple. It all comes down to the Great Commandments and the Great Commission. The Great Commandments are to love God and love our neighbours. So we as Christians, need to invest into our relationship with God and to reach out with practical help for those around us. Remember that Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate what a neighbour looks like. That is a great place to start. The Great Commission tells us to go and make disciples. Here the emphasis is on “go.” This is not just feeding and housing but making followers of Jesus, wither locally or globally.

I’m sure we can all agree in principle that these are the things we are to do as a church. But we are in the same situation as Moses. Perhaps we have tried something along these lines and it didn’t go so well. Perhaps we are staring at the Great Commandments and the Great Commission and are coming up with a long list of excuse why God can’t use us. We don’t have enough money or people. We are too old or too young. There are other churches that are better equipped.

I hate to tell you this but God is as impressed with our excuses as he was with Moses. The Great Commandments and the Great Commission are for every Christian and every congregation. You don’t have to meet a specific criteria to be included.

And like with Moses, God gives us the same promise as we go on our mission. “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12) Although it might not feel like it at the time, that is enough. What is the name for Jesus that we talk about at Christmas? Emmanuel. God with us. Jesus is the promise that God will never leave us nor forsake us. None of these things means that our mission will be easy. It only means that God will be with us every step of the way.

Conclusion

I started by talking about my feelings going into basic training. I was very anxious about what it would be like and if I had what it would take. I would love to tell you that I arrived at Borden and it was super easy. I found it very challenging, both physically and emotionally. There were times when I felt like giving up. But I made it. I graduated with my Basic Military Officer Qualification.

I would also like to tell you that things were easy for Moses and things will be easy for the church. But I can’t. God doesn’t give us easy tasks. What God calls us to may be simple to understand intellectually but is challenging in practice. But God has promised to be with us as he promised to be with Moses. The presence of God is what will bring us to where we need to be.