Week 1: Acknowledge Weariness
Tuesday Dec 05
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 3:1-10
While interning in California this summer, I decided to venture out to the desert to hear one of my favorite musicians play at the historic Pappy and Harriet’s. If you are unfamiliar with Pappy and Harriet’s, it is a famous music venue and the main attraction of the tiny province Pioneertown. Pioneertown is just about as desert as desert can get!
You can’t drive your car in town. There are only dirt roads and no flowers, only cacti, tumbleweeds, and desert trees. Pioneertown is vastly different from the lush, perfect, promised-land ground on which I was raised (that ground being Upstate South Carolina). Before the show, I decided to go and explore a bit of Pioneertown. In my wandering around, I could not help but be amazed by the contents of the land. I saw nothing but rock and dirt for miles.
However, I walked and walked the dirt roads until I eventually came across a purple and hopeful desert flower. I stared in disbelief at the little flower I later learned was called a Winecup, and had a realization: this is how God presents Godself to us. Christ is the new-life flower that sprouts up from a painful and dry land.
But, I also think this flower in the desert taught me something else about the way God shows up in our weary world.
This is where the Winecup and burning bush meet in my mind. Moses has fled to the desert in order to preserve his own life after murdering an Egyptian. I cannot imagine Moses was expecting God’s presence to meet him there, at least not a presence with which he would want to interact. Moses has committed a grave sin, run from his consequences, and not remotely thought of repentance. However, as Curt often says, “our God is not an equation.” And our God appears to whom our God wants, and how our God wants. I doubt Moses expected to receive his commissioning from a burning bush in the middle of the desert. Yet, this is exactly how and where God appears in glory, promise, and grace.
Both the Winecup and the burning bush remind me of this truth: our God often shows up in ways we would never expect. Whether this looks like a sign of hope in a barren land or a symbol of glory amidst our own running away, our God is always exceeding and redefining our expectations of Him. This advent, as our King comes from a lowly stable in Bethlehem, I pray that we notice Him in ways which we never imagined or expected.
Where has God unexpectedly shown up in your life?
Memory Passage
A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
— Isaiah 40:3
Weekly Practice
Write a list of everything that makes you weary. Rip it up.
Reach out to someone who might be feeling weary. Tell them, “I’ve been thinking about you.”
Breathe deeply and pray. With every exhale, release something that makes you weary. With every inhale, ask God for something that brings you joy.