You May Call Me Moses...

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
~ Bob Dylan

What kind of difference do you want to make in the world? 

It's easy for us to entertain dreams for what kind of difference we want to make in the world, but it's not easy to figure out what to do in order to make that dream a reality. Or, we may know what to do, but we lack the courage to do what we know we ought to do.

For Lent we are wandering through the Exodus story, a way for us to prepare for the Resurrection story. Moses is central to the story of death and freedom. So, if we take some time to get to know Moses better, we'll get some helpful insights into the heart of the Exodus story, of the Resurrection story, and our own story.

If we buy into Bob Dylan's song, you've accepted the reality: you're gonna have to serve somebody. No matter who you are, no matter what kind of name you've made for yourself, you gotta serve somebody. The question is: who are you serving? And the one you are serving - the one who is "over" you - what have the promised to do with you, for you, and through you? When God called Moses to serve him, he promised to make a difference in the world through him. Not bad terms of service.

But, when Moses was presented with a way to make a difference in the world... he declined. When God made the terms clear, Moses declined. When God promised that he shall overcome, Moses declined. When God promised that he would be with him every step of the way, Moses declined. Moses wanted his people to be free from slavery, but he didn't think he was the man for the job. But God did. 

God needs you. God needs you to be a Moses. God works through people to make a difference in the world. God needed Moses to lead Israel out of slavery, and God needs you today. People are still enslaved today. They need someone from the outside to reach in and rescue them, help set them free.

Know this: God is preparing you now to be part of his rescue plan in the world. Moses didn't know he was being prepared for EIGHTY years - but once he accepted the challenge, it became obvious how God had been at work in his life for a long time. You don't need to know right now what God is preparing you for. But when the challenge comes, when the call comes - whether to do something small or big in the world - know that you have been prepared for it.

Whatever God calls you to do - little or large - it will be a task that still requires God to make it happen. Yet... you are indispensable - and you must use all the wisdom and courage you've been given to help make it happen. You may not think you are indispensable - you may see all your flaws, all your sins, all your shortcomings as signs that you are not the man or woman for the job. But... if God is prompting you to take action, the prompt signifies that God sees in you enough to help make the difference in the world we need.

Jesus was Moses to his world. The Resurrection was God's sign that Jesus was indeed the Rescuer sent from God - that the crucifixion was not a sign of God's disapproval. The cross ended up becoming a sign of Exodus! Someday you too will be resurrected... if you want to, if you went along with God's plan to make a difference in the world. The Resurrection will be God's sign that you indeed were a Rescuer sent from God, Jesus' hands and feet in the world.

If you read through Exodus chapters three and four, you'll discover a delightful and provocative interchange between God and Moses. Take some minutes to mull through the dialogue, and consider what God is calling you to do. If you care about something, if you've told yourself that somebody ought to do something about that "thing", that is God's prompt to do something. Let him inform what to do next.