Turn Aside

It was a hot afternoon in late June and the wind was blowing a bit. The three of us (husband, daughter and I) had opted for a hike up Tumbledown Mountain in Maine’s Western Mountains.  Even though the trail was rated as moderate, we knew from experience that moderate in that part of the country meant lots of boulders on a steep trail.  We were curious enough to chance it that day, based on the promise from our dog-eared trail guidebook that we would see “something amazing”. Thunderclouds could move in later on, and so we hesitated, almost turning aside to the nearby State Park for a familiar hike and a picnic. Our curiosity won the day, however, and instead, we turned aside to the trailhead, adjusted our backpacks and started up Tumbledown.  We were stretched to our limits.  A recent rain left the boulders slippery and the blue trail markers faded.  But oh, what awaited us at the summit: A clear blue mountain-top lake and a view all the way across the state to New Hampshire’s White Mountains.  It was amazing.

I imagine that it was hot and windy that afternoon in the desert of ancient Egypt.  Moses was far from his family’s camp, occupied with the endless task of tending sheep. As he herded the flock towards Mt. Horeb, Moses saw a hint of something unusual.  He might have ignored it, but instead he detoured towards it. Moses was curious.   Moses, the erstwhile shepherd, stopped in his sheep-trail tracks.  Moses saw a bush that burned with fire but was not consumed. Then a most amazing thing happened: Moses turned aside. It was after Moses changed direction that God called to him.  A Holy Space opened, and history changed.  It was more than amazing. It was a miracle.

The Miracle of the Burning Bush changed the lives of our faith’s heritage forever. Something else occurred that day that was momentous. Moses was curious.  He wanted to know more about what he saw and went closer to investigate.  And Moses turned aside.  He turned away from his daily tasks and turned towards a mystery. It was the action that God was waiting for, it seems.  For when Moses turned aside, then God called.  The implication is that Moses could have kept on going or turned in another direction. He didn’t.  What Moses might have thought was a small detour was in fact the beginning of a great and holy adventure.   In Moses’ turning aside, God could see a person who could hear a call to a sacred responsibility.

I think about that day when we were setting off to hike, and how close we came to cancelling the trip. Two things shaped that day: Our curiosity about the touted view, and our decision to turn aside from the easy hike and turn towards that road to the trailhead. What we would have missed if we had lost our nerve, or quelled our curiosity!  Now, I’m not claiming that our lives were transformed like Moses’ life was, but we did choose to take a detour from our everyday life.  We did not see a Burning Bush, but I do think we heard the voice of God.  It was there in the wind that whistled through the trees and the sound of the waves lapping at the lakeside. It was there in the grey shadowy outline of faraway mountain peaks. It was Holy Ground.   

The miracle of the Burning Bush is not just Moses’ story, it is my story too, for Lent is a turning-aside time. It is a time of spiritual curiosity, of wanting to know more about the nature of God and my own spiritual responsibilities. It is my chance to turn aside from everyday things and make space for God. Like Moses, I can turn away and continue with my own version of sheep-tending, or I can choose to take a detour.  That detour, that story, could lead me to a mountaintop, a dry desert place, or a beloved scripture story, or a way to serve. It is my story, but not mine alone.  It is the story for anyone who wanders in desert places. When we wonder, when we turn aside, we will be amazed to find ourselves in a holy place.

I will turn now aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses.  And he said, Here am I.  Exodus 3:3-4

Today’s tile is a rendering of the burning bush as it rises from the brown desert sands that surround it and the Holy Ground it rests upon.  The scripture I will turn now aside and see this great sight, Exodus 3:3 encircles the tile, and within the flames of the burning bush is another message. If Moses’ were reflecting on that fateful day many years later, he might have said this:

Pay attention to your detours.

I think that about sums it up.