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Fire-fear
 If there is one thing I fear over all else, it’s fire. Be it barbecue pits, burning off land after harvest, or the disastrous fires that consume so much of California and the West. Every dry year, things get out of control too quickly. And too often innocent people lose not only lives, but everything they held dear and near. And worse, their homes. I’m even reluctant to light a perfumed candle in my house. Winter brings warming fires, fake or not, in the fireplaces but summer brings dry climate where the least hot ash can devastate whole cities and countrysides. Fire is one of the elements that along with earth, water, air and space formed this planet.
But, every time I enter a church or temple or holy place anywhere in the world, if there is a stand with candles, I will light three candles - for my mom, for the police and for my husband. It’s a tradition. This is what I most enjoyed doing on my various safaris around the world. Find a candle stand and I’ve got a long match working - be it in a Buddhist temple, an Hindu temple, a Bhutan palace and of course wherever there were candles to be lit - St Peters, Chartres , Notre Dame, Westminster Abbey, Santiago de Compostela, Guadalupe, the St. Virgin de Milagro in Roma, St Basils in Moscow, Church of the Spilled Blood in Petersburg, from one Cathedral to another all over Europe and even in India, at the tomb of St. Mother Teresa; and I even take a chance to dash into a church right near the beginning of the Boston Marathon where my son-in-law has run faithfully 26 years consecutively to light a candle for him.
But in none of these has there been a burning bush. True, in horticulture, there is plant so bright red and prolific it’s called a burning bush of the Celastraceous family popular in China, Japan and Korea. It is so invasive and grows so fast it cannot be controlled and will take over everything if not pruned heavily.
But beyond those, I just don’t trust fire. It may give light, but it destroys when let loose. It may give heat when slumming a glorious night in some cold mountain hillside, or when the electricity goes out and the only hope is lighting a fire in the fireplace, if one has paper and wood. Lit candles may be symbolic on the altar for the Eucharist, but a simple strike of a match can unleash death and devastation if some lazy invader tosses it out the car window after lighting a cigarette, or if a camper fails to make sure a camping fire is put out completely. I don’t even like fireplaces - a pop of a flame could set the rug on fire. And believe you me, I know how people love candles, popular as gifts or they come in handy when the lights go out, but, I’m so uptight about its dangerous dances and flinging of fireballs that I just don’t enjoy it. If the electricity goes out or nonexistent, what does one do. Flashlight.
My curiosity got the best of me, and so in 2016 I made a pilgrimage to see the burning bush which had confronted Moses and his hoards wandering through the deserts of Egypt /Sinai. I really wanted to know if it was still burning constantly without doing any damage to the bush. Weird, I know. But I think it had its moment that day when Moses saw it, but no more. The Bible relates that in that place God had a one on one with His chosen leader Moses, and also showed him that He cares about all of us. When times get rough or are hard to take, (like NOW here all over this world), God will step in and help, heal, and hold us up until we either get the point, learn what He wanted to teach us, or He just rescues those of us who love him, and some that don’t, in this tragic and frightening moment.
As to the burning bush, it is like an enormous bell, a creeper hanging in a big pot, or like a huge wig of thick hair in an umbrella shape. Actually when I first saw it, I missed it - it was, at that moment, not very impressive. It doesn’t come at you with a bang. It’s not a tree kind of tree or a bush. But Glory to God, it has been growing there, apparently since Moses days - and that’s a bunch of decades. It is horticulturally called the “dictamnus albus” plant originating in North Africa, and contains volatile oils that can catch fire easily, like a mix of terpenes, flavonoids, coumarins and phenylpropanoids. But today it is the only plant near itself, protected and sheltered by buildings of the Monastery of St. Catherine of Alexandria, in the almost plant-less desert in southern Sinai. There is little horticulture but ample rocks and boulders in that area. I guess it is still a miracle, although it’s not burning anymore. That must mean God is not needed there nor using it for a message.
How did Moses encounter this burning bush when it was burning? He was tending the flock of Jethro, his father in law, the priest of Midian, and he had led the flock to the far side of the wilderness to Horeb, the mountain of God. Was this a wandering, or something he intended to do, or just a chance walk there? But whatever it was, first, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within that bush. Moses was astonished - although the bush was burning, it wasn’t burned. He had to take a closer look and that’s when God called him from within that very bush - “Moses, Moses.” And Moses, without fear or question, responded - maybe instinct - “Here I am.”
Then God told him, this is a holy place, so Moses unstrapped his sandals. And God declared “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Moses, as probably would we, hid his face out of some sort of fear of seeing God maybe when that wasn’t cricket, or the right thing to do. As far as he knew, no one had seen God since probably since Adam and Eve. His people the Israelites had been slaves under the Pharaohs of Egypt, and Moses, their leader destined to find a safer, freer life, was confidently with God and knew God, and oftentimes was flat honest with him about the problems of being a leader of such a crowd of complainers who wondered why they were brought out of Egypt if things were worse in the desert than where they used to live.
God talked directly with Moses and confirmed to him how He understood his plight and would not abandon him or His people who had been suffering in Egypt. Then Yahweh God declared: “So, I have come down to rescue your people from the hand of the Egyptian and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, flowing with milk and honey. “The God said simply, “You go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. I will be with you. “
I’m sure Moses, sort of said, “Whaaat? uhh, who Me? What if I say to the Israelites The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say well, what’s his name? Then what do I say?” And God answered, “I am who I am that’s all one has to say. I Am has sent me to you.”
In the Old Testament, God often appears in some form of fire, by day in a cloud, by night in a pillar of fire to light the way or sometimes smoke on a mountain or in a pillar of fire at Mt. Sinai
Moses, about 80 years old, meanwhile was totally insecure, how could he even approach Pharaoh, how was he going to get an audience, would he be killed or beheaded or whatever? God, of course, gives us all the push, the confidence we need in these moments, and said, “I will be with you.” Just to prove this was all real, God told Moses that when the people were brought out of Egypt, they would worship Him on that very Mountain Horeb.
God’s request was for Moses to assemble the elders of the Israelites and convince them that this was salvation for them, that He was the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He assured Moses, who had a stutter apparently, the elders will listen to him. God doesn’t drop it there. He gives him more instructions, and the need to offer sacrifices. And He admits the king of Egypt will not let them go, unless a mighty hand compels him. So, God confirms that He will stretch out His hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that He will perform among them. And then they’ll open the gates to let the Israelites go free.
Of course, at that moment Moses had no idea what miracles would fail, and which would occur as victorious. And to boot before it was done, the Israelites would not leave empty handed. They would plunder the Egyptians. The staff in Moses’ hand would be proof. If he throws it on the ground, it becomes a snake. Then Moses grabs its tail, and it becomes the staff again. Pure magic. God showed him this, so the Egyptians would know he was who he was supposed to be. Then God showed him about putting a hand into his cloak and it came out leprous white as snow. Power tricks. Political parlor tricks.
Like we would probably be, Moses was worried that he wasn’t capable, or powerful, and just flat didn’t know how to address or gain entry into Pharaoh’s kingdom. He lacked confidence, worried about doing it wrong, making the wrong impression, or no one would pay attention to him. What if he was thrown in prison? it was hard for him to handle the fact that God was there beside him to lead and help him. Even with the magic tricks. But it worked. It saved his people
Fire in the old testament was a positive. Fire today is a horror because it is out of control, due to deserts, winds, and massive buildings to eat like a monster, because somewhere out there, the people who inherit this earth at least in the United States, have failed to listen to shout outs about controlling water, wind, agriculture, monster buildings, whatever draws up into the sky of smoke, where no one can breathe, where nothing can be controlled, even when one needs four thousand expert firefighters who still cannot squelch some fire that a camper started by not making sure his or her ashes were dead. Or just some jerk who tossed a cigarette out the car window and laughed.
~ Rev
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audrey@audreytaylorgonzalez.com
www.audreytaylorgonzalez.com
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