Exodus 3:1-12
Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “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.
Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Hallowed ground.
Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg about hallowed ground consecrated not by speechifying or the erection of monuments but by the blood shed upon it. Lincoln acknowledged the purpose of dedicating a portion of that great Civil War battlefield as a final resting place for many of the fallen, but, he declared, “We can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.”
Since 2001, many have considered the site of the World Trade Towers hallowed ground because of those entombed there. At Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknowns, the privileged officers who guard the tomb serve with absolute precision, dress immaculately, and pledge themselves to exemplary conduct even when off-duty because they reverence the holy ground they dare to step upon. It is unthinkable to allow even a truant piece of lint to tarnish the uniform. They guard holy ground. Visitors to Arlington are not asked whether they will stand or remain silent. They are told to do so. That’s how they learn it is holy ground.
It is not an option to wander around or chat during the changing of the guard. You are not asked to remove your baseball cap. You are commanded to do so. If you don’t like it, then don’t tread on holy ground. Courtrooms were also regarded as solemn places, holy ground of a different sort. The solemnity of the Law enjoins a judge to be properly garbed. Legal advocates whether for the prosecution or the defense are bound to a code of ethics and such conduct is subject to penalty if transgressed. Even the accused will stand as court comes to session. It is holy ground.
It was once far more common to consider a Christian church sanctuary holy ground. You stood or you kneeled. You didn’t lounge. You spoke in whispers or you confessed the faith or sang in full-throated voice because you were on holy ground. You didn’t clap or laugh. You dressed your best; your parents marshaled your best behavior not to be argued. You were on holy ground. The sanctuary was consecrated by the Word of God and prayer. It was ground set aside for the holiest of gifts, the Name of God, the proclamation of His forgiveness, the reading of the Gospel, the preaching of Christ, and the celebration of the blessed sacraments.
We cannot hallow such ground. We cannot consecrate it. It is holy because of the blood of Christ, because of the sacredness of His Word, and because of the presence of God who pours out his undeserved mercy on poor sinners as we.
But think.
One would never consider at Gettysburg attaching vending machines to each of the monuments to meet the felt needs of the public. It’s holy ground. Planners at Ground Zero would never contemplate designing a roller-blade/skate park inside the 9-11 National Memorial to make it more fun and appealing to the youth. It’s holy ground. Not in a million years would Arlington Cemetery rent beach chairs with attachable umbrellas to enable tourists to watch the changing of the guard more comfortably.
It’s holy ground, for crying out loud!
In your wildest mind's eye can you ever imagine the sentries wearing flip-flops while on guard duty? It’s holy ground! Would you ever hope to read of a Circuit Court inviting sightseers to live-interactive dialogues with sitting juries while they deliberate because it’s more fun for the jurors that way? The jury room is holy ground. Can you picture the U.S. Supreme Court with suspended flat screens in all chamber corners to demonstrate how nine old judges can be as contemporary as any sports bar?
But unfortunately the church is always so dang-blasted stuffy and traditional. You’d think they’d jettison those robes and give pastors golf shirts and dockers to make them far more approachable. But no. They think they’re holy ground.
You’d think the church would stop depending on plain preaching and begin to integrate the latest technological savvy so parishioners can text questions to the preacher or watch him on a JumboTron. But no. They think they’re holy ground.
What the church needs is a café in the balcony and chairs with coffee cup holders. When will the church begin to phase out rubrics like standing, bowing, kneeling, and processing? Worship leaders are more “real” when they wander. And why call church church? “Worship center” works better. It isn't so …. well, “Biblical.” Church suggests reverence, awe, piety, and, oh yea — holy ground. Can't the Divine Service get a cool name like KidzSpace, Gen-G, or Warehouse? But again no.
Wait a second. I have heard about all those things.
Come to think of it, the holy ground of Arlington, the holy ground of the Supreme Court, the holy grounds of Gettysburg and Ground Zero look, feel, and are preserved to be what they are--sacred.
But somehow the church of Christ doesn’t need to do that? And yet we can still be holy ground?
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“God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And he said, ‘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.”
Odd.
God seems to take holy ground awfully seriously.
Hmmm.
Hey, Moses! Walk over and give Him a coffee cup holder.
