Masterpiece Sunday: The Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush, Sébastien Bourdon, 17th century. Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

It is about this time that Easter starts to feel a bit exhausting. Anyone else? 

So often I work in the extremes, either extremely feasting or extremely penitential. The virtue is in the middle and that is often zoomed over in my quest for being deeply invested in what I am doing.

The first verse of the Gospel today really hit me, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Just simply that. Keep God’s commandments. The first being which is to have no other gods before Him. In feasting or penitential seasons it can be quite easy to make what we do or not do gods in our lives. He is not asking us to have special feast activities everyday of Easter or choose the hardest things to fast from. He wants us to strive for holiness, not strain for perfection. It is so easy to overcomplicate and overcommit ourselves, especially in the feasting and penitential seasons. We want it to be special and impactful which is important, but it should be a time set apart not a time micromanaged and ripped apart for what we are and are not doing. 

God revealed Himself to Moses before he was to receive the ten commandments. It was the relationship that came before the instruction. Jesus reminds us that, “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.” (John 14:18). Christ will always come to us to give us what we truly need. Most often what we truly need is just Christ Himself, the relationship, the presence of God. He also gives us commandments - guidance and rules to shape our lives into ones that reflect who He is. The more that we conform ourselves to His commands the happier and more fulfilled we will be. We will not be desolate when we live within the abundance of Jesus Christ. 

The Easter season is so long to remind us that God’s glory, love, and victory is everlasting and that is what our reward and inheritance is. Death has no sting, it is the King of Kings who rules over all. He desires to delight and be joyful with us throughout this season. We can be delighted by Him and joyful with Him in ways other than enjoying sweets and treating ourselves. Feasting can be spiritually - be almost reckless in how much time you spend in prayer, give freely of your time to God and others, love boldly. 

This Easter we are the burning bush - we can be set ablaze in a way that is purifying and all consuming, but never destructive. He wants to appear to us and show us His glory. He wants to identify Himself in our lives in a loud and powerful way. May we be like Moses and humble ourselves to receive the great gifts that He promises us.