October 14, 2009 - A Truth Worth Noticing

     Moses was on the run. He was tending sheep for his father-in-law in a wilderness area far from the notice of any official-minded person. He was alone, finishing his second cup of coffee for the morning. The sheep were beginning to wander away from their just-eaten patch of grass to a fresh patch a little ways away. Moses had lived with this daily routine for days, weeks, and years. He had done it all, seen it all, and been by this same non-distinct valley every year for who-knows-how-many-years. There was nothing special about this day.
     Then, in Exodus 3, we learn that the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a fire in a bush, and the bush was not consumed. Out of the regular and usual day, Moses met God. It would not be their only meeting, but it was the first. However, “The” most dramatic part of the story is neither the angel nor the flame in the non-consumed bush, but that we learn that “he looked.” We must not downplay these two little words that are the pivotal movement in the history of the Judeo-Christian world.
     I have to wonder how many other bushes the angel appeared in as a fire on days when Moses did not look. How many other ways did God appear to Moses in even more evident episodes when Moses was too busy, too consumed with other things, and too rutted in the day-to-day routine to ever notice? How many years did God pursue Moses before Moses took the opportunity to look beyond the world right in front of his nose to see something of a revelatory nature just off in the distance?
We live most of our lives sequestered away in our own little tightly-fitted, organized, and routined world. We accept the day as it comes, do the cycled chores in the proper sequence, always have clean socks, know what is in every drawer, and carry the flamed torch of the new day of God with the same zest that we roll the garbage bin to the road on pick-up day.
     I am convinced that a little noticing goes further to advance the world than all the directed intelligence we can organize. I am convinced that accidentally burned coffee beans resulted in French Roast Coffee only after the errant negligence of the roaster was percolated and noticed to have a rich and full-bodied flavor. This particular event was neither the first time coffee beans had been burned nor the first time the roaster had been negligent. This episode was, rather, the first time someone stopped to notice.
     How many times do you believe the Scottish-born doctor, Sir Alexander Fleming, had seen common bread mold in his everyday life? How many times did he pick around the green spots in a sandwich or throw out a loaf due to the bacterial growth? Only when he one day “noticed” the reaction of Staphylococcus aureus when in proximity to Penicillium notatum, did he notice the health benefits of true antibacterial medication that is commonly known in today’s world. He had not arisen that morning with the directed and ordered intent to discover this world changing medication, but due to his taking the time to notice, the world was forever, for the better, changed.
     All of the great gifts in life require time and notice. Education is nothing more than hanging around until you catch on. Love is the blind belief in something greater than yourself which overcomes all trivial and trite egotism and selfishness. Faith is belief in the quiet truth that we cannot see in the face of the blaring lie that we can see. Joy is the moment of peace we stumble upon in the darkness of a forlorn day.
     All of God’s great gifts must be noticed. None of God’s gifts can be planned, organized, and orchestrated. We are simply required to stop, take the time, and notice.
     Two young men were walking along a quiet road in Palestine hours after the rumors were circulating that Jesus was alive again after being crucified. As they walked, a third man walked with them. It was evident he had not heard the great news of the day, and they went to lengths to tell him all about the gossip. They finally came to a fork in the road and turned to go to their destination. The third man did not take the fork in the road and proceeded down the original road. The two men invited him to join them in the hospitality of a comfortable evening rather than spending the night on the long lonely road alone. The third man accepted their offer. It was only later that they learned that the very “Jesus” they had been talking about was the same risen man who walked with them. They had walked with Jesus and not noticed.
     How many days does Jesus come and walk with us without our ever noticing? Take a moment to see the miracle God has for you today.
Rev. Dan Martin is pastor of First UMC, Hendersonville. He can be reached at moose1953@hotmail.com