Exodus 3:1-6
“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “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.”
During Advent, we remember Jesus Christ—our ultimate hope—who came in humility to bring us into relationship with God. Advent is a season of expectation, looking to both Jesus’ birth and His return, where we see God’s desire to know us fulfilled. This longing is beautifully shown in Exodus, as God calls Moses by name.
Moses wasn’t seeking God in the wilderness; he was tending his sheep, busy with his daily work. Yet, God met him there, appearing in a burning bush that wasn’t consumed. This unusual sight drew Moses to investigate, and as he drew near, God called, “Moses, Moses!” God didn’t wait for Moses to seek God but reached out where Moses was. Moses had a complicated past—he had fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian in anger. Yet, God, in God’s grace, still pursued him.
At 17, I wasn’t looking for God when God found me. My world shattered with my mother’s sudden death. She was our rock, raising my brother and me alone. Her loss left me feeling abandoned, with overwhelming questions: “Who will love me?” “Where do I belong?” My father was absent, and my brother went to live with his dad. This plunged me into darkness, leading to anger, depression, and hopelessness until I questioned life’s purpose.
“If you want to know what this God is like, He’s the God who pursues those who aren’t looking for Him, pursuing even those who are running away from Him.”
At 19, in one of my darkest moments, I lay in my dorm room, overwhelmed by loneliness and despair. Then I felt an unexpected, undeniable presence. God met me in the quiet of my dorm with a love that broke through my pain. God’s presence surrounded me, and I knew that God was real, that God loved me, and that God was calling me into a relationship with God. I wasn’t in a church or a religious setting—God met me right where I was, just as God did with Moses. I felt called by name, with a deep sense that God knew my pain and longed to heal it.
Yet, much like Moses, I felt unworthy and fearful. The next day, I ran from that experience, transferring to a school closer to home to try to escape. But God did not give up. Three months later, back in my room, God’s presence overwhelmed me again. This time, I couldn’t deny God. Kneeling at my bed, I surrendered everything—all my pain, questions, and life. In that moment, I encountered God’s love and knew that Jesus Christ had made a way for me to be restored and whole. Because of Jesus, I could come to God as God’s child. God took my brokenness and transformed me through His love.
Through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, we have direct access to God, just as Moses did at the burning bush. Jesus is our eternal hope—He removed every barrier so we can boldly approach God, fully loved and accepted. In Jesus, God’s promise to draw us close and make us new is fulfilled, giving us a place in God’s family and a love from which nothing can separate us.
This Advent season, we remember the beauty of God’s presence with us. Through Jesus, God’s love meets us right where we are. Like Moses in the wilderness, we don’t need to be in a perfect place or seek God in a perfect way. God knows us, loves us, and calls us by name, inviting us into God’s presence.
In what ordinary spaces in your life might God be reaching out to you?