God Hears!

 15^th Sunday after Pentecost!

 

                            Exodus 3:1-15

 

Focus Statement:    This scripture shows how God heard the cries                    and prayers of the Hebrew people and called a                        human (Moses) to be the instrument through

                     which those prayers would be answered.

 

Function Statement: Because of this sermon, the congregation

                     will leave with a desire & determination to

                     be instruments through which God can work.

 

1st Movement:

     July, 2002, workers were in a mine in Somerset County, PA going about their daily job when they accidentally dug into an abandoned, poorly documented, mine filled with water and of a sudden water came crashing in from that water filled mine, flooding the mine with an estimated 75 million gallons of water.  They were trapped and ran and climbed as high in the mine as they could, but that was 240 feet underground.  As water closed in around them, it seemed that all chances for survival were gone.  One of the miners, Mark Popernack who was a United Methodist, tells that at one point they all got a piece of cardboard and wrote their last words on it.  They all thought they were going to die; it seemed they had lost their struggle against the rising water.  About this time, he says, "All we had at this time when the water reached us, all we had left was God and hope."  That seemed to be all their families had as well.  His wife, family, and church were praying about their safe rescue.  His wife said the first day she thought they would come out, but the next day she thought there is no way they are coming out alive.  Local ministers counseled the waiting families, one of which was Rev. Barry Ritenour of Bethany St. John's United Methodist Church.  I am assuming that is Mark's church.  He worked and wondered all the while if what he was telling the families was right, "What if I'm telling these people the wrong things?  What if what I say to them, and the whole thing goes sour, am I going to destroy their faith?"  Rescuers quickly put pumps in place to start pumping water out of the mines.  They tapped on some kind of ventilation duct, I believe, to find out if any were alive below; they got a response, but they had no idea how many were alive.  They began drilling a shaft down to the mine where they were 240 feet below.  The miners were trapped 77 hours in this cold, wet mine, but they were finally rescued.  All of them survived!  (UMC, CNN websites, and wikipedia)

     People prayed!  God willed that these people would be saved!  God heard their cries and prayers, but what if no one responded to God's call to go and help these miners?  What if God couldn't have gotten anybody to run the drills and the pumps?  What if God couldn't have gotten anyone to think up a rescue plan?  What if there were no pastors counseling the scared and terrified families?  What if?

 

2nd movement:

     In our scripture this morning, we have Moses at the burning bush.  This is Moses' call to be God's deliverer!  We all know how this comes out!  Moses agrees to go with the help of Aaron to the Pharaoh of Egypt and demand that he let the Hebrew people go!  There are plagues on the Egyptians until finally Pharaoh orders the people to leave!  It is a big deal!  It is a grand story!  Moses, with God's help, is very successful!  It is a story that the Hebrew people will tell for years to come:  how God delivered them from Egypt! 

     But I want to notice one thing in particular about the story today.  God tells Moses, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters.  Indeed, I know their sufferings, . . . ."  God wanted to do something; God was sympathetic to their cries.  God is not a God who is indifferent to human suffering!  Even here in the Old Testament, God is very compassionate to the suffering of God's people.  What we see here though is that God wanted someone through which to carry out the plan.  Someone through which to do something!  What if Moses hadn't gone?  What if God couldn't have gotten anyone to go?  What if? (Read Life Application Topic from Wesley Study Bible.)

 

3rd movement:

     What do we pray and cry for today?  I think we can safely say from this scripture that God hears our prayers and cries.  But how does God answer our prayers?

     We pray for people to be healed physically!  Sometimes God answers yes to this prayer.  Sometimes when the answer is yes, God miraculously does this; we really don't know how, but it happens!  More times than not, God uses people like Doctors, Nurses, and those who study medicine.  What if nobody answered that call?  (pause)

     Sometimes we pray for Spiritual healing.  I don't want to go as far as to say that God can't heal someone spiritually without our help, but many times God uses people in this process: a word of testimony, a sharing of our understanding of a scripture, teaching, preaching, etc.  What if nobody answered these calls? (pause)

     Sometimes we pray for church growth!  Why isn't God hearing our prayers?  Or is God hearing?  How can church growth come about?  Does God do this by Godself?  What if God can't get anyone to go? What if God can’t get anyone to give the invitation?  What if God can’t get anyone to go and tell about a church that wants to love them just as they are?  What if God can’t get anyone to do something?  (pause) 

     People in our world have experienced much loss: the floods in Nepal, the war in Iran and the middle east, wildfires and droughts, shootings in schools, people being wrongly deported or even worse killed, and the list goes on.  Tragity has struck.  Prayers are going up.  I can't explain why things like this happen; I just know it is a part of life.  I believe that God hears those prayers and that God hurts with these folks and all of the people of the world.  I believe God wants to do something:  I believe God is doing something through people who are receptive to God's call: United Methodist Committee on relief and other similar agencies, Churches, friends and neighbors who really know how to love.  Are you hurting today?  God Hears! Bring that hurt to Christ as you encounter Christ at the table today!  Is God calling you to be the answer to prayer for others? Is God calling you to do something? As you encounter Christ at the table, as you come and stand on Holy Ground, ask Christ, “What do you want me to do?  Show me! Here I am, use me!” You just might be the answer to someone’s prayer! Thanks be to God!

Prayer of Confession & Service of Communion

 

Possible follow-up song:  Matthew West “Do Something!” from YouTube.