Lent 4 | SHOES

Then the [Lord] said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:35

As Moses stood watch over this father-in-law’s flock — on that day the bush would catch fire — I wonder if Moses expected to encounter the Most High God, there in the field of sheep? Perhaps, like many of us, Moses relegated the holy to those places designated for worship, set aside for ritual, marked as special and mostly off limits to ordinary people.

But God refuses to be boxed in by our expectations or designations. God speaks from the clouds and out of the burning bush. God uses everything from angels and donkeys to proclaim, instruct, and admonish us. God alone constitutes the holy.

It is for us only to respond: to take off our shoes, to recognize the holy when we experience it, to turn aside our gaze in humility, to follow instructions and listen.

Questions for Reflection

• Have you ever experienced holy ground in an unexpected place? What about it made it sacred? How did you feel? How did you respond?

• Why do you think God instructed Moses to take off his shoes? What did his shoes symbolize?

• Have you ever metaphorically or literally taken off your shoes as a sign of respect or humility?

God of shepherds and sheep, of Moses and myself, you speak to us through unconsumed burning bushes and unassuming, ordinary encounters. You go to extraordinary lengths to communicate to us, assure us of your presence, enlist us in your service. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Show us when to speak up and when to be quiet. Tell us when to take off our shoes and when to put on your whole armor. May all we do today reflect our awareness of your presence. Amen.

Thank you for journeying through Lent with us…

Thanks to Jill J. Duffield for allowing us to adapt from her book, Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion Through Ten Objects.

Photo by Oziel Gómez on Unsplash‍ ‍