Now Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. So he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness, came to the mountain of God, Horeb. Then the angel of ADONAI appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. So he looked and saw the bush burning with fire. Yet it was not consumed. Moses thought, "I will go now, and see this great sight. Why is the bush not burnt?"
---Exodus 3:1~3Every year since I came to live in Japan and since my daughter was born 18 years ago, we have always gone to visit my husband`s family on the New Year, and every year I always get up to watch the first sunrise of the year.
This year, the 18th year, was no exception.
Each year the number of people who gather to watch the first sunrise--a tradition on New Years day in Japan--- gets smaller and smaller, and this year I was surprised there were just two other people, a couple there. I asked where is everyone and they said, its cloudy so everyone probably already went home, or saw that it was cloudy and didn`t come.
Then once a tiny piece of sun peered out from a cloud, they too left, and it was just me.
I too got a little discouraged for a moment by the clouds, but then told myself, you know Shayndel, God speaks to us in those times. Those times of cloud are times when he desires to meet us. Those are the times when we can call out to Him and say, Please O God, please move the clouds and reveal more of Your light!
With all the people gone, I felt even more His presence and that is when my eye caught the `bush` and I remembered where we are in the Torah readings, in Parsha Shemot, where Moses first encounters the Angel of God at the burning bush.
When ADONAI saw that he turned to look, he called out of the bush and said, `Moses, Moses.`---Exodus 3:4
That was the amazing beginning of their encounter, when Moses turned to look, and the `negotiations` between God and Moses for Moses` assignment to deliver the Children of Israel and bring them out of Egypt.
So then I watched the green of the bush and the drama of the sky behind it and the way the streak of sun lit it from behind. Even though on the first sunrise the perfect round ball of a a sun that we `expect` to see didn`t appear, God manifested His light in ever dramatic ways and He reminded me of stopping to observe, of turning to look, and of seeing His consuming power in the miracles that we see as they are in front of us.
The next day, I did something I haven`t done in all my years of watching the first sunrise.
I got up and went out to watch... the second sunrise!
Amazingly the couple from New Year`s day was there too!
And there God gave us a sunrise, a perfectly round ball of sun appeared over the horizon.
Again I looked at the bush, and stayed a while, as the sky was lit up and revealed the brilliance of the Great `I AM`.
Blessings and Love!
♡
Shayndel
God answered Moses, "I AM who I AM."
--Exodus 3:14
The Torah portion readings this week are in the first chapter of the Book of Exodus. If anyone is resolving to start in this year, or for those who are continuing the Torah readings, referred to as `Parashiot`(plural), or Parsha (single)these are the readings --Torah, Haftarah, and Brit Chadashah---for Parsha Shemot:
Exodus 1:1~6:1
Isaiah 27:6~28:13, 29:22~23
Jeremiah 1:1~23
1Corinthians 14:13~25
by Joanne Yoshida
#ParshaShemot
#Japan
#burningbush
Related post on this blog:
HERE, Parsha Shemot, Burning Bush, Daffodils and Ume Tree