Faith in a Time of Pandemic – What do you say to a burning busy?

CXXVII
What Do You Say to a Burning Busy?
(7/30)

“Take off your shoes for the place on which you are standing is holy ground” (Genesis3:5)
We are taking a second day with Moses’ encounter with God. Over forty years ago, when I was doing my pastoral internship with George Tolman at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Tucson, Arizona, Pastor Tolman reported a curious typo in his sermon, instead of typing “burning bush,” he typed “burning busy.” It was so unusual that he kept it in his sermon, and I still remember it. I give thanks for George Tolman’s mentoring as I borrow his typo for today’s meditation.

Well, what do you say to a “burning busy?” Many of us were “burning busy” prior to the pandemic. We went from place to place, days filled with lists and projects. Even retirees and village pastors like myself wondered how could we be so busy with so many demands?

These days, our lives have changed radically. We are unable to go to our favorite pastimes, we have fewer meetings, and most of what we do is by phone, zoom, or online. Some of us have taken time to pause awhile – to notice, to listen, and to more fully discover the world around us. And this is good news.

We need to cool down the “burning busies” of our lives and remember that we are on holy ground wherever we are. Burning bushes are strewn everywhere. God sightings abound for those who notice. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning says:

“Earth’s crammed with heaven;
and every common bush afire with God;
but only he who sees, takes off his shoes.
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”

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Awaken us to wonder and beauty. Open our eyes to heaven on earth and may we slow down, take off our shoes, for we are on Holy Ground. Amen.