Summer is upon us and some of us have already tried camping, whether with a tent or trailer.  A campfire is part of the fun of camping, though recently we've had to curtail them recently.  From the sounds of the forecast, the drought we're in may cancel open campfires forever.  That's too bad!

          I love a good campfire.  As part of the staff to high school camp during my North Dakota days, and as pastoral advisor for many years to our District Singles Retreats, I always enjoyed campfires.  We'd sit on big logs around an open fire in the dark of night and sing and talk and pray.  And it was always interesting to see how the firelight changed the way everyone looked.  It seemed like I was looking at these people for the first time.  I saw in them something new in the firelight, something more precious, something that united us separate people.  Maybe it was the security of the darkness, so we couldn't look directly into each other's eyes, or maybe it was the mood of the crackling fire.  All I know is that around a campfire, we were bonded together as at no other time during the retreat.

          Like Moses before the burning bush, we felt a bit like we were on holy ground, sitting with bare feet.  There we'd share some deep thoughts and draw close together.  And we also drew close to God.  The campfire kept us from isolation, it saved us from confusion and strengthened us to resist temptation.  For a moment we turned to God and in the sharing and in the silences we let the fire of intimacy, heal, forgive and engulf us.  Those Christian campfires helped make us whole.

          Campfires have a way of removing the walls, of tearing down our defenses, of opening us up to intimacy, a willingness to share thoughts which would not be shared in the daylight.  I'm delegate to our Synod convention this summer and we're going to tackle some big church problems there in St. Louis.  Maybe what that convention needs is a campfire or two to solve things, and less resolutions.  In every way, the church certainly needs more prayer and less argument.

          Moses and God shared a campfire up there on the mountain.  He was looking for a lost sheep when God spoke to him from the burning bush.  They had some intimate and important things to talk about, but first Moses had to remove his sandals.  Being in the presence of God was holy ground, and God wanted Moses properly prepared.  "Bare-footedness" before God means that we can't run away, that we're there on His terms so we can listen to what God has to say.  Maybe we should all take off our shoes as we enter church, like we do in homes with white carpet or where it's the rule of the house.  Bare-footedness is good with God and it's good with people.

          Years ago a movie, "Barefoot in the Park," was all about freedom and joy.  It centered on a young man and woman discovering themselves and experiencing life by running barefoot in Central Park.  Being barefoot before God is about faith, more than personal freedom.  It's being humble in the presence of the Holy of holies.  God wanted Moses to put his life to work for others.  He wanted him to help save a lost people, but it all started with Moses being barefoot with God.

          This weekend many people will be standing on the holy ground of Normandy in France.  They will be removing their sandals and peering into the history of a great invasion 60 years ago.  Standing barefoot before God will not win a war or heal the invasion of wounds of our youth.  But that simple act of faith can bring us closer to our Creator and it will remind us that we are loved through His Son Jesus Christ, living in unity and harmony rather than strife.  A part of the Good News today is that by God's grace we are blessed by the fire that draws us near, the fire that engulfs us with its bright light and penetrating heat.  That kind of fire I'm speaking of comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, the Fire of God.

          Last Sunday was Pentecost, the birthday of the Christian Church.  It was the anniversary of God unleashing His holy Fire among His disciples and those who heard them.  The Holy Spirit works on our hearts every time we hear the Gospel.  He points us to Jesus Christ.  He persuades us to trust in Christ.  He even helps us do good works, to live like little Christs.  Jesus Christ is our Savior, and the Holy Fire of God does everything He can to bring us to faith in Him.

          You and I encounter God almost every day.  Like Moses bumped into the burning bush, so we encounter God in the person in need, or in the face of a child, or even in the whisper of the mountain pines.  If we're listening, we may hear Him speaking to us through the headlines, or the longings of our teenager, or even in the traffic report.

          But the best way to encounter God is through His Word.  Experiences are nice, but His Word is better.  Feelings are fickle, experiences are subjective, but His Word is clear.  We need to hear God's forgiveness in the Gospel.  We need to see His love in action in the Old Testament, and then apply that Word to us in the New Testament.  His Word in black and white far surpasses all our emotional shades of grey.

          God told Moses what He planned to do, and gave him directions how to free his people from slavery.  Like we often do, Moses objected.  He felt inadequate, he said he lacked skills, and finally admitted he just plain didn't want to do what God wanted.  But Moses' objections were over-ruled, almost with a threat.  "Do it, Moses!" said the Lord.  God gave him a job to do, and He wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

          Once we hear the clear voice of God through His Word, we'd best do what He tells us.  Then we can start listening for God's voice in the every day things.  Being barefoot before God means we approach him on His terms, in humility and faith, rather than standing on our own self-made notions.  Barefoot before God means listening and letting God be God.

          But often we'd rather fill someone else's shoes than take our own off.  Have you ever done that?  Perhaps as a child, you had to wear hand-me-down shoes from your older siblings, a size or two larger than your feet, so you shuffled around, hoping others wouldn't notice that you had shoes too big.  Or maybe you slipped into Mommy's or Daddy's shoes, to try them out.  You walked across the carpet in your parent's shoes, and you tripped and fell, but oh, you were so cute when you did it.  Trying to fill shoes too big is no easy task.  Most of the time, it doesn't work.  It may be fun or cute for a while, but sooner or later someone notices or you realize you have blisters or you trip and fall down.

          But sometimes God places us into shoes too big for our spiritual feet, and then He says, "Walk to Me!  Come to Daddy!"  That's when we're asked to do some kind of ministry or service in the church, a task made especially for us, and we don't feel prepared.  It's frustrating, but that's what God does.  He wants to see what we will do.  Will we obey or give excuses?  Will we trip and fall, or get blisters, or just keep walking in His shoes till we learn to stand up?

          As we approach this summer, I am wondering where God will lead us.  So far this summer I've been concentrating on the externals - landscaping, plumbing, Garage Sale - things where it's easy to see results.  But I believe God wants us to grow, both in numbers and also grow in faith.  I believe God wants to stretch us, to move us from Point A to Point B.  Point A is the child, tottering in the parents' big shoes, looking cute, but not going anywhere.  Point A is being a spiritual child.  Point B is becoming a spiritual adult.  It's getting serious about our relationship with God.  It means getting past childish ways and in step with God.

          So how big are the shoes that God is asking you to put on -- or take off -- today?  Are you standing at your burning bush, and like Moses, scared to death of what God might ask you to do?  You may already feel inadequate to work for Him, but just know God is very adequate to help you do what He is calling you to do and be.  He might be wanting to send you to the ends of the earth, or it might just be to your own subdivision, your own neighborhood, to that neighbor across the back fence.  Maybe God just wants you to stay home more and pay attention to yourself or to the people there.  Will you wear the shoes He asks you to wear?  Or is it time to take your shoes off and listen to Him?  May we all be barefoot before God, amen

Copyright © 2004 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.