Standing on Holy Ground

“Good morning church. Welcome to all of you. I caution you to take care when you leave. Be ready to take off your shoes for you may find yourselves standing on holy ground.” On Mothers’ Day, Angela led us to sing, MY GOD AND I, a song like Psalm 145. The next Sunday Rick led us in singing HOLY GROUND (100 & 101 in our hymnals) a song like Psalm 99. The text for the songs in our hymnal is Isaiah’s Temple vision (Isa. 6:1-3). My thoughts went back to an earlier time, to a burning bush in the wilderness when Moses was told to take off his sandals since he was standing on HOLY GROUND (Ex. 3:1-5). Here holy ground is not encountered in a temple, a cathedral, or a church building but in a burning bush in the wilderness. I repeat, “Take care when you leave. This week you may find yourselves standing on HOLY GROUND.”

Why was that burning bush in the wilderness Holy Ground? Look at the setting of this text: 1) God’s people are in captivity in Egypt (EX.1:1-2:22). 2) Then comes a most unexpected and unusual story (Ex.2:23-25). This is how Israel told the story of the exodus. Our expectations in-light-of Psalm 145:1-17 – God is all knowing and all powerful. He will see and act. The unusual – God does not take the initiative. Slaves in Egypt do as they groaned and cry out for help. God heard and remembered his covenant (Gn. 15). He sees. knows and remembers (3:25). The burning bush is Holy Ground where God comes down, recounts that experience, and says to Moses, “so now I sent you” (Ex. 3:6-10). This story is repeated in the many lament Psalms (145:18-19).

How may we enter-into this text? We enter through Jesus, mediator of a new covenant. We enter through the Gospels where people who are groaning cried out for help and Jesus responds. That is Holy Ground – Mk. 7:24ff. We are standing on Holy Ground whenever we encounter groaning people in the wilderness of this world.

—Tom Yoakum