But Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.” But he said, “O my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “What of your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he can speak fluently; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do. He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him. Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”
The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went; and he met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had charged him. Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs in the sight of the people. The people believed; and when they heard that theLord had given heed to the Israelites and that he had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
The next time you say to yourself that vocation is something for ordained or lay church staff and that not anyone sitting in a pew is equipped to lead and serve, I'd point you to Moses and his brother, Aaron.
Aaron was Moses' older brother (I've always wondered how he managed to get out of a trip down the Nile like baby Moses!). Aaron was also a Levite - the religious order set apart from the rest of the tribes of the Hebrew people. Basically, the pastor in the family.
And we see also that Aaron, at least here, seems to have a more clear sense of vocation than Moses. Undoubtedly as a Levite, he's used to the idea. He doesn't argue when God gives him a job to do.
Yet it isn't Aaron who God has called to save the Hebrew nation.
It's the stammering, non-clergy, insecure shepherd who's lived outside of the church for all these years who hasn't sat on a council or served a committee or attended a Bible Study or even shown up regularly for worship and is in an interfaith marriage.
Moses' objections seem to mirror what most folks objections might be who have some of the same things in common with him. So, what does God do? God equips him with his priest brother as a partner.
Yet it is Moses who is the leader. It is Moses who will lead his people out of bondage. We know that, even if Moses doesn't know that here yet.
It's easy to think that we don't have what it takes to serve. That we don't know enough or speak well enough or have time enough. Or that God put pastors and deacons and associates in ministry and chaplains and vicars and priests and nuns in our churches to be the ones to serve for us.
But the truth is that God calls each of us into service. And God prepares and equips us and stays with us as we live into that service.
We probably aren't going to be called to set a people free from slavery. But we do know that we are all in some kind of bondage or another. And that the deliverance from that bondage comes from a God who loves and forgives and prepares us for a life of purpose and meaning and freedom.
Equipping and love God, you have prepared a place for us at your table. You have prepared a place for us to serve. You go before us to guide us. Help us never to forget and when we are afraid of where that path will take us, let us always turn to you for support and love and strength. Amen
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