A student tells a university chaplain he does not believe in a grumpy old man in the sky just waiting for him to slip up, and the biblical scholar answers that he does not believe in that one either. That conversation opens a sermon on who God actually is (Exodus 3). The answer is a burning bush and an instruction for Moses to take off his sandals: not a voice from heaven but a presence, a friend at the door rather than a letter. Asked for his name, God names no single department of life, because all of it is his. Listen and ask whether the God you struggle to believe in is not in fact that old man in the sky.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- God tells Moses to take off his sandals and speaks to him personally from the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). What did this detail tell the first hearers about a God who steps into the middle of their troubles?
- Moses asks for God's name, and in the ancient world a god's name stood for the area of life that god controlled. What does the answer "I am who I am" reveal about what God rules over?
- The sermon opened with a student who didn't believe in a "grumpy old man in the sky." What false picture of God do you most often see in others or in yourself, and how does Exodus 3 correct it?
- The speaker described his little daughter running into his arms at the airport: a video call is not the same as being there. What does it mean to you that God doesn't just promise to fix the problem but says "I am here"?
- Moses says "I can't do this," and God gives a sign that can only be seen after the task is done. What makes it hard for you to take the step God is calling you to, even when your head already knows what to do?
- Sometimes we feel too unimportant for God to care about our problems. Which area of your life, whether work, family or future, do you want to intentionally entrust this week to the God who is Lord over everything?
