by Ravi Verma, Stillpoint Program Director

For many years the story of the Burning Bush has been pursuing me in images, dreams, encounters, and in conversations with friends and my spiritual director. I recently led Stillpoint’s week-long Spiritual Journey Program at Ghost Ranch and one evening, after a heavy downpour, we paused and went outside to look at the sunset. I took a picture with my cellphone and showed it to a colleague—a tree drenched in the red glory of the setting sun. She immediately responded—“Burning Bush!” I had not recognized that when I took the picture.

As I pondered about writing this article—my first for Stillpoint’s blog, I knew I had to write about this. My mind exploded with ideas about the connection of this story to spiritual formation.  

An angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed.

Moses said, “I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?”

When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” 

And He said, “Do not come closer. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.” Exodus 3:2

I imagine that this bush had been burning in the wilderness for some time—many may have passed by without noticing, but Moses turned aside and stopped to look—he was paying attention. In formation work, we talk a lot about paying attention, clearing the clutter in our minds and about being mindful to recognize when Spirit is calling. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder.” Having a sense of wonder, being able to appreciate the miraculous in everyday life, is a pathway to encountering the presence of God. Moments of awe are an invitation to go deeper—a core principle of formation work. What does it mean that God often appears to us in the wilderness? How do we cultivate paying attention to the many ways in which Spirit is reaching out to us?

When God saw that Moses had noticed the bush, God called to him from atop the mountain. Moses climbed up and announced “Here I am.” Moses was then instructed to remove his shoes, which could not be worn where the Divine Presence is encountered. This story is a call to be mindful of holy encounters and be ready to listen and to act. We may not always be ready to respond, and exploring our response or lack thereof is part of formation work. What does it mean to say “Here I am” even before we know what we might be called to do?

The miracle of the burning bush that is not consumed, sparked Moses’s mission to initiate the movement for liberation of the Israelites from slavery by Egypt and it continues to inspire liberation movements today. The sacred fire called Moses and told him “what was his to do.” He heard, “Therefore, the time has now come for Me to free the Israelites from slavery. Go to Pharaoh and free My nation!” Encountering the sacred fire inevitably leads to sacred activism. From the inner to the outer, from individual transformation to tikkun olam—repair of the world. How do we nurture our ability to receive the presence of the Divine and discern what the next right steps might be? 

In the presence of the burning bush, Moses expresses his anxiety, inadequacy, fear and uncertainty about what this might call forth from him about the unknown. Not even God’s words and the wonders could dissolve Moses’ doubts. But he took action nonetheless, and in so doing he honored the burning bush within, his heart of fire. Our connection to the Divine ignites a sacred fire in our hearts and we find the strength to take the right action—knowing that we will not be consumed. What opens us to the sacred fire within? What might help us to trust that we will not be consumed? Can we risk taking the next right step in the midst of our fears?

This is the continuing work of spiritual formation and the holy ground of spiritual companionship and spiritual direction.

Welcome to the sacred fire!

Ravi Verma is Stillpoint’s Program Director, a spiritual director and has worked professionally with churches and lay leaders for over 25 years. Ravi’s passion is to work with individuals and groups to build bridges between parts of ourselves, with others and the cosmos based on our connection to the Divine. Ravi, born in India, now teaches at Stillpoint, and works with corporations, retreat centers, and non-profits on issues of spiritual formation. Ravi is a past member of the coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International, the first global learning network of spiritual directors in history.