◆“Where Is the Holy Ground?” (Exodus 3:5) September 14, 2025

Moses went into the depths of the wilderness with his father-in-law’s flock in search of pasture. He came to the foot of Mount Horeb. Mount Horeb is the place where, later, he would receive the Ten Commandments from God. There he witnessed a strange sight. The angel of the Lord appeared in a flame that burned among the grass. The grass was on fire, yet it was not consumed. Wondering what was happening, Moses drew near.
At that moment the Lord said, “Take off your sandals, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
By the way, whenever I read this passage I recall something from about forty years ago, when I was a theology student. I studied abroad and could not support myself, so a sponsoring church helped pay my tuition and living expenses. In that church there was someone who frequently offered special musical praise. When she stood behind the pulpit to sing, she would remove her shoes as she came close to the pulpit. When I asked her why, she said that the place where she offered her special song was a special place for her — a holy place. Of course she was not required to do so, but that was her way of reverencing God.
Today I want to think about this question: where is the holy ground?
Consider Moses. His background was hardly fortunate. I do not have time to recount all the details, but he was, by rights, supposed to have been killed at birth. Miraculously he was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter and raised in the palace. That might seem fortunate, but it meant he was separated from his biological parents. As an adult, Moses could not remain silent when he saw his fellow Israelites being oppressed as slaves, and he tried to free them by his own hand. Not only did that fail, but he ended up being hunted by the Egyptian ruler and fled into the wilderness.
Although he later established a modest family, for forty years he lived apart from society. He probably thought he would never see his parents again or return to Egypt. He resigned himself to the belief that, now in his eighties, he would grow old and die alone far from the world’s affairs.
You may find Moses’s story personally resonant. The term “midlife crisis” may be less frequently heard now, but many of us have experienced the fading of youthful aspirations, the slow shaping of life’s trajectory, and, after accumulating failures and moments we would rather forget, a sense of disappointment with ourselves. Even if not to the degree of Moses, many of us can identify with that state — a “Moses-like” condition.
Into such a life the angel appears and God says, “The ground on which you stand is holy.” That may refer to the physical place, but I also believe it refers to the temporal place — the moment, the situation — in which he stood. The place where you now stand, having walked a long and difficult road, arriving after failures and regrets, is the very place God declares holy. Whatever your present “now” may be, it is always a place where God works.
Romans 8:28 tells us, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
This word promises that events which may seem meaningless or trivial are actually being woven together by God to bring about something wonderful. It also promises that our past experiences — the things we are proud of and the things we are ashamed of, the things we would hide or wish had never happened, even the secrets surrounding our birth — can be transformed into treasures and used together to reveal God’s glory.
With that in mind, let us turn to the symbol of removing shoes. God declares that the ground you stand on is holy, and then he says, “Take off your sandals.” What are these sandals? They are the shoes that have become perfectly fitted to your feet by the path you have been walking. We fashion shoes from our experiences.
One person, because of repeated bullying, may wear the shoes of invisibility: staying quiet, avoiding dissenting opinions, blending in. Another may wear shoes that conform to society’s norms. Some wear the shoes of resignation. Others wear shoes of aggression. Some wear shoes of addiction, or shoes of pride that look down on others. God tells us to remove those shoes.
But this instruction is not to keep you barefoot forever. It is so that you can put on new shoes that God has prepared for you. The old shoes you have been wearing do not give life; they may even be killing you. They prevent you from living into who God intends you to be. Whether you hide to avoid attention, conform to others’ expectations, lash out, or become proud — these are all, to some extent, noble attempts to protect yourself. Yet they are living patterns not aligned with God’s perspective; before God they are sinful ways of life.
“Take off those sandals, and put on the new shoes I give you.” That is God’s word. What are the new shoes? They are the shoes of walking with God. Walking with God is a walk of conversation.
Near us there may be a large, beautiful park where one can sense God in the songs of birds, in seasonal flowers, in the breeze that passes through. Yet even more so, when we read the Bible, immerse ourselves in its words, and meditate on them, we will hear God speak. That speech may comfort us, encourage us, or sometimes correct us.
We may also speak to God. Bring your anxieties and fears, your joys and desires; speak them. God calls, “Let us talk.” We are permitted to pray. We may walk in new shoes.
Where, then, do we obtain these shoes? At the foot of the cross. Of course it is not a matter of finding the literal cross on which Christ hung. The point is this: walking in old shoes — walking apart from God, walking in opposition to him at times, turning to God only in desperation or using him for our own ends — that is a sinful walk. When we accept in our hearts Jesus, who took on our sin, bore the judgment on our behalf, and rose again — when we receive him not merely by understanding but by faith — we remove the old shoes and put on new ones.
At first the new shoes may feel uncomfortable. They may not fit. But as you continue to walk, they will begin to fit perfectly. You will come to know that they are far easier to walk in than the old shoes.
You are standing now at the foot of Horeb. God is speaking: “Remove your sandals. Put on the new shoes I give you. Walk with me.”

Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.