Over the past several years there has been a number of self-identified atheist authors who have made new assertions regarding the existence of God: the three best known in the group are Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett, all scholars in their own particular field of science. Lest we imagine that these gentlemen are doomed for their position, let me quote two interesting statements from their works; here, for instance, is what Sam Harris has to say: “I still use words like “spiritual” and “mystical”…People have self-transcending experiences. And people have the best day of their life when…they seem to be one with nature.” Some may say, “That’s not God!” True enough, perhaps, from our Christian perspective, but it is an experience, nonetheless, of the sacred, the transcendent.

Here is a short paragraph from Daniel Dennett: “(The God experience) is the best moment in your life and it’s the moment when you forget yourself and become better than you ever thought you could be, and see in all humbleness the wonderfulness of nature. That’s it! and that’s wonderful.”

Most of us, I should imagine, would agree that there is something transcendent about nature: the sun, for instance keeps us alive, rain that provides water for thirsty creatures, clouds, thunder and lightning, storms of all sorts help us to imagine the God of Christian faith.

Finally, there is the well-known experience we read of from the Book of Exodus. Moses is wandering about in the Sinai desert herding his father-in-law’s herd of sheep and suddenly comes upon a bush that is afire and yet does not seem to diminish. Then comes the divine experience: A voice from the bush warns Moses not to approach any farther because he is already standing on holy ground.

I’m sure Moses must have felt all the more bewildered and perplexed over this experience: talking bushes must have been rare in those times as they are today. Nonetheless, he interprets it as a divine intervention in his life. He will not consider himself a simple sheepherder from that moment forward. His life was now changed forever.

Scripture scholars are at a loss to explain the divine phenomenon except to say that although physically unique, it was interpreted by Moses and others after him as a God-experience.

As we mentioned above, all such experiences are exclusive to the individual. That is what makes me think that no two people on this planet have the same perception of God. We are literally left to our own devices.

It is for this reason that certain so-called burning bush experiences in life are worth considering and remembering. Many of us have heard of individuals who have turned their lives around after some particular event that happened to them. My sense, however, is that this is a rather rare occurrence and not to be duplicated for ourselves.

More common, I believe, are the so called every day experiences that at first sight seem to be nothing more than accidents: the sunset that made you stop on the way home from work and simply stare until the sun disappeared below the horizon. I myself have had several close-call automobile accidents that awakened me to the real world and made me realize that only God could have protected me from my careless driving

Perhaps you will agree with me, therefore, that there are such occurrences in that at first seem may simply seem to be a “happening” but, indeed, on reflection, turn out to have immense meaning.

What really matters at such moments in life is that we pay attention and search for the deeper meaning that lies deep within the incident.

Many people feel that the God-experience is in the details of life. I believe that to be true, but it applies particularly to perceptive people, folks who try to appreciate the extraordinary in the ordinary, the sacred in the worldly. That is why I still insist that folks who call themselves atheists may yet be people of faith whether or not they believe it to be true.

Let me add, however, that If any of you who are reading these words claim that you have seen a burning bush in your back yard that talks, let me know, I need to come and do some closer investigation.

The scriptures: Exodus 3: 1-8a, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10: 1-6, 10-12;
Luke 13: 1-9