Image: The Burning Bush
© Jan Richardson
Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, Year A, Proper 17/Ordinary 22/Pentecost +14: Exodus 3:1-15
God called to him out of the bush,
“Moses, Moses!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
—Exodus 3:4
It is not always as plain as a burning bush. When a door opens to us, when a threshold appears with our name on it, that invitation and call can sometimes be wildly difficult to perceive at first. In the midst of all the distractions around us and within us, may we keep learning how to clear our attention. May we know what is ours to do, and may we receive the courage to do it. This day, this blessing is for you.
Blessing at the Burning Bush
You will have to decide
if you want this—
want the blessing
that comes to you
on an ordinary day,
when you are minding
your own path,
bent on the task before you
that you have done
a hundred times,
a thousand.
You will have to choose
for yourself
whether you will attend
to the signs;
whether you will open your eyes
to the searing light, the heat;
whether you will open
your ears, your heart
to the voice
that knows your name,
that tells you this place
where you stand—
this ground so familiar
and therefore unregarded—
is, in fact,
holy.
You will have to discern
whether you have
defenses enough
to rebuff the call,
excuses sufficient
to withstand the pull
of what blazes before you;
whether you will
hide your face,
will turn away,
back toward—
what, exactly?
No path from here
could ever be
ordinary again,
could ever become
unstrange to you,
whose seeing
has been scorched
beyond all salving.
You will know your path
not by how it shines
before you
but by how it burns
within you,
leaving you whole
as you go from here,
blazing with
your inarticulate,
your inescapable
yes.
—Jan Richardson
from How the Stars Get in Your Bones: A Book of Blessings
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Using Jan’s artwork
To use the image The Burning Bush, please visit this page at janrichardsonimages.com.
Using Jan’s words
For worship services and related settings, you are welcome to use this blessing without requesting permission. All that’s needed is to acknowledge the source. Please include this info in a credit line: “© Jan Richardson from How the Stars Get in Your Bones. janrichardson.com.” For other uses, visit Copyright Permissions.
August 29, 2026 at 1:26 PM |
Jan I have this book and use it often for spiritual direction. This particular blessing fits perfectly with a talk I give on faith, awareness of God in the midst of every day life. I already use your blessings for prayer at retreats and of course cite the source! I’m thinking of using this next time I give that talk. Your blessings speak to so many people I encounter, including me. Thank you for your gifts of soul
August 29, 2026 at 7:24 PM |
I love this reading from Exodus and will be using it as the basis of my sermon tomorrow. Your blessing comes at a perfect time in my life for so many reasons. You are a gift.