Irreverently Reverend

  Sermon for a service of consecrating new licensed local pastors Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.  2  There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed.  3  Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.”  4  When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”  5  Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  6  He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.   ...

  All Saints Day You have been a refuge for the poor,     a refuge for the needy in distress,     a hiding place from the storm,     a shade from the heat. When the breath of tyrants is like a winter storm 5      or like heat in the desert,     you subdue the roar of foreigners. Like heat shaded by a cloud,     the tyrants’ song falls silent. 6 On this mountain,     the Lord of heavenly forces will prepare for all peoples         a rich feast , a feast of choice wines,         of select foods rich in flavor,         of choice wines well refined. 7 He will swallow up on this mountain the veil that is veiling all peoples,     the shroud enshrouding all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe tears...