Quick Summary:

“Spiritual, but not religious” has become a catch phrase in contemporary America. To say “I’m spiritual but not religious” means I don’t need organized religion to lead a life of faith. The phrase is now so commonplace that it's spawned its own acronym and Facebook page: SBNR.org.

Now, I’m not into bashing SBNR people. There’s an impulse there I understand—and a healthy skepticism about organized religion that, given the history of religion, ain’t a bad thing to have.

Yet, at the same time, I find myself wondering, Where’s the commitment in being “spiritual but not religious”? Where’s the accountability? Where’s the community that will help you rise above self-interest, sustain you after the spiritual experiences dry up, prompt you to engage the world for the sake of the last, the least, and the lost?

Last week, in part one of this two sermon series, we explored the first half of the story of Moses’ encounter with God at the Burning Bush. We pick up the story this week at the point where God and Moses begin their conversation, Moses tries to get the upper hand by asking God to reveal God's personal name, and God responds with a name wrapped in mystery that people of faith have been trying to unravel ever since. I AM WHO I AM or I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.

What is God actually saying when God says, I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE? Perhaps something like this (suggested by David Lose): You can't really know who I AM unless you're willing to sign on for my mission in the world. To come into relationship with God, to know God you have to go with God.