“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” — Exodus 3:2 If you noticed something within yourself that you could not explain… Would you keep walking? Or would you turn aside and pay attention? Moses was not searching for a miracle. He was tending a flock. He was carrying out the ordinary responsibilities of his day when something interrupted the familiar: A bush was burning… yet it was not consumed. And Moses said: “I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” What if the encounter did not begin when the fire appeared? What if it began when Moses chose to turn aside? The Ordinary Wilderness Moses encountered the burning bush in the wilderness. The wilderness can appear to be empty. Unproductive. Uncertain. It is the place where familiar structures disappear and we no longer know exactly where the path is leading. Yet throughout Scripture, the wilderness repeatedly becomes a place of revelation. It is where distractions grow quiet. It is where dependence deepens. It is where what has always been present can finally be noticed. Perhaps some seasons feel empty only because we have not yet recognized what they are preparing us to see. Moses entered the wilderness believing he was tending sheep. But within that ordinary day, something greater was waiting to awaken. The Bush A bush is not usually considered majestic. It is small. Common. Easily overlooked. Yet this is where the divine presence appears. Not in a palace. Not through Pharaoh’s power. Not in something humanity would naturally call impressive. The fire appears within the ordinary. When I sit with this image, I am reminded that the Source does not require grandeur in order to be revealed. A quiet realization can carry fire. A simple question can carry fire. A moment of honesty can carry fire. An ordinary life can carry fire. Perhaps we miss many sacred encounters because we have been taught to look only for the spectacular.

Returning to the Beginning "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion...'" — Genesis 1:26 If I asked you one simple question... Who are you? How would you answer? Perhaps you would tell me your name. Your profession. Your nationality. Your beliefs. Your family. Your achievements. But what if none of those things were your deepest identity? What if Genesis begins, not by telling us what to do, but by reminding us who we are? Before we begin this journey together, I'd like to share the lens through which I engage Scripture. Some people choose to read Scripture primarily as literal history. Others engage it through historical, cultural, or theological study. I deeply respect that people approach these sacred texts in different ways. For these reflections, however, I choose to engage Scripture symbolically and inwardly because Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God as being within, Paul describes believers as God's temple, and John reveals that God is light. My purpose is not to persuade everyone to adopt this approach. My invitation is simply to explore it with me and discover what it reveals about the nature and character of God and how it calls us into embodiment. In the Image The opening chapter of Genesis does not begin with humanity's failure. It begins with humanity's identity. "Let us make man in our image..." If the Source is love... then the image reflects love. If the Source is light... then the image reflects light. If the Source is life... then the image reflects life. Identity comes before responsibility. Being comes before doing. Genesis does not first ask, "What should humanity accomplish?" It first answers, "Who is humanity?" After Our Likeness Image speaks of reflection. Likeness speaks of character. The invitation is not merely to resemble the Source outwardly. It is to embody the nature of the Source inwardly. Throughout this community, we'll keep returning to one simple question: Does this understanding help us reflect the nature and character of the Source more fully?

Family… Before we begin, I want you to take a breath… Not to learn something new… But to remember something ancient. Because what we’re about to explore today is not a new idea. It is a truth that has always been there…quietly… patiently…waiting to be seen. THE QUESTION WE NEVER ASKED For many of us… we were raised to believe that truth was divided. That God belonged to one group… and others were outside of that truth. So, we inherited questions like: - Which religion is right? - Which book is true? - Who has God… and who doesn’t? But today… we are going to ask a different question: 👉 What if truth was never divided… only our understanding was? PAUL’S REVELATION OF ONENESS Let’s begin with Paul. Because Paul says something that many read…but few truly see. “There is neither Jew nor Greek…for you are all one.” Now pause there. Paul is not talking about culture.He is not saying differences don’t exist externally. He is revealing something deeper: 👉 Identity beyond labels. He is saying… At the level of truth…At the level of being… there is no division. THE QUR’AN ECHOES THE SAME TRUTH Now let’s move to the Qur’an. Listen carefully… “We created you from a single soul…” Not multiple sources.Not separate origins. A single soul. So now we have to ask ourselves: If Paul says we are one…and the Qur’an says we come from one… 👉 Where did division come from? THE ORIGIN OF DIVISION Division did not come from God. Division came from: - Misinterpretation - Literalism without depth - Identity rooted in labels instead of truth Because when sacred texts are read without understanding… they are used to: - Separate - Control - Define “us” vs “them” But when they are read with awareness… they begin to unify. SIDE BY SIDE: THE SAME PATTERN Let’s slow down and observe… Not as people defending positions… But as people seeking truth. NEARNESS, NOT DISTANCE The Bible says: “The kingdom of God is within you.” The Qur’an says: “We are closer to him than his jugular vein.”