October 20, 2024

            Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus

      " Leave some trace"

Sermon by Rev. Trip Porch

October 20, 2024, 2024                                                                                                                         Based on Exodus 3:1-6

A few years ago, I got to go on a hiking trip down to Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. At every trail head we came to, I was struck by something I hadn’t seen before. Boot brushes, the kind you normally see in Ohio for snow and salt removal for winter. And above them a sign that reads, “Stop: Help protect our forest. Please Brush off your shoes to help remove any invasive species that may impact this environment.”

Now I am someone who has camped and hiked for awhile now, and have taken the practice of “Leave no trace” principals very seriously. I was always sure to pick up all my trash, and stay on trail to try to protect the wilderness environment, but this was new to me. 

The fact that my very presence in the place would impact the environment negatively, that unbeknownst to me the cracks of my shoes might carry seeds from invasive species, and I might harm the environment without my knowing, at least without taking the proper precautions…So of course I followed the instructions. I brushed off my boots, and I hiked on. 

"Take off your sandals,” God says to Moses
“for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

Holy ground. It’s a powerful image. 

In this story, Moses is called to recognize the sacredness of the space he’s in. The space where he stands. He’s told to honor it, to show reverence and respect. He’s told to take off his shoes, as though shoes might disturb the soil of this holy moment.

But the story is about more than just honoring the dirt under your feet. He’s forced to recognize what makes this space holy is that God is there. Because God is present the ground itself becomes holy.

I want to suggest that we, too, walk on holy ground. Everywhere we go, God is present. The whole world is marked by the sacred, and all of it is holy ground. And whether we intend to or not we are leaving our mark on the world.

I was struck by an article I read recently that talked about this very thing.

The scene is within the cave at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. A bag of Cheetos gets dropped and left on the floor. An image that at least to me as a parent of young kids seems utterly common and inconsequential It’s a scene I witness almost every day in the back seat of my car.

But, for the Rangers at Carlsbad Caverns it’s an event they described as a ‘world-changing.’

When they discovered the bag, it could have been there a day, maybe just hours, but in the humidity of the cave the salty processed corn had already dissolved and triggered the growth of mold on the cavern floor and nearby formations.  And this is why the rangers called this tiny event world changing, because for microclimate of this cave, with all the tiny microbes and insects that call the cave home, it was. The mold that grew attracted cave crickets, mites, spiders, and flies as they all organized to eat, and before they knew it, the foreign mess, began to spread around.”

This is a vivid reminder that even the smallest actions can leave a lasting mark on the world around us. What seemed like a tiny thing, just one forgotten bag of Cheetos among what I am sure is a million pounds of litter that gets left at our national parks annually, ended up having a negative ripple effect to a fragile ecosystem. 

The truth is as far as humans go, there really isn’t a way to leave no trace. We are constantly shaping the world around us in ways we can’t always see. Wherever humans are present we make a mark. Every conversation, every decision, every interaction impacts the world around us. It might be as small as a word spoken in kindness or frustration, as fleeting as a glance of compassion or indifference. But like that bag of Cheetos, what we leave behind changes the environment around us.

Moses had no idea that this patch of ground in the wilderness was holy. But when God alerted him to it, When he paused and paid attention, when he listened, he realized it was sacred, and he decided to treat it as such.

What if we approach the ground we walk on with the same reverence?
What if we recognized that every space we enter is holy—whether it’s a literal piece of earth or cave, or a conversation, or a relationship. What if we paused and entered these spaces as though they were an opportunity to leave behind something sacred, something good?

The story from Carlsbad Caverns teaches us that whether we want to or not, we will make an impact on our world, and our impact on the world can be either destructive or life-giving. But it also reminds us that it’s not too late to make a change, it’s never too late to notice, it’s never too late to clean up the messes we make. 

After the Cheetos bag was found, the park rangers worked carefully to clean up the contamination. It wasn’t easy—it took time, precision, and care. But ultimately they did it as they do every time litter gets left in the cave, this was not a first of its kind incident even though it went viral, and it probably won’t be the last. The rangers removed the bag of Cheetos and then they removed the mold, the fungi, and the debris. And the cave began to heal.

We, too, have the opportunity to heal the spaces we’ve impacted. When we make mistakes, when we hurt others, when we leave behind damage, we can work to clean it up. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes awareness, but with intention we can leave the world a better place than we found it.

Just like the rangers, just like Moses, we are invited to be the people who are aware of Holy ground, we are invited to be the people who take their own shoes off, but also take strides to heal the negative impacts of others. 

We are invited in to do the delicate work of cleaning up—whether that’s mending relationships, repairing broken systems, or simply being more mindful of the small, everyday actions that leave a lasting mark.

The good news is that we don’t do this work alone. Just as God called Moses on that holy ground, God calls each of us to recognize the holiness of the ground we walk on every day. We are called to take responsibility for the impact we have. And though “Leave no trace” is never possible for us humans, we are invited to make the trace we leave, a positive one—a mark that brings healing, justice, and love into the world.

So today, on this holy ground, let’s commit to being mindful of God’s presence not only here but throughout this world, and through our lives. Let’s commit to treating the holy ground beneath our feet with reverence, and respect.
Let’s recognize that every moment, every place, every relationship is an opportunity to leave behind something good, something sacred. 

May we be ones who take off our shoes and treat the world—and each other—with reverence.

We will always leave a mark wherever we go. May we at least try to make it a positive one.

Amen.

WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE 

PRELUDE                                “There is Sunshine in My Soul Today”      John R. Sweney, arr. Anne Britt    

INTROIT                                     “Though I May Speak”                           English Folk Melody

WELCOME                                                                                                 Rev. Trip Porch

  One: This is the day that the Lord has made

  All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it                         

*CALL TO WORSHIP

One:  Come take off your shoes!

All:  For where we stand is holy ground.

One:  Come to connect and recenter.

All:  For the Spirit of our Maker is in this place.

One:  Come to be still.

All:  We come to know our God.

One:  Come care for the gift of a life-sustaining planet, and the gift of this church,

All:  For all of God’s earth is holy ground!

*HYMN 406                                           “ We Are Standing on Holy Ground”       HOLY GROUND

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION                                                                               Olive Guinn

Loving Creator, we confess that we often move through life unaware of the impact we leave behind. We have overlooked our actions, and neglected to realize how even small actions ripple out into the world. At times, we’ve caused harm with our words, our choices, and our indifference. We have left behind more than we’ve picked up, and we have forgotten the holiness of the ground we walk on. Forgive us God. Forgive us for the times we failed to care for one another and for creation. Help us to walk with humility, compassion, and intention, that we may leave a mark of love wherever we go.     In the silence, hear our prayer…

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON 

*RESPONSE OF PRAISE 694             “Great God of Every Blessing”   vs. 1                                 AURELIA

*PASSING OF THE PEACE                                       

    One:   The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,

All:      And also with you.

WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD                         

ANTHEM                                   “I Will Sing with the Spirit”                                                 John Rutter

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION                         

SCRIPTURE  Exodus 3:1-6 CEB

Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro, Midian’s priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. The Lord’s        messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.

When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses,  Moses!”

Moses said, “I’m here.”

Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

Holy Wisdom, Holy Word

Thanks be to God

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE                                                                                                        Dorothy Kyle

SERMON                                                                                                   Rev. Trip Porch

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD                             

HYMN ON SCREEN              “Amazing Grace/Peaceful Easy Feeling”

                                                                                                   Marie Boozer – guitar, Henry Byrne - Guitar, Trip Porch -  Mandolin

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

TIME OF OFFERING   online giving is available at  www. indianolapres.org/give

OFFERTORY                           Microlude No. 24                                Daniel E. Gawthrop

*OFFERTORY RESPONSE 693    “Though I May  Speak”  vs. 2                                    GIFT OF LOVE                     

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

 Gracious God, we offer these gifts as a sign of our gratitude and commitment. May they be used to leave a mark of love, justice, and hope in our world. Bless the work of our hands, that we may walk gently on this earth and care for the sacred spaces you’ve entrusted to us. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

*HYMN 714                                                                  “God of the Fertile Fields”                                                     ITALIAN HYMN

TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE                                                           “God of the Fertile Fields”                                                 Felice de Giardini                                             

Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452