The Lion King: Remember Who You Are

‍ The Lion King:  Remember Who You Are

Exodus 3:1-15

August 2, 2026       God on Broadway

Rev. Cynthia Cochran-Carney, First Presbyterian Church, San Rafael, CA

  PDF OF SERMON LINK BELOW

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 Horeb, the mountain of God. 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.

 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 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."  Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."

 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. Then the Lord said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.  So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."

 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"  God said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain."

 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his name?' what shall I say to them?"  God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me to you.' "

The Broadway show opens in darkness before dawn, a single voice heralding the new day. As the sun rises over the pride lands, animals gather beneath Pride Rock where King Mufasa and Queen Ser Sarabi present their newborn son, Simba.  Incredible costumes and animals move on the stage.  Your brain knows they are people and puppets but heart embraces the reality.  Imagination holds the truth.

 Rafiki, the wise shaman or mandrill character, anoints the cub and lifts him high as the chorus swells and the circle of life is sung into being. Yet even as the pride rejoices, shadows linger.

Scar, Mufasa's jealous brother watches from the sidelines, his heart twisted by envy and ambition. As Simba grows, eager to learn what it means to be king, he hears his father speak of the delicate balance that connects every creature in the great circle of life.  His father leads all the animals with respect.

 Scar's scheming soon sets tragedy in motion. He lures young Simba into a gorge and orchestrates a wildebeest stampede. And in the chaos, Mufasa gives his life to save his son. Scar sends Mufasa to his death and convinces Simba that he is to blame.

 Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, Simba flees his home and Scar claims the throne, ushering in a new season of darkness and decay for the Pride Lands.  Simba, lost and alone, collapses in the desert until he is found by Timone and Pumba, funny meercat and warthog. Two unlikely friends who teach him the carefree philosophy of Hakuna Mata – No worries.  Years pass in exile, but the past is not so easily left behind.

 He is a young adult when he encounters his best friend from childhood, a young lioness named Nala, who tells him how horrible life is back in Pride Rock since Scar took over. Scar is a cruel king, and he has let the hyenas run wild, which means basically that all the food is gone. They are all starving. Nala begs Simba to come back, but Simba refuses. He is not his father’s son. He is not brave. He is not king. But then an other-worldly vision changes his mind.

 As I was researching the story, I learned that the writers of The Lion King credit two previous stories for their inspiration: Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and the story of Moses. Hamlet avenges his father’s murder. While Simba only thought he was responsible for someone’s death, Moses actually was responsible. He killed an Egyptian who was beating one of the Israelite slaves, and then he ran away to hide in the wilderness. He settled in Midian, where he met his wife and as far as we know, planned to live out his days. Until an other-worldly vision changed his mind.  A burning bush.  The voice of the Holy One, Divine Mystery, Source of all there is.

 Over the years scholars and preachers have had much to say about the meaning of this phrase “I am,” or “I am who I am,” or “I am being who I will be.” But because of the story of Simba and The Lion King, I’m looking at this story a bit differently today. Before Moses asks for God’s name, he has already been told: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And of Sarah, and Rebekah and Rachel.

 Moses’ identity is woven from many threads and stories. In our passage today, it seems as if Moses did not remember who he was.  Born into a Hebrew family who had been enslaved in Egypt.  As an infant his mother wants to protect him. His mother put him in a basket in the Nile River. And as she had hoped, the Egyptian princess found him and adopted him.  He was returned to his biological mother to be nursed and raised. So he did not grow up in the palace  completely isolated from his people. 

 He was connected enough to his heritage to kill someone who was mistreating a kinsmen. He would have known his people’s story. His mother would have taught him about their God. Had he forgotten? Had he tried to forget? There, in exile, had he turned his back on the God of his people?  There, in exile, had he forgotten who he was—an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? He asked both questions: Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh; and Who are you, to send me?

 In our story of Simba from The Lion King, after Simba says he can’t return to Pride Rock, he encounters Rafiki, the old shaman who anointed him, who served as an advisor to Simba’s father Mufasa. Rafiki assures Simba that his father is still alive, and he leads Simba on a race through the jungle. Simba’s hope keeps building until they arrive at a small pool and he sees his own reflection. Rafiki says, “Look harder! You see? He lives in you!”

 Then Simba’s father appears to him in a cloud in the night sky. Simba hears his father’s voice from heaven saying, “Simba! Simba, you have forgotten me.” “No, how could I?” Simba answers. His father says, “You have forgotten who you are so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.” Simba argues, “How can I go back? I’m not who I used to be.” Mufasa’s deep voice rings out, “Remember who you are! You are my son! The one true king. Remember who you are!” As Simba pleads with him not to leave, the vision or ghost fades away as the voice echoes, “Remember who you are!”  He returns to Pride Rock and becomes their leader, king and restores the land and the animals to be full of life and abundance again.

 For Simba, for Moses, for us, the answer to many questions is: remember who you are.

 Some of us, like Simba, look at our family tree of ancestors and families of choice and the lessons they taught us.   Some of us learned lessons we’ve spent years unlearning. But all of us need to look at our reflection. We see age spots and wrinkles or tanned faces. But we need to see more than that.  We need someone like Rafiki to say, “Look harder! The Holy One lives in you!” 

 We know trauma can blind us.  We may struggle with who we are and who we are called to be – to live fully, with our strengths and gifts and joys alongside our regrets and blindspots and losses. We forget we are beloved.  We forget that our essence is this love, this blessing.  Simba discovers this hope and joy.  He embraces who he is – part of a larger tribe and community, no longer isolated.  He is loved for who he is.  He is forgiven. He is not alone.

 We were created in the image of God, and Divine Mystery is within us. We can take our place.

We must remember who we are.  In these challenging days, may we remember who we are – beloved – and are called to live into the hope each day of being part of a Beloved Community of celebration, deeper spiritual formation, serving our neighbors near and far and welcoming all to the table in the circle of life.   Amen.

Resource “The Gospel According to Disney,”  https://fccucc.org/sermons/the-gospel-according-to-disney/