God's People: Joshua

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, “My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:1-9

That Moses didn't make it into the Promised Land has always been a cautionary tale for me.

 Cautionary in that I need to remember that God's mission for  creation is not entirely dependent on me: that no matter how big - or even important - a job is that I feel like I have to do, I may not - indeed most likely will not - be the only person involved.

 And I may not even be the person who sees it to the end.

 God's mission for creation - God's kingdom - has been unfolding since long before I stepped onto the scene, and it will continue long after I leave the stage.

 This is especially helpful to remember when working in a church - whether on staff, or as part of leadership. We set goals. We set visions. We are people who like to get things accomplished.  

 But sometimes the fruits of our labors won't completely unfold on our watch. Sometimes someone else will finish what we started.

 It's also important to remember in terms of how change comes politically and governmentally. We know problems need to be fixed and we want people who will go about fixing them.

 But we may not be around to see when real change happens.

 Joshua leading the Israelites into the Promised Land takes nothing away from Moses' leadership and accomplishments.

 The fact that we may not be the ones to finish what we started does not make us failures. We can and should get a sense of accomplishment from simply getting to take part in the ongoing story of God saving creation. Whether we see the fruits of our labor or not, the mission of God's kingdom continues and the parts we have to play have their place.

 "Be strong and courageous," God tells Joshua. Courage to me is seeing something through even when the outcome   seems fuzzy and even when we are scared we might not get it exactly right or get to see it to the end.

 It takes courage to jump into service:

 - to serve a meal to a hungry person even when we know that there are thousands more who will still be hungry.
- to write a letter to a politician asking for justice for the oppressed, even when we know that letter might never be answered, or even seen.
- to lead a fundraiser for a worthy cause even when there are few who see its worth.
- to lead a worship service, or bible study, or even a congregation when only few people show up.

 To lead a life of faith in humility in a world where prestige, power, money, and winning are the standards.

 Moses played his part. Without him, Joshua would not have been able to play his.

 So what part is God calling you to play?
Prayer: Holy God, your kingdom done. And help me to play my part. Amen.

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