PASTOR’S POST - Pastor Matthew Baker

Whether we like them or not, changes are inevitable. Even small, ultimately insignificant changes can have a noticeable effect on our lives. For instance, how long does it take you to get comfortable with the various features of a new electronic device or automobile? (My wife can tell you how much I grumble every time I get a new cell phone.) Other changes, of course, impact us more deeply. We at Our Redeemer have obviously experienced a substantial change recently with the formal retirement of Pastor Knox after nearly 30 years of service here.

Our conceptions about this change undoubtedly vary from person to person and may, in fact, themselves change over time. Certainly, a sense of sadness is appropriate given that a man so important to us both individually and communally will no longer be an ever-present figure here. There may be apprehension about how pastoral care and leadership will be handled going forward. On the other hand, perhaps you see the modest changes taking place as a positive sign for our congregation. Maybe you’re excited to see what the next 30 years will bring for Our Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Let me be clear that none of these reactions is bad. However, there is one way of thinking about this time of change which is wrong and harmful. It’s a mindset which Pastor Knox has repeatedly denounced, as do I. It’s the false belief that the success or failure of the ministry here (or anywhere) is entirely dependent on human beings. The ministry of the Church is bound solely to one individual—Jesus Christ.

For Scriptural evidence of my point, I draw your attention to a major Old Testament transition: that of Moses to Joshua. Let me begin by setting the scene. The Israelites were standing at the edge of the Promised Land (Dt 34:1–4)—a land they’d seen 40 years earlier but had been prevented from entering (Nu 12:1–14:38); a land that had first been promised as an inheritance to Abraham’s descendants almost 700 years prior (Gn 12:5–7). Moses—God’s appointed deliverer and leader of Israel; a prophet unlike any other (Dt 34:10–12)—had just died (vv. 5–8), and Joshua was tasked with leading the multitude across the Jordan to occupy the land of Canaan for the first time (Jsh 1:1–4). Don’t forget that the land was already inhabited by strong men with fortified cities (Nu 13:25–33). Simply put, God was placing a monumental responsibility upon Joshua. No one would blame Joshua for feeling a bit nervous about what (quite literally) lay ahead of him and the Israelites. The same could be said for the congregation he was now leading.

And so it is that the LORD spoke reassuringly to Joshua, “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you…Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Jsh 1:5, 9; For a connection to the Office of the Ministry, compare Jesus’ promise to the apostles after His resurrection, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [Mt 28:20]) These words were more than a mere pep talk. They were a solemn promise that the same God who had made Israel into a great nation, the God who had delivered them from the mighty Egyptians, the God who had provided for them during their decades-long wandering in the wilderness, would continue to care for them. Indeed, though Joshua was the human commander of Israel, it was Yahweh who was their true head. Joshua himself acknowledged as much when he spoke of the LORD giving the Israelites the Promised Land and rest (Jsh 1:10–15).

If any of the Israelites still had doubts, they were able to see the fulfillment of God’s promises to them when He performed great miracles in their presence: heaping up the waters of the Jordan as they passed through (3:7–17), toppling the city of Jericho (6:1–27), and halting the sun as He fought with them against the Amorites (10:5–14). Lest any of us still have doubts that God is with us, we, too, can see the fulfillment of His promises when His very real work is performed here: His Word is proclaimed in its purity and taught in its fullness; children and adults alike are endowed with faith and His blessings in Holy Baptism; His body and blood are received by you, His saints, for the remission of your sins. These activities point squarely to the Lord’s presence here because they’re in alignment with His commands and promises; those made first to Joshua and the Israelites, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Jsh 1:8), and later to Christ’s apostles and the Church, “Take, eat…Drink of it, all of you…” (Mt 26:26–28) and, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…” (28:19).

Joshua was no Moses, but he was a faithful leader to the Israelites nonetheless and succeeded in his calling by the grace of God. I willingly admit I’m no Pastor Knox, but I vow to be no less faithful in my commitment to the Lord and to you, His people of Our Redeemer. By His good favor alone, we’ll all enjoy His blessings here for many years to come.