Shortly before his death, at the age of 120, Moses called together the people of Israel. He had led them from slavery to freedom. He had journeyed with them for 40 years through the wilderness. But it would soon be time to enter the promised land. God had great blessing in store for them in this new homeland. But there would be enemies to confront and battles to be fought. And there would be change. Joshua would now be their leader. They would cease to be a nomadic people, wandering through the desert. They would leave what was familiar, in favor of greater opportunities God was providing for them.
As they turned their eyes towards the promised land, the people began to be anxious, even fearful. Fearful of what they might confront. The wilderness was not great, but it was familiar and it was safe. In response, Moses said to the people “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Over the years, Rock Church has been through many changes. With our pastoral transitions, we are going through a new season of change. Change can be hard, and it can be a little scary. But the promise of God for us is the same as it was for the Israelites. “The Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave or forsake you.” No matter what challenge or change we go through, we know that God is always with us. He will lead us through our “wilderness” to a new promised land.
God is the master of taking even the hard things in our lives and bringing good from them. Even as we go through these transitions, I know that God has great things prepared for us. I am confident that in the days ahead, God will continue to use Rock Church in more powerful ways than we can even imagine. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who love God, love others and do good. I’m excited to see all the ways that God will fulfill that mission in us in the years ahead!
Have a blessed week. I hope you will all be able to join us in worship as we continue our new Lenten Series “The Search for Truth” In this new series, we take a deep dive into Christianity and other world religions. This is a fascinating study that will help us to better address the faith questions people are asking in our world today.
Have a blessed week. I love you all.
Pastor Steve