Over to you Joshua (Josh 1:1-9)
“the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. … Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.”
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Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane, but the church of Jesus ever shall remain. Leaders come and go – even the most celebrated and those whose names are suffixed ‘the Great’. Moses was such a leader. He wrestled down the oppressive superpower of that time and Pharaoh gave in. If some liberation efforts had come up sometimes within the 430 years of the Jewish stay in Egypt, Moses’ uprising was not just one of those – it resulted in the release of over 2 million people who left in one group, leaving the Egyptians startled and looking on in utter bewilderment. Moses was that kind of leader, but later he died. In the meantime, the God who had raised Moses to this stature had trained a successor to whom he could now say, ‘Over to you Joshua’.
The mission is not yet done; the journey ahead has some fierce battles, and the land must be divided among the tribes with fairness. These were Joshua’s tasks, and it must have been frightening to take over leadership at such a time. Looking back at the legacy of his predecessor, Joshua must have wondered if he will measure up, if he will manage the tasks, if internal rebellion will not overthrow him – many if’s can clog the mind at such a time. Yet the Lord God who calls encouraged and assured him of victory in keeping with a longstanding promise. The hymn writer added: ‘Death and hell and Satan never shall prevail – we have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail’. No matter how tough the task, no matter how high the calling, as long as the God who called you made a promise, you will not fail.
After Moses, many other great leaders have come and gone; and the memories of Rev. Canon Ephraim Musiime are fresh on our minds: he passed on 07th Jan 2016 and left behind a strong legacy of a revolutionary Chaplain, a firm administrator of impeccable integrity, a lover of all people, a devoted family man, a great mentor, and much more. He will be sorely missed by many of us, yet after him the voice of God is heard in many ears saying ‘over to you’, and the best we can do is to embrace the challenge. In our own days the mission is not yet done; there are battles ahead and lands to take; but the Lord has encouraged us to confidently embrace the call to and responsibility of leadership. In His Name and with His leading, we match forward.
God bless you all.