Scripture Reference: Deuteronomy 31:1–8
Change has a way of arriving before we feel ready for it. Moses knew that. The people of Israel knew that. And if you’ve ever sat in a pew and heard the words “your pastor is leaving,” you know it too.
A People Who Had Been Through It Together
In Deuteronomy 31, Moses stands before a crowd that has weathered everything with him — the Passover night, the wilderness, the golden calf, the long stretches of waiting. These were not abstract hardships. They had known real scarcity, real hunger, real moments when fear curdled into anger and the whole enterprise seemed on the verge of collapse. They had worshiped an idol and watched Moses shatter the stone tablets in grief. They had grumbled, doubted, and pushed God to the edges of their attention. And yet — they had done all of it together. That shared history is a powerful thing. It binds a community in ways that are hard to name and even harder to replace.
So when Moses announces that a new leader will take them forward, the people must have felt the ground shift beneath their feet. This was the only leader they had ever known in the wilderness. They couldn’t imagine how moving forward would even be possible without him.
The English Teacher Who Became a Longshoreman
I understand that feeling. Midway through my 10th grade year, my English teacher — Mr. Saavedra — left school to become a longshoreman. When the principal broke the news, I was convinced my entire education was over. How would I ever learn American Literature now?
As it turned out, my new teacher, Mrs. Korte, introduced me to Emily Dickinson, Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman — and lit something in me that led me to study literature in college. More than the authors, she taught me something about myself: that I had unique, clever insights worth developing, and that if I supported my arguments well, my papers could be exceptional. Because of what she gave me, I rarely received less than an A on a paper through seminary. Mr. Saavedra gave me something Mrs. Korte couldn’t. Mrs. Korte gave me something Mr. Saavedra never would have. And all my worry? It was for nothing. It was always going to be about American literature.
I learned that lesson so well that the following year, when my 11th grade English teacher left mid-year for health reasons, I didn’t panic. I got excited. I found myself wondering: what new gifts will this next teacher bring that I don’t even know I need yet? That year we studied Macbeth, and I got to play Macduff. What felt like loss turned into one of the most joyful experiences of my education. God has a way of doing that.
Same God, New Leader
Moses tells the Israelites something remarkable: even though he won’t be there, Yahweh will be. When they reach the Jordan River, Joshua will cross before them — but even before Joshua, God will cross. They have a new leader. They have the same God.
It’s worth sitting with that for a moment. Moses was not great because of his own greatness. He was faithful because God was with him. And Joshua’s fitness to lead did not come from his own abilities or charisma — it came from his willingness to follow Yahweh wherever Yahweh led. The same has been true of every pastor who has ever served a congregation. The same is true here.
I recently announced that I will not be returning to Gordonsville. Pastor Debra Whitten, with deep roots in Orange, VA, comes home as an Elder on loan from the Greater New Jersey Conference to take my place. As I sit with that, I find myself returning again and again to the story of Esther — to that phrase, “for such a time as this.” I believe God placed me in Gordonsville at exactly the right moment, for reasons that will continue to unfold long after I’m gone. And I believe that same divine timing is at work in Pastor Debra’s arrival. This charge stretches back 151 years and has been shaped by many pastors, each one called by God for such a time as theirs. That long legacy is your foundation — not any one individual who stands in the pulpit.
I look back on our time together with both gratitude and grief. When we struggled, God did not abandon us. When we celebrated, God went before us. That hasn’t changed — and it won’t.
Strong and Courageous
In just 230 words, Moses tells the Israelites three times to be “strong and courageous,” twice that “the Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you,” twice “do not be afraid,” and twice that God “will never leave or forsake you.” He wasn’t being repetitive — he was being pastoral. Some things need to be said more than once before they sink in. Moses knew that the anxiety in that crowd was real, and he met it not with platitudes but with the steady, patient weight of repeated promise.
Change is hard. Leadership change is particularly hard. But I want to offer you the same gift Moses offered the Israelites: the reminder that your pastor may change — your God never does. Every pastor who has ever served you was an instrument in hands far steadier than their own. Your shepherd may have a different name, but the Promised Land is still the destination. The one who goes before you has not changed. Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be afraid.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” — Deuteronomy 31:8
