Devotion 

The Successor

Frances Taylor 

Moses has died and has appointed Joshua as his successor. God has guided Moses in his choice of successor and has guided Joshua to respond. The people accept Joshua as their leader because Moses had laid hands on him, blessing him and charging him with this responsibility. Joshua would be followed by many others, some leaders better than others, until the Israelites demand a king. These would soon be joined by prophets who would remind the kings to keep the commandments and trust God. John the Baptist was the last of the prophets preparing the way for the promised Messiah. Jesus brought the message of salvation and left the job of spreading that message to the Apostles, who have passes it on to us. We are in many ways the successors to both Moses and Jesus. It is our job to remind others of the need to keep the commandments, to trust God and to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Just as Joshua was blessed by Moses in the laying on of hands, we have been blessed when we were washed in the waters of Baptism.

We have been called and anointed to be disciples, to spread the Good News of salvation won for us be Jesus, and to lead by word and example the way to follow him, In our Baptism, we said "yes" to God. We accepted the challenge. It is up to us to come to know Jesus and his message so that we can proclaim it to the world. Sounds difficult, doesn't it? However, just as Joshua had God beside him every step of the way, so we are promised the same. Will we be as willing to accept the responsibility as Joshua was?

Prayer 

Lord, it can be difficult to be a Christian in our world today. Give us the courage to live as we should and to trust that you are with us as we work to bring your message of love to others. Amen.