God Has Not Run Out of Joshuas

Jesus gives the church its marching orders: love God with all the heart, soul, and mind, and love the neighbor as oneself. These commandments hold together all the law and the prophets. They are simple, though not necessarily easy, and they remain clear even when the future is not.

Stewardship takes shape within that love. Money, time, talents, compassion, cooking, sitting with someone who is hurting, and standing beside someone who feels vulnerable all belong to the same tapestry. The body of Christ comes together through these gifts, investing in a future it cannot quite see.

Moses stands at the edge of such a future after forty years of wandering. From Mount Nebo, God shows him the land promised to the people, but Moses will not enter it. His silence leaves his feelings unknown. What remains clear is that Moses has fulfilled the chapter God called him to serve. Moses did not fail; Moses finished his part. God then passes the baton to Joshua.

Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Joshua belong to a story that began before any one generation and continues beyond it. The church receives that same good treasure to guard together. Congregational transition does not mean God has run out of Joshuas. The call extends beyond staff to every member: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

The meantime is therefore not empty waiting. Neighborliness means feeding people, accompanying the hurting, and making music that is good for the soul. The way of Jesus moves toward the poor, makes room at the table, challenges oppressive systems, refuses violent retaliation, and forgives enemies. The promised land may still lie at a distance, but the kingdom of God is near. The church is called to act like it.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Every Gift Belongs in the Tapestry. Stewardship includes pledges, but it also includes cooking, compassion, and the willingness to sit beside someone who is hurting. These gifts come together to make the church a body rather than a collection of separate efforts. Investing in an unseen future begins with the concrete gifts people can offer now. [46:24]
• 2. Finishing a Chapter Is Not Failure. Moses reaches the edge of the promised land without entering it, yet that boundary does not make his life a failure. He has fulfilled the chapter God called him to serve. Faithfulness can mean completing a part and allowing the next generation to carry the treasure forward. [49:25]
• 3. God Has Not Run Out of Joshuas. A season of transition does not leave the church without people called to serve. That calling belongs to the whole congregation, not only its staff or designated leaders. Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God give every member meaningful work in the present moment. [49:52]
• 4. The Meantime Still Has Marching Orders. Uncertainty about the future does not make the command to love uncertain. Feeding neighbors, sitting with hurting people, and making beautiful music remain worthwhile before the promised land comes into view. These are simple directions, though carrying them out is not necessarily easy. [50:45]
• 5. A Near Kingdom Calls for Action. The way of Jesus takes concrete shape in moving toward the poor, widening the family boundaries, and making space at the table. It also requires challenging oppression without retaliating with violence and forgiving rather than treating enemies as beyond reach. The nearness of God's kingdom calls the church to live accordingly, even while its destination remains at a distance. [51:35]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [43:49] - The Greatest Commandments
• [45:16] - Gratitude for the Church's Gifts
• [46:57] - Moses at the Edge of Promise
• [48:12] - Passing the Baton Across Generations
• [49:25] - God Has Not Run Out of Joshuas
• [49:52] - Neighborliness in the Meantime
• [50:58] - The Clear Way of Jesus
• [52:01] - Living Like the Kingdom Is Near

Bible Reading

Matthew 22:34-40
“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” [44:05]

Deuteronomy 34:1-4
“Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” [47:09]

Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [49:52]

Observation questions

1. In Matthew 22:34–40, what connection does Jesus make between the two greatest commandments and the rest of the law and the prophets? [44:38]
2. What examples of giving beyond money show how loving a neighbor can take shape in the life of the church? [46:24]
3. In Deuteronomy 34:1–4, what does Moses get to see, and what will he not get to do? What does the passage leave unsaid about his response? [47:46]
4. What everyday acts of neighborliness can continue while the church’s future remains uncertain? [50:27]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Jesus hold love for God and love for neighbor together? How might a congregation’s use of money, time, and talents show that these commands belong together? [46:08]
2. How does the distinction between finishing a part and failing help explain Moses’ place in God’s larger story, even though he does not enter the promised land? [49:19]
3. How does Micah 6:8 help explain why a congregation’s work during transition belongs to every member, rather than only to staff or designated leaders? [49:45]
4. What makes Jesus’ command to love simple to understand but difficult to practice, especially when loving a neighbor involves challenging injustice or forgiving an enemy? [51:25]

Application questions

1. Every gift has a place in the life of the church. What gift—perhaps cooking, listening, organizing, music, or financial support—could you offer in this season? What would make that offering manageable for you? [46:24]
2. Where in your life are you finishing a chapter without seeing all the results you hoped for? What might help you recognize faithfulness in what you have done and make room for someone else to carry it forward? [49:19]
3. During uncertainty, it can be tempting to wait until the future is clearer before getting involved. Where have you felt that pull, and what act of love could you take without having everything figured out? [50:27]
4. Who in your neighborhood or congregation might welcome a meal, a listening ear, or someone standing beside them? What could a thoughtful first step toward that person look like this week? [46:31]
5. Which feels most challenging for you right now: doing justice, loving kindness, or walking humbly with God? Is there a situation you would feel comfortable sharing where you could practice it? [49:52]
6. Making room at the table sometimes means reaching beyond familiar friendships. Who might be left out of your usual circle, and how could you offer a welcome that respects their needs and dignity? [51:32]