A Prophet Like Moses

A joy of my ministry has been supervising 10 student interns. I have cherished helping interns develop their own styles of ministry.

Now actively retired, I’m proud of the interns I’ve supervised and their rich pastoral service to the church. Thankfully none of these pastors have become carbon copies of me, but I like to think that in some way I’ve enhanced their pastoral ministries. Long after I’ve hung up my robes for the last time, I know there will still be devoted pastors to speak the Word and administer the sacraments.

Deuteronomy tells of the conclusion of Moses’ life. Today’s reading relates the divine promise to raise up a prophet to follow Moses. People continue to hear the word of God, to be called to follow the Commandments, and “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

The prophetic leadership of Moses remains. The Scriptures have preserved powerful words of prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea and Malachi. This passage, however, is often understood as pointing directly to Jesus as the prophet to follow Moses. And so yet today the church has a prophetic role.

God of all time, we thank you for those who speak prophetic words to us. — JRG