 On Earth as It Is in Heaven9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 Last month, as a lead up to the Synodical Convention, I reflected on “Your will be done.” That is of course the Third Petition in the Lord’s Prayer. This month I would like to spend some time thinking about the addendum to the 2nd and 3rd Petitions “on earth as it is in heaven” but specifically as it relates to the aftermath of the convention. As I mentioned, last month my thoughts leading up to the convention were on that petition your will be done. Daily, but especially at convention time, it is appropriate for us to be asking for God’s will to be done. Now, with elections having been completed and resolutions passed, we enter into the implementation phase of our triennium (the three years until the next Synodical convention). Here too our prayer is your will be done. Isn’t it interesting that our Lord adds and also teaches us also to pray “on earth as it is in heaven.” It goes without saying that the Father’s will is done in heaven. This is when and where God rules over his church and the angels in all perfection. This is the kingdom of glory. This is the kingdom promised to all who have received Christ and trust in him for salvation. This is the kingdom that is our hope and for which we long. Revelation reminds us in chapter 21 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Since we will be glorified, since there will be no sin, since Satan and his demons will be banished, since God will rule in all authority his will will be done without exception. In this petition we pray that God would bring this into being among us here and now on earth. And yet, the very fact that Jesus teaches us to pray this reminds us that the earth is a place where his will is challenged and thwarted. Here and now God allows this. But the petition also reminds us that God is seeking, through us, to better this earth and bring about his will on earth. This does not mean that we seek a Christian nation. There is no such thing as a Christian nation. There may be nations that heed God’s Word, seek to base laws on God’s will, seek to walk in the ways of the Lord, but that is a nation listening to God and not a Christian nation. So, God works through nations to bring good order to our lives (this is God’s will) but if we are looking for the kingdom of God we find it in the church. This brings us back to the convention. In this fallen, sinful, and broken world it can be hard to know exactly what is God’s will. Even though we have God’s Word, knowing exactly what to do can be nebulous. And so, we study, discuss, debate, propose and pass resolutions. But the point is that God has placed us into a body of believers to collaborate and do a better job of discerning and implementing God’s will. We are not so naive as to think that we will ever get it all right. But we expect that we will do a better job than if we didn’t consult one another. We count on the grace and righteousness of Christ for us. He has redeemed us and made us new creations in Christ. Because of that we are led by the Spirit of God and we edify one another. Together we pray and work that God’s will might be done. In the coming months there will be several opportunities for you to participate in this collaboration to do God’s will on earth as it is in heaven that we call Synod. Billy Brath and I will be working on producing an online seminar on the convention with Q&A. This is scheduled for Thursday August 27th at 7:00 pm. Here is the link to participate. Second, delegates to the convention will be available to visit with your Church Council to share highlights of the convention and to present resolutions that pertain specifically to congregations. This presentation can inspire congregations to new ministry and/or connect them with Synod resources for ministry. May God bless our life together that his will might be done on earth as it is in heaven. District Update Congregational News
Events Vossler Retirement  The Vossler Retirement Dinner was held at the Appian Way, Orange NJ The people of Grace Lutheran Church, Livingston gathered on Sunday morning August 2nd for a service in which the retirement of the Rev. Dr. L Richard Vossler was acknowledged. His son, Rev. Christopher Vossler, brought the message and the Rev. Steven Vera presided. After the service a dinner was held to which members and family attended. Many District pastor also join the occasion for the festivities. 2026 Rally and March for Life The 2026 Rally and March for Life will be held on Thursday March 8th at the State House in Trenton. The Rally begins at 11:00am and the March is at noon. Those who desire to participate can meet at Messiah Lutheran Church, Princeton (corner of Nassau St & Cedar Lane) at 10:00 am. From there it is a short walk to the bus stop. We are a small group yet our numbers have grown each year. Please set aside the day and join the march for this important work on one of the big issues of our day. We expect a representative from Synod’s Office of National Missions, Mercy Ministry to join us this year! Set Apart to Serve While work on Set Apart to Serve has been happening for some time here in the NJD a new District Committee has been appointed to spearhead the efforts. In case you do not know, Set Apart to Serve is a Synod-wide initiative focused on church worker recruitment. The goal is to increase the number of pastors and other church workers available to serve our congregations and Synod. Serving on our committee are: Rev. Steven Vera Rev. Deric Taylor Rev. Peter DeMik Mr. Tom Jennings Rev. Jon Hodges Rev. Matt Hass The work of the committee will involve:
Already efforts are bearing fruit! Here is a report on the pastor and church worker pipeline:
Synodical Convention. The 69th Regular Convention of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was held on July 18 – 23 in Phoenix, AZ. The NJD delegation is: Pastoral Delegate Lay Delegate Circuits 1&2 Anthony Giordano Todd Hergenhan Circuit 3 Jonathan Hodges Ryan Evanko Circuit 4 Luke Elowsky Boyd Bergman Circuits 5&6 David Small James Steimle Commissioned Laura Small NJD BOD Jon Dunbar Tom Jennings Two somewhat simple but impactful resolutions that passed had to do with the election of the Synodical President and the composition of Electoral Circuits. The resolution to return the election of the president to the first day of the convention was defeated. Instead, the current system where the President is elected before the convention was retained. In this system each congregation has a pastoral and lay vote (not just the delegates to the convention). The understanding is that this gives the opportunity for wider participation in the election even if a surprisingly high number of congregations choose not to vote. Second, regarding Circuits, a task force was appointed at the 2023 convention to evaluate the parameters for electoral circuits and suggest any recommended changes. After extensive research and surveying of pastors and leaders across the Synod, the task force recommended new parameters. The resolution passed that set Circuit sizes to be at least 6 congregations and at least 1,500 communicant members. The upper limits of the number of congregations and communicants was left open (previously Circuit sizes were 7-20 congregations and 1,500 – 10,000 communicants). In addition, a resolve in the resolution to remove the possibility of granting exceptions by the LCMS president was removed by an amendment from the floor and passed. In regard to the impact on the NJD, the resolution shouldn’t have much effect. Our biggest challenge is reaching the 1,500 minimum for communicants in a circuit. A number of our Circuits are close or below that number. For this last convention we received an exception for one circuit. The removal of the resolve that would have prevented exceptions may possibly help us retain the four electoral circuits that we currently have. Space in this “Blast” does not allow a fuller sharing even of the highlights of the convention. However, I will have a Convention Special Zoom seminar followed by a time of Q&A on Thursday August at 7:00pm. Here is the link for participation. Conclusion “On earth as it is in heaven” is a prayer that governs the desires of our prayers and actions. We are not looking to mold God’s kingdom or his will to our desires but to his. And so, we pray that our prayers would be in keeping with God’s perfect plan which is the way it is in heaven. We pray that all we do would be in keeping in with his good and perfect will.
The Lord be with you, President/Bishop Gewecke  Thy Will Be Done9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 Jesus’ disciples came to him on at least two occasions and asked him to teach them to pray. The result was what we now call the Lord’s Prayer. It is recorded in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. From these passages we understand that the Lord’s Prayer is both a set prayer and a pattern for our personal prayers. (In Luke 11 Jesus said “When you pray say…” implying a set prayer and in Matthew 6 he says “Pray then like this…” implying a pattern for prayer. Both are good and Luther encourages us to pray the Lord’s Prayer in both manners. Recently, as we approach the Synodical Convention (July 18-24th), I have found myself praying the 2nd Petition, “Thy will be done” frequently. For example, as we were conducting the elections for Synodical President in which each congregation had a lay and pastoral vote, I prayed for God’s will to be done. I most certainly had my opinion as to who would be the better choice but I didn’t pray for one candidate or the other to be elected. I prayed that God would guide his church and that his will would be done in the presidential election. President Harrison won the election on the third ballot gaining 50.1% of the vote! That is a very tight race! We thank God for President Harrison, his past service to the church, and his continued service. But is this God’s will? An interesting question. I have no reason to believe it is not and I believe, until it is shown to be otherwise, we ought to proceed as if it is. This was a valid election according to our agreed upon way of life together (constitution and bylaws). It is right for us, if we did not vote for him, to set aside our will and cede to the majority. We trust that God, by the guidance of his Holy Spirit is working through the church to work his good will for the church and the world. This is a God pleasing way to live! It is also interesting to reflect on how Jesus prayed this petition in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is quite evident that Jesus wasn’t looking forward with desire for the cross. He would have had it pass by him if possible. Yet you know well what he prayed, “Not my will but yours be done.” Ever since that day we have taken this a model for living in trusting relationship with God our Father. There are so many things that we think are right and yet we never want to push our agenda. We always want to submit our agenda, our will, to that of our gracious heavenly Father’s. The challenge is of course our sinful human nature. The Scripture teaches us, and we know from experience, that it is opposed to and set against God and his will for us. It constantly tempts us and leads us to fulfill the passions of our flesh (see Galatians 5:16ff) rather than the will of God. But thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ! When by faith we receive Jesus, we are rescued from our sinful nature. In baptism our sinful nature is drowned and buried with Christ and a new person rises in Christ. This new person in Christ is led by the Holy Spirit into the fruit of the Spirit and doing God’s will. As Paul writes, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” God then works that his will might be done in our lives and through us in the world. Luther reminds us in his explanation of the 2nd Petition, What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also. How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity. Many more elections and issues will come before our convention. It is good and right that we study them and have an opinion. It is good that we share how we believe the Spirit of God is leading us. We pray that God will work through his people and that collectively we will move ever closer to the goal, “Thy will be done.” Pray for our convention. Pray for our delegates. Pray for our elected and appointed leaders. District UpdateCongregational News · Pastor Steve Vera received and declined a call to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Trumbull, CT. · Pastor Rick Vossler’s retirement service and dinner will be held on Sunday August 2nd. · Grace, Livingston has voted to close. A date has not yet been set. · Zion, Westwood has received and is working with their second call list. · Holy Cross, Bordentown has voted to withdraw from Synod. · Rev. Williams Machazek – Nueva Vida, Bloomfield has entered into a colloquy mentorship Events Convention Orientation and Preparation  The NJD delegation to the 69th Regular Convention of the LCMS met at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Westfield on June 27th from 9 am until 3:30 pm for orientation and preparation. Each Circuit of the NJD is able to send a lay and pastoral delegate to the convention. In addition, there is a delegate to represent the Commissioned Ministers and two delegates to represent the Board of Directors. The dates of the convention are July 18-23rd. The orientation portion focused on travel, accommodations, how the convention functions. The preparation portion focused on the business portions of the convention (Reports and Resolutions). Our pastoral delegates were each assigned a floor committee or two and reviewed the resolutions from those floor committees for the delegates. There is a lot of information for the delegates to master but at least the orientation and preparation helped them gain a solid foundation from which to work. The convention will be available via live stream at: https://www.lcms.org/convention/national/livestream Of special interest may be the Convention worship service on Saturday July 18th at 7:30 pm (Mountain Time – 3 hour difference). The NJD delegation is: Pastoral Delegate Lay Delegate Circuits 1&2 Anthony Giordano Todd Hergenhan Circuit 3 Jonathan Hodges Ryan Evanko Circuit 4 Luke Elowsky Boyd Bergman Circuits 5&6 David Small James Steimle Commissioned Laura Small NJD BOD Jon Dunbar Tom Jennings Initiative for Ministry Development and Strategic Plan Task Forces
At this time, it appears that most if not all of those congregations that desire to engage in Small Church Clarity or NJDU have done so. The process is still available for those congregations with new pastors or congregations that could not participate earlier upon request. Rather than participating with a cohort of congregations, though, the process will be done individually. For all those that have completed SCC or NJDU the Annual Planning Reunions will continue. Look forward to one of these reunions this fall (November?) sporting a new and enhanced design. The Strategic Plan Task Forces have been meeting and working on their goals. The Healthy Congregations Task Force and the Multi-culture Task Force have completed their first task of producing the content for a tri-fold that will present what ministry in their particular area will look like. The Healthy Workers Task Force is finishing up their content work. These products will be used to help us move forward with the work of our Strategic Plan. Conclusion Thy will be done is rightly a staple of our Christian prayers and lives. Yet we confess that it is something we struggle with each and every day of our lives. Therefore, we seek Christ’s forgiveness and strength and heed Paul’s words to walk in step with the Spirit that indeed God’s will might be done in our lives. The Lord be with you, President/Bishop Gewecke |