Bishop's Blast: April 2025

​Love Your Neighbor: Who Is My Neighbor?

​Part 2 in a Series of Five

​25  And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  26  He said to him, “What is written in the Law?
How do you read it?”  27  And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your
mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”  28  And he said to him, “You have answered
correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29  But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my
neighbor?”  30  Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving
him half dead.  31  Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he
saw him he passed by on the other side.  32  So likewise a Levite, when he came to
the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  33  But a Samaritan, as he
journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had
compassion.  34  He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and
wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took
care of him.  35  And the next day he took out two denarii [a]  and gave them to the
innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay
you when I come back.’  36  Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a
neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”  37  He said, “The one who
showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Luke 10:25-37

Our District Convention is now only two months away! As we prepare, let us remember that
our theme is Grace from Grace: Loving Our Neighbor. In these months leading up to the
convention I am using my Bishop’s Blast to explore more deeply this theme. Last month we
looked at Love Your Neighbor: The Great Command. This month it is Who Is My Neighbor?
That is, of course, the question the lawyer asked as he tested Jesus. Jesus’ answer comes in the
form of an illustrative story, the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable is the first part of a

section in which we are taught about mercy (Good Samaritan), worship (Mary and Martha) and
prayer (the Lord’s Prayer). All three of these texts are meant to show us that the life of God’s
people (the Christian life) is one that first receives grace from God and then responds in love
toward God and others.

“And who is my neighbor?” the lawyer asks. The question implies that there are some who are
not my neighbor. The question aims at asking, “Who may I exclude?” In the mind of the lawyer
there were some who could indeed be excluded. He reasoned that he was justified to exclude
the sinner, the foreigner, the Gentile. One the other hand, at the top of the list to love would be
the priest and Levite.

So, Jesus tells a story which turns things up-side-down! “A certain man” is said to be heading
down from Jerusalem to Jericho. There is no further description of the man. His ethnicity,
nationality, religion, status is not important. He is a man, a fellow human being. What is
important is that he is in need because he is set upon by robbers and left by the side of the road
half dead.

Now some of those people on the top of the “loving list” come along. But they do not show
compassion but pass by on the other side. Yet, when a Samaritan, considered to be one not on
the “loving list” comes along, he shows great compassion.

This is a shocking reversal for the lawyer. It is meant to send him into confusion and
reconsideration. For the answer to Jesus’ question, “Which of these three, do you think, proved
to be a neighbor?” is quite obvious and incontrovertible. “The one who showed him mercy.”

Likewise, this passage brings a shocking reversal into our lives. It is so easy for us, like the
lawyer, to exclude people from our list of those who would receive neighborly compassion from
us. It confronts us with our exclusivity, lack of compassion, and failure to be a neighbor. It even
confronts us with our works righteousness (what must I do to inherit eternal life vs. 25) when
we try to justify ourselves by saying “who is my neighbor?” and exclude certain people.

The passage brings us to repentance. It brings us clarity as to who is our neighbor is that we
might better have compassion. Yet there is more to this passage. We get to that “more” by
asking, “Why?” Why is no one excluded from being our neighbor and being deserving of
compassion?

The gospel is found when we look at this passage Christologically (through Christ). Where do we
see Christ? Is it not in the Good Samaritan? He is the Christ figure in the story. He does not see
a distinction in the half dead man that might exclude him from compassion (as the priest and
Levite did). He was simply a person in need of compassion.

Christ, like the Good Samaritan, does not look upon distinctions in people. Each person is his
creation to be loved and treated as a neighbor (love your neighbor as yourself). In fact, Christ
has perfectly fulfilled this law. Like the Good Samaritan he sacrificed himself to care for our
every need. He paid the bill for our healing and restoration. Only it was not money that paid the
bill it was his life given on the cross! Christ was a neighbor, the consummate neighbor, to you!

So now, as those who have received his compassion, healing, and salvation and bear his name
we are called to “go, and do likewise.” If Christ has been neighborly to us, has not excluded us,
has had compassion on us, then it is unthinkable for us, who bear his name in baptism
(Christian), to do anything less.

Having received God’s grace, we show grace. Grace from grace, we love our neighbor. The
passage not only defines a neighbor for us, it gives us the gospel reason why!
​
Amen.

District Convention 2025.
The District Convention is only a couple of months away. None-the-less we still have about a
third of our congregations that have not fully registered. If you have not fully registered please
allow me to remind you that attendance at the convention is not optional; it is an expected
responsibility and privilege of membership in Synod. Congregations have been contacted
multiple times and there has been ample opportunity to rectify difficulties. Please complete
your registration asap. Rooms are still available for those who are registering late.

We are encouraging all delegates to take a room for both Thursday (discounted 50% for
delegates) and Friday night for two reasons. First, our sessions will begin early and our agenda
will run into the evening. Delegates who are traveling from home may have a difficult time
making it on time for the beginning of business or be tempted to leave Friday before all the
agenda is completed. Second, we are planning social events on both Thursday and Friday
evenings as well as the Convention Service on Friday evening. These are important times for
worship, celebration, and fellowship. We intend these to be times of edification and bonding
for our District. Please take advantage of the lodging at the hotel both Thursday and Friday
nights.
​
If you have questions about the convention please call the District Office.

​Congregational Statistical Reports.
I am pleased to report that as of this writing there are only 10 congregations that have not yet
completed their Congregational Statistical Report. While that is still too many (Synod expects
100% participation) it is good progress. If you have not completed your report please do so
right away. If you need help please call the District Office and we will help. Thank you to all you
congregations that did complete your report.

Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic
At the invitation of President Matthew Harrison, nine other District President and I were invited
to go on an Educational Mission trip to the Dominican Republic. The DR is the home to the Latin
America and Caribbean (LAC) region for LCMS International Missions. This is also where the
seminary for LAC is located.

The philosophy of LCMS missions is to spread the gospel, plant churches, and do mercy
ministry. The goal is multi-generational work supported by church plantings and a pipeline of
indigenous pastors through the seminary to serve the congregations and communities. In
addition, a primary principle is that all mercy ministry is done in close proximity with the
sharing of the gospel. Mercy ministry without the proclamation of the gospel is just
humanitarian aid. The purpose of the church and mission is to proclaim the gospel for the
salvation of people.

Our time was spent learning about the theology and practice of mission, seeing how this is
being put into action, and interacting with the missionaries, staff, pastors, and seminary
students.
​
The 2023 Synodical Convention passed resolution (2-07A) commending the use of FOROs by our
missionaries and congregations. FORO is the Spanish word for Forum. The idea is to bring
interested parties (missionaries, districts, congregations, pastors, lay people) together to
discuss, plan and implement mission strategies. These parties would have the opportunity to
help fund the work and send short term mission teams to assist the work.

Lenten Vesper Service in Missionary Key’s backyard.

Sharing a meal with missionaries, staff, pastors and professors.

Congregational News

• Luther Memorial, Tinton Falls has received their first call list.
• Redeemer, Westfield has received a fourth call list.
• Christ Memorial, East Brunswick has requested a candidate from the St. Louis Seminary.
• Good Shepherd, Old Bridge has received a third call list.
• St. Paul, Closter issued call to Rev. Samuel Paul Handschke, Pastor at Faith Lutheran  Church in Pierre, SD. He has declined the call.
• Good Shepherd Blairstown has called Vicar Jason Kiefer, SMP. His ordination/installation will be June 8th at 4:00 pm.

• Ranjan George has joined Clifford Powers and Brandon Chornobroff as those having been accepted into the SMP program from NJ and are waiting for a placement into a cohort (hopefully Fall).

District Short Clips

2025 Mission Golf Classic. The Mission Golf Classic for this year is scheduled for Wednesday
May 7 th at Heron Glenn Golf Course, Ringoes NJ. The entrance fee for a single golfer is $200 that
includes a cart, boxed lunch, dinner meal, golf range and more. All proceeds will go to support
the missions of the NJ District. Registration is now open. If you need more information or want
to register please go to the District website (njdistrict.org) or call the District Office.

NJ District Educators’ Conference
The NJ District Early Childhood Educator Conference was held on March 7 th at Somerset Hills
Lutheran Church, basking Ridge. There were about 25 teachers and directors in attendance and
one pastor (Note: Pastors you are encouraged to attend with your teachers. It is a great time to
spend time with them, support them and minster to them). The theme was Endurance with the
topic being Resilience. In addition to learning from two speakers the participants brainstormed
ways that they could encourage one another and how schools are working with their
congregations and pastors.

Congregational Events
On February 16 th I was privileged to be at Christ the King, Ringwood for the dedication of their
new pulpit and baptismal font.

​On March 2 nd Andrew Wolfgram was installed as Pastor at Good Shepherd, Point Pleasant.

​On March 9 th Holy Trinity, Somerset celebrated their 65 th Anniversary.

​On March 10-12 th the NJ and SELC Districts hosted the District Presidents of the East Coast
Common Endeavor (ECCE, which is the eastern region of the LCMS) for their annual meeting at
Tuscarora, Mt. Bethel, PA. Dr. Bernard Bull, President of Concordia University, Seward, NE
(center next to me) was our guest speaker.

​On March 4 th Circuits 1 and 2 gathered at Christ Assembly, Newark for a Circuit Pastors’ Meeting
and to bless Rev. Jordan Peiser as he departed for a new call in Shamway, Illinois.

Conclusion
The words “love your neighbor” are simple yet rich. Our Lord reminds us that along with loving
God, loving our neighbor is the greatest of all commands. He also reminds us that no one is
exclude from his love and so no one ought to be exclude from our love. As those who have died
and risen with Christ we show neighborly compassion to all who are in need.
More thoughts on this multi-facetted command next month.

The Lord be with you,
President/Bishop Gewecke