Bishop's Blast: December 2025

Time to Pivot

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Matthew 20:29-34

The college basketball season has begun and with it come some of the memories of when I first learned to play the game. One of the foundational skills was the pivot. The pivot did two things; one it anchored a player to a spot on the court and second it enabled the player to turn in many different directions in order to see and to pass the ball. So, while one foot remained in a particular spot the other foot could move around anywhere it wanted! At one moment the player could be facing the backcourt and the next toward the basket!

The end of the Pentecost season and the beginning of Advent places us at an ecclesiastical pivot point. At one moment we are facing the 2nd Coming of Christ and in the next the 1st Coming, at one moment we are facing the final judgement and in the next the coming of salvation, at one moment a judge and the next a savior. It is a quick pivot but perhaps the scripture passage above can help us to think more deeply about it.

The last weeks of the season of Pentecost always narrow our focus to the last days, the return of Christ, and the final judgement. Inherent in these matters is the recognition of our sinfulness. One cannot possibly think about a judgement without some self-examination and, if one is honest, the recognition that we have not lived up to God’s expectations for us. We could place ourselves on a morality scale and determine that we have done better than many but that is not the point, is it? Just one sin condemns. That rightly causes dread in the face of judgement.

The passage above gives us hope and comfort. Jesus has come for us too. He has pity on us and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” Our need in the face of the judgement is for the forgiveness of our sins. And what we find is that forgiveness is his greatest desire! In fact, it is the very reason that he came. Now, as we face his 2nd Coming, we do not do so with dread but in the sure and certain hope of forgiveness, love, and eternal salvation.

Pivot!

Now suddenly in Advent we face not a coming in judgement but a coming in grace with salvation. But before he comes we anticipate his coming. Into four short weeks we pack the whole OT period and thousands of years of waiting, yearning, praying, and hoping for rescue and the coming of a savior. Hear the people of God crying out “O come, O come Emmanuel”. So, in the season of Advent, as the events of years gone by are recapitulated in Word and song, we cry out in anticipation “Come Lord, Jesus.” 

 The passage above is inspirational here as well. For like the blind man we cannot see spiritually. Even after we have been redeemed and regenerated our vision of Christ and spiritual things is clouded. What we need is to see Jesus and to see him more clearly. Our Advent prayer to Jesus is rightly, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
The better we see Jesus the more we receive the benefits of his love, salvation, forgiveness, comfort, and joy. The better we see Jesus the more we are enveloped in his arms and rest in his grace. 

The liturgical pivot of Pentecost to Advent is a blessing. It allows us in short succession to see both the end and the beginning, the 2nd and 1st Comings of Christ. It allows us to connect the one to the other in an unending circle of mercy and grace. We will continue to pivot, to tell again the story of salvation until our Lord comes again.

District Update
Congregational News

• Luther Memorial, Tinton Falls has received an acceptance of their call to the Rev. Roy Minnix III. The installation will be on January 4th at 3:00pm.
• Redeemer, Westfield had received and is working with another call list.
• St. Paul, Closter is working in the call process and considering calling options.
• Rev. Tom Pranchske will retire January 1st. Zion Westwood is completing a self-study and gathering names for a call list.
• We have 8 vacant congregations: 3 congregations actively calling, 1 congregation seeking options, 4 congregations vacant not calling

​Events
The Fall 2025 Pastor Conference was held at St. Paul, Flemington on October 28th. Rev. Dr. Heath Trampe from the Office of National Missions presented a number of the new resources that Synod has to offer congregations as they seek to build ministry and reach out to their communities. 

Rev. Dr. Health Trampe addresses the NJD Pastor Conference

​Pranschke Retirement. Zion, Westwood celebrated the retirement of Rev. Thomas Pranschke on November 2nd. The day began with a celebratory service at which several of the choirs sang and during which they performed a song with Pastor Pranchke that he wrote himself. After the service the congregation moved to the school gymnasium where Pastor Pranschke was honored by the congregation and the town council. He was remembered for his active involvement in the community. He was also lauded for his ministry in the parish school and the congregation. The congregation expressed thanks with a generous gift and a Martin guitar. We pray God’s blessings on Pastor Tom, Anne, and his family as he moves to south Jersey. 

Retirement dinner in Zion’s school gymnasium

Westwood Town Council Representatives thank and commend Pastor Pranschke

Zion honors Pastor Pranschke

The November Council of Presidents was held at Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota. Each November the COP holds its meeting at a different one of our universities. It is an enlightening and joyful experience as we get to see the ministry and resources the Synod has to offer those who are seeking a college education. It is particularly encouraging to hear how there is a renewed emphasis on the Lutheran identify of our universities and on sharing the gospel. With each visit we hear about the growing numbers at many of our Concordias not only in the general student population but specifically in our church worker and pre-seminary programs. 

Our universities should be commended for the very generous tuition grants they are giving for those in church work and pre-seminary disciplines. It is important for us to reduce the loan debt our workers will have after graduation and to attract them to church work service.

Next November the COP will be visiting Concordia, Mequon (Wisconsin). 
​
One frustrating discussion we had at COP was regarding the revised policy for the SMP Program. Let me simply say that our SMP Pastors are a blessing to us in this District and we give thanks for their service. We ought to be working to expand avenues to ordination rather than restricting them. Please keep all of our pastors in your prayers.

​Upcoming SCC Events and Strategic Plan Task Forces
Four additional congregations have indicated their desire to participate in Small Church Clarity (SCC). Participation will assist these congregations in ministry planning and prepare them for future Advanced Studies events and training. Our next event will be the second session of the new cohort for Small Church Clarity. 

• SCC/NJDU Session 2: Tues Dec 2nd 7:00 pm, Zoom
• SCC/NJDU Session 3: Saturday January 24th @9:00am
• SCC/NJDU Zoom Session 4: TBD

The Strategic Plan Task Forces have been meeting and working on their goals. They meet on November 18thto share progress, get feedback, and determine next steps. The next meeting will be in person on March 12th@ 7:00pm when we hope to be presenting our finalized work plans. 

​Spring 2026 Pastor Conference
The NJD Spring Pastor Conference will be a three-day event. The Conference Committee is currently working on putting this event together. Details and registration materials will be available in January.

Synodical Convention 2026
The 2026 Synodical Convention will be held in Phoenix, AZ on July 18-23rd. 

• Nominations for President, Secretary, and Vice Presidents are currently happening. Congregations should have received ballots in the mail. Nominations should be done at a congregational meeting. Nominations matter since only the candidates who receive the most nominations will appear on the convention ballots.
• Delegates and other representatives to the convention are being asked to fill out a bio sheet through which they will be considered for positions on Floor Committees. We are hoping to have a few representatives on the Floor Committees.
• Registration for delegates will happen this winter.
• Orientation and training will be held in June.
• Election of the Synodical President will be online in spring.

Conclusion
I have always enjoyed the season of Advent, its themes, its anticipation, and its hopefulness. My prayer for you is that, as you prepare for and celebrate the coming of our Lord, your eyes would be opened and that ever more clearly you would see Jesus.
​
The Lord be with you,
President/Bishop Gewecke