Bishop's Blast: May 2025

Love Your Neighbor: Show No Partiality
Part 3 in a Series of Five

​My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of
glory….  8  If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.  9  But if you show partiality, you are
committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

James 2:1, 8-9

In these weeks leading up to our District Convention I have been using this “Blast” to talk about
our convention theme Grace from Grace: Loving Your Neighbor. The first two parts have
focused on texts that featured a lawyer and a Scribe asking Jesus about neighborliness. In the
first (Which is the greatest commandment of all?), Jesus taught us that loving our neighbor,
along with loving God, is the greatest of all the commandments. In the second (the Good
Samaritan) Jesus taught us about who our neighbor is. Now this month we hear about partiality
which is the opposite of love.

After introducing this subject (vs. 1) James offers an illustration of partiality which is most likely
a hypothetical (vs. 2-4). He says suppose two people visit your congregation for worship one
Sunday morning. One is very well dressed and obviously a wealthy and powerful person. The
other is dressed in shabby clothing and obviously poor. Now if you treat the one in a special
way and the other you virtually ignore, what have you done? James answers that you have
made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts.

Later in vs. 9 James pointedly says, “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin.”

Ouch! Which of us hasn’t judged by outward appearances and been impartial? The illustration
highlights wealth and power as the basis for partiality, but remember it is only an illustration! It
is meant to enter us into deeper thinking; to supply our own circumstances and our own biases.
Go ahead apply the passage to your own world. In what ways have you shown partiality?...

James presents a three-point rationale as to why partiality is a sin.

1. Vs. 5-6a. Partiality is contrary to God’s nature who has chosen the poor. We think here of the
beatitudes in Matthew 5 and particularly vs. 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” God does not
choose on the basis of some quality or ability native to us. No, it is those who are in a state of

poverty, who are bereft of power and ability in themselves that God saves. Blessed are the poor
in spirit. Paul also writes in 2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might
become rich.”

2. Vs. 6b-7. Partiality has negative effects in both worldly and spiritual ways. In worldly things
the rich oppress the poor, even in court. And in spiritual things it causes the rich to blaspheme
the honorable name by which you (Christians) are called. This is presumably a reference to our
baptism in which the name of the Triune God is placed upon us. When the Christian is
oppressed God’s name is blasphemed.

3. Vs. 8-11. Most central to our point here, partiality is wrong because it contradicts the law of
loving our neighbor. Partiality may seem trivial to us but actually it breaks the greatest
command of the kingdom of God. Where there is partiality there is an inconsistency in our faith.
Jesus did not show partiality in his life or ministry. Even his enemies recognized that! The
Pharisees once came to question Jesus and started by saying, “Teacher, we know that you are
true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you
are not swayed by appearances.” Jesus did not show partiality and he calls us to live
consistently in faith and love also.

So, on three accounts partiality is wrong and we sin when we show partiality. It is good and
right that we confess our sin when we see the inconsistency of faith in our lives caused by
partiality.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, be assured of this, that when you confess your sin, God
forgives you for the sake of Christ his dear Son, taking your poverty and giving you riches. As we
said earlier, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9
Loving your neighbor is the joyous consistency of holding the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory.

James calls loving your neighbor the “royal law” meaning it is the law of the king and his
kingdom, Jesus Christ the King of kings, our king. As “brothers” (vs. 1) we are also a part of that
kingdom living under his gracious reign. And he is the Lord of glory (vs. 1) a word that is used in
connection with his resurrection and return. So, Christ’s kingdom and his glory are ours by way
of his resurrection and of his return when he will take us to our eternal home.
​
For now, we live in the “now and not yet”. Christ’s kingdom is now but not yet. We live in a
world in which partiality is the norm. But, while in the world, we are not of it. So, in the Church
under Christ’s reign, we live by the royal law and love without partiality. One day when we are
in heaven with our Lord loving without partiality will be the norm. But not yet. For now, loving
our neighbor without partiality is what we strive for and our witness to the world.

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory.

District Convention 2025
We are into the final push for our District Convention. The agenda, reports, presentations,
resolutions, and worship arrangements are all being finalized. Our days will be full but
meaningful. It will be so good to be together, renew friendships, and work on the business of
the District. If you are a delegate I look forward to seeing you at the convention. If you are not a
delegate but want to attend as a guest you are welcome. We will be at the Crowne Plaza,
Edison on June May 13 and 14th.

Some of our congregations are still missing a delegate. While this is not ideal we can still
accommodate you and your registration if you call the District Office.

Spring Tri-District Pastors Conference
The Spring Pastors Conference will be held on May 12-14th in Pittsfield MA. This will be the first
time in a good number of year that we have met as a Tri-District Conference. These conferences
harken back to the days when the NJ, New England, and Atlantic Districts were together in the
old Atlantic District. While our meeting together does not imply a desire to unite again into one
district, it does highlight the importance of gathering with those geographically close to
encourage, share, and maintain ties.
​
The theme of the conference is Engaging the World with the Gospel of Hope: Learning from
Global Partners. Presenters are The Rev. Dr. Ely Prieto (Concordia Seminary, St. Louis) and The
Rev. Dr. Naomichi Masaki (Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne).

Congregational News

• Luther Memorial, Tinton Falls has received their first call list.
• Redeemer, Westfield has received a fourth call list.
• Christ Memorial, East Brunswick issued a call to the seminary and has received candidate Luke Elowsky. He has accepted the call and will be installed in late June.
• Good Shepherd, Old Bridge has received a third call list.
• St. Paul, Closter is considering calling options.
• Good Shepherd Blairstown has called Vicar Jason Kiefer, SMP. His ordination/installation will be June 8th at 4:00 pm.
• Clifford Powers (Zion, Maywood), Brandon Chornobroff (Prince of Peace Howell) and Ranjan George (Rutgers Campus Ministry) have all received letters of acceptance into the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program. They will start classes in September.
• Grace Babbitts, Prince of Peace, Hamburg (daughter of Rev. John and Tanya Babbitts) received her Deaconess Intern Assignment from the Fort Wayne Seminary to Perry Lutheran Homes, Perry Iowa.

Grace Babbitts receiving her assignment

Upcoming SCC and NJDU Events
Congregations who have participated in SCC or NJDU in the past are invited and encouraged to
attend the July 1 Reunion for an opportunity to work together on renewing ministry plans.
Congregation who have not participated in the past are invited be a part of the ministry
planning process. On July 8 th there will be a preparatory Zoom meeting. Please call the District
Office if you are interested in participating (you will need the Zoom link).

• SCC/NJDU Reunion: Tues July 1 6:00 pm @ King of Kings, Mountain Lakes (Dinner included)
• SCC/NJDU New Entry Preparation Zoom: Tues July 8 7:00pm
• SCC/NJDU Session 1: Saturday August 16 9:00 am – 1:30 pm, location TBD
• SCC/NJDU Zoom Session: Tues Sept 23 7:00 pm
• SCC/NJDU Session 2: Saturday Oct 25 9:00am – 1:30 pm, location TBD
• SCC/NJDU Zoom Session: Tues Dec 2 7:00 pm

Worship Idea
In 2025, Christians around the world are celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene
Creed. This marks the anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council held in Nicaea, a key moment
in Christian history. The council, convened in 325 A.D. by Emperor Constantine, formulated the
Nicene Creed, which is still widely used and accepted by various Christian denominations.
Why not use Holy Trinity Sunday this year (June 5 th ) as an opportunity to highlight and preach
about the Nicene Creed, its influence and purpose?

2025 Mission Golf Classic
The Classic was another great success. The Lord blessed us with spectacular weather (although it was forecast for rain). Everyone had fun (except perhaps for the Bishop who got smoked on Beat the Bishop – next year we are calling it “Beat Up the Bishop”). It is too early to report the proceeds for missions yet. We will try to have that for you next month.

Conclusion
The words “love your neighbor” are simple yet rich. In past months we heard our Lord remind
us that along with loving God, loving our neighbor is the greatest of all commands. In addition,
he also reminded us that no one is exclude from his love and so no one ought to be exclude
from our love. Now this month we learned that partiality is a sin and inconsistency in our faith
life. 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 at the convention and in next month’s Blast.

The Lord be with you,
President/Bishop Gewecke