 Memorials for Remembering 13 “If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. 14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. 15 Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be secure and will not fear. 16 You will forget your misery; you will remember it as waters that have passed away. Job 11:13-16 The book of Job is neither easy to read nor easy to understand. Never-the-less, recently I have found myself reading and pondering it in my devotional time. I have found myself thinking about Job, a man whom God allowed to be severely tested; Job a man who grieved the lost of his family and wealth; Job a man very much confused as to why this had happened to him; Job a man arguing with his friends about how God deals with us. The words above are an excerpt from those of Zophar the Naamathite in Job chapter 11. Zophar makes three points:
Zophar’s error was to assume he knew the mind of God through an analysis of the circumstances. Zophar assumed that Job had sinned because he was suffering, because God was punishing him. He believed that if Job was righteous he would not be suffering and that even now, if Job repented, God would restore him (11:13-19). There is a mixture of truth and error here. Indeed, people do suffer because of sin. Whenever we depart from God’s good will for us there are natural consequences to bear. Sometimes those consequences come through the laws of our land and at other times through natural law and still at other times because of broken relationships. But that does not mean that all suffering is a punishment or a consequence of sin. This is one of the great lessons of the book of Job. The greatest proof of this is Jesus. In some ways Job prefigures Jesus. Like Job, only in a greeter way, Jesus was blameless before God. He lived a sinless life and always did that which was pleasing to the Father. And yet we see that Jesus suffered the most gruesome of deaths. The father allowed him to be crucified although he was innocent. You see, there was a greater purpose. Jesus suffered so that we might be forgiven and receive salvation. There was no other way! One innocent and blameless had to suffer in the place of those corrupted by sin that they might be restored. This is not the way of man. It is not the way of the world. Rather it is from the mind of the transcendent God whose wisdom is beyond ours. Our pondering of the book of Job and Zophar’s words remind us to be careful when analyzing the cause of suffering in a person’s life. It is always right to be humble and approach God in repentance. But it is also wise to remember that God may be doing other things as well. But here again humility before God and trust in him may not give us an answer but will keep us in God’s grace to life everlasting. Lutheran Campus Ministry at Rutgers (LCMR). The school year has started and the NJ District and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Somerset would like to serve all those families who have students at Rutgers University. We are in the process of gathering names of Rutgers students from our NJ District congregations so we can contact them and offer support while they are at college. Rides to church on Sundays are available as well as fellowship opportunities. Please help us as we get this ministry started. Send the names of those from your congregation who are at Rutgers and any contact information you would like to give us to the NJ District [email protected]. We will follow up on them with an invitation. NJ March for Life  This month is the first September March for Life in Trenton (previously it has been held in January – burrrr!). Those who desire to attend will gather at Messiah Lutheran Church, Princeton at 10:00 am and take mass transit from there into Trenton. Participants will gather at the State House for the Rally (inspirational speeches) at 11:00 am. The March begins at noon. Parking will be at a premium so we are encouraging people to take mass transit. In addition, the LCMS will have a special opportunity at this year’s life rally in Washington D.C. in January. President Harrison will be delivering a prayer and the District Presidents will be with him to sing the doxology. President Gewecke intends on attending and encourages others from NJ to attend as well. Strategic Plan Our Strategic Plan is developing nicely. Our Task Forces have been meeting this summer to write goal statements for each of their Task Force goals. The next step is to create a pathway to accomplish each goal by writing action steps. The intention is for the plan to be presented this fall and to guide us for the next triennium (2025-2028). As a reminder, three Task Forces have been established to work on three of the four target areas of the plan. Each Task Force has a VP, a Board Representative, and other people from our churches, some clergy, some lay. There are four parts (target areas) to the strategic plan: · Healthy Pastors · Healthy Congregations · Ethnic Ministry · Financial Development District Convention 2025. The first meeting of the 2025 District Convention Committee has been held and initial plans have been made. Rev. Brad Hildebrandt will be our Convention Manager and Mr. Larry Schumann will be our Assistant Manager. The convention will be held on July 12-14 at the Crowne Plaza, Edison. Thursday will feature late afternoon or evening registration and a time of fellowship in the evening. Opening gavel will be on Friday morning with business finishing on Saturday around noon. Those attending can expect Bible Study, worship, reports from our District staff and Councils, as well as a special guest representative from Synod. Congregations should identify and elect a lay delegate this fall since registration will need to be completed in January.  National Youth Gathering. Congregations and individuals who are intending to go to the National Youth Gathering July 19-23, 2025 in New Orleans should be well into the planning process and getting their registration forms ready. This year’s theme is “Endure”. Hope Dunbar is our NJ District NYG Coordinator, [email protected]. She is happy to help you with questions or information about the Gathering and registration. If you are a congregational youth worker and have a group attending the Gathering please let Hope know. She will make sure your youth are included in any information dissemination or District events at the Gathering. If you have a small group from your congregation and would like to join another group Hope can help with that too! Congregational News
District Short Clips Pastor Appreciation. October is Pastor Appreciation month. This would be a good opportunity for congregations to show their appreciation for their pastor. Pastor don’t usually need a lot of recognition but kind words of appreciation are always welcome. Cards or a gift certificate for dinner out or even a dinner with leaders can be a relatively simple way of showing your gratitude. And don’t forget your pastor’s wife! Much of what she does is unseen but invaluable to the congregation. Fall Pastor Conference. The Fall Pastor Conference will be held on Tuesday October 22nd. The location is TBD. Rev Dr. Michael Newman, District President of the Texas District will be the speaker. He will share insights from his book Gospel DNA especially as they pertain to our new forthcoming strategic plan and the marks of a healthy congregation. Our prayer is that this conference will help jump start our strategic plan as we seek to move our congregations to ever greater health. Circuit Forums. Each of our six Circuits will meet this fall in Forum to elect Circuit Visitors for the next triennium. Each congregation is to send a lay and pastoral delegate to the Forum and vote for the pastor from their Circuit they desire to be their Circuit Visitor. These elections will then be ratified at the June 2025 District Convention. Official Visits. Official Visits have been scheduled out through December of 2024. I thank all the congregations that have scheduled one and I look forward to meeting with you. If you have not yet had an Official Visit more will be scheduled starting in January. Invitation for these winter/spring visits will be sent out in November. COP Working Group. I have been assigned to a Council of Presidents Working Group on Shared Ministry. In keeping with our Council work this group will be exploring challenges, solutions, and resources for congregations in multi-congregational parishes. My hope is that this will be helpful as we explore and utilize multi-congregational and even cathedral models for congregations here in NJ. Conclusion As we go about the work of the church and our lives we are reminded that it is not always easy to interpret and understand the events that happen around and to us. But what we can count on is God’s love for us. For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28). The Lord be with you, President/Bishop Gewecke |