28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with
one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him,
“Which commandment is the most important of all?” 
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, 
‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 
31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There
​is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31

Our District Convention is but a short 4 months away! As such it is very much on my mind. Our theme for this convention cycle is Grace from Grace: Loving Our Neighbor. As we make our way to June and our convention I want to use my monthly Bishop’s Blast Devotions to explore this theme and prepare us for our work together. This month is Love Your neighbor: The Great Command.

This command is set inside the story of a Scribe coming to Jesus to ask him which commandment is the greatest of all. Mark 12, in which this passage is set, begins with Jesus telling the Parable of the Tenants. It is a scathing rebuke of the current religious leadership. What follows in the rest of the chapter is a series of challenging questions from the three main interest groups of the day; the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Scribes. The question about the greatest commandment comes quite naturally from one concerned about the proper understanding of the Torah and the details of scriptural interpretation, a Scribe. 

Jesus’ answer, applauded by the Scribe, is a quote from Deuteronomy 6:4 that begins with the Shema, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” It is exceedingly significant that the declaration of the greatest commandment is preceded by a gospel laden proclamation of the faith. Essentially the message is that Yahweh is the one and only God and therefore he is to be loved with our whole being. But this love within us is generated by the fact that the one and only God is the LORD (Yahweh), our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. When we confess him, it is with the faith understanding that he has loved us first and reconciled us to himself in Christ. Out of this faith then we love God in return.

But in something of a surprise move Jesus adds to his answer a second command that is like the first, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The Scribe readily accepts and applauds this part of the answer as well. The meaning is clear. Loving God also means loving others. In essence Jesus declares that you cannot separate the two, the two are one, when he says, “There is no other commandment greater than these.”

​1 John 4:19-21 is a wonderful commentary on Jesus’ answer:

19 We love because he first loved us. 
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar;
for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen
cannot love God whom he has not seen. 
21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God
​must also love his brother.

There is one other small addition Jesus made in his answer. He added “mind” to Deuteronomy 6:4 and the elements with which we are to love God. Another translation of mind could be “understanding”. Why the addition? Quite possibly Jesus’s meaning is for us to ”understand” this Great Command Christologically. When Christ comes there is always a new dimension to the old, a new understanding. It is not enough to love our neighbor as ourselves but we are to love our neighbor as Christ loved us; that is sacrificially.

Of course, none of us can do that. We couldn’t fulfill the law in the old way never-the-less in the new way of Christ. But we remember that in the cross Christ fulfilled the law for us. This forgiveness and reconciliation doesn’t release us from loving, rather it motivates and empowers us to love God and our neighbor even more.
 
As we move toward and prepare for our District Convention, let us as individuals, congregations, and a District reflect on what it means to love our neighbor. May we love the LORD our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as Christ loved us.
​
Amen.

District Convention 2025.
Speaking of the convention, we have reached a critical time in our preparations; the registration and nominations deadline was January 31st. The next step for our Nominations Committee is to tabulate the nominations and secure consent to serve and biographies on each person nominated. If you are contacted about serving in a position where you have been nominated please give prayerful consideration and return your answer in a timely fashion. 

The deadline for registration has passed. This does not mean that delegates cannot still register just that housing arrangements at the hotel cannot be guaranteed. We have reserved extra rooms in our block for late registrants. Once these rooms are filled we cannot guarantee a room at the convention hotel or the discounted price we have negotiated.

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 staying for the whole convention or making it on time for the beginning of business. 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.
On January 23rd Synod sent an email to each congregation about filling out a Congregational Statistical Report (sometimes referred to as the Parochial Report). It was sent to either your churches general email, the pastor, or lay leader depending upon the email addresses you supplied to Synod in last year’s report. If you do not recall receiving this email please ask around to see who from your congregation received it. If you are still having difficulty please call the District Office and we can help put you in contact with the right people.
​
The deadline for completing the report is February 28th! Completing this report in a timely fashion is especially important this year because Synod is trying to do some analysis on the effects of Covid and the numbers gathered for 2024 will be used as the basis for representation at the 2026 Synodical Convention. This work will begin in the spring so timely completion is important.

​Life Rally and March in Washington DC
On January 23-24th I had the privilege of joining President Harrison and the District Presidents of the LCMS for the Life Rally and March in Washington DC. The plan was for the District Presidents to join President Harrison on stage for the benediction. Because the rally got behind schedule President Harrison alone gave the benediction (the Secret Service were restricting access while other dignitaries were leaving the staging area). 
Before the rally we attended the Divine Service at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alexandria and after the rally marchers walked from the Washington Monument to the Capitol Building. LCMS marchers were gifted with a florescent knit cap to identify us (see below).

Lutheran Social Ministries of NJ (LSMNJ).
Some of you may be aware of the unfortunate social media posts that appeared earlier this month regarding various Lutheran social ministries. While LSMNJ was not mentioned specifically, its association as a Lutheran social ministry has cast it into the same basket with others. I have talked with a number of other District Presidents who are involved in other Lutheran social ministries (some of which were named) and they have assured me of the fine and above reproach work that they do. I can assure you of the same for our LSMNJ. 

All of these organizations are audited every year and I’m sure these audits are available for inspection. It is important for us to heed the call of our Lord to mercy ministry. Our Lutheran social ministries have answered the call of the poor and disadvantaged for help. Frankly, the task is great and our government cannot do it all. It calls upon religious and other organizations to do this work on its behalf. Lutheran social ministries faithfully serve. If there are problems in some of them then by all means the situations should be corrected. But baseless accusations of money laundering are unfair and should not be heeded.

Regarding these kinds of things our Lord calls us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 
​Matthew 10:16

District Short Clips
Official Visits. Currently 21 Official Visits have been completed. Another seven congregations have been scheduled a Visit for the winter/spring months although some have already been cancelled due to inclement weather. The only others who have not been visited are those who are vacant or have a newly installed pastor. As these pastoral vacancies are filled they will be included in the visitation schedule. Special arrangements may be made for congregations with longer vacancies.

2025 Mission Golf Classic. The Mission Golf Classic for this year has been scheduled for Wednesday May 7th 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. Brochures will be mailed out to congregations soon.
​
Council of Presidents.  This month I had the privilege of attending the Council of Presidents in St. Louis (normally meets four times a year). Much of our time was spent working on responses to convention resolutions directed to the Council of Presidents or Districts. In addition, we received reports or presentations from the Synodical President, Concordia Publishing House, Concordia Plans Services, Office of National Missions, Commission on Theology and Church Relations, and Worker Wellness. Official business took up the better part of one afternoon and as always, our days included devotions, chapel, and Scriptural or Confessional studies. The days are long and tiring but accomplish much.

Conclusion
The words “love your neighbor” are simple yet encompass much. Our Lord in Mark 12 reminds us that along with loving God, loving our neighbor is the greatest of all commands. Therefore, loving others ought to receive our highest attention and efforts. 

More thoughts on this multi-facetted command next month.

The Lord be with you,
President/Bishop Gewecke 

1 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
Isaiah 43:1-2

The passage above, the OT Reading from the Frist Sunday after the Epiphany, is one of my favorites. As I heard it read in worship again this year and as I was preparing to write this blog, I couldn’t resist the urge to use it as my devotional text.
I find this passage to be full of love, grace, and strength. In fact, it is so dear to me that I have affixed verse 1b as the tag line to my email signature. More than anything else I associate my life and being as that of one who is created and redeemed and owned by God. In my baptism the Triune God has called me and placed his name upon me. 
Perhaps most amazing is that this is accomplished with no effort on my part! Notice in the passage that as God talks about making Israel his own he accomplishes it totally by grace without an mention of effort on Israel’s part! This is complete grace; God redeeming Israel for his own name’s sake. As Romans 5:8 teaches us “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” As with Israel, so with me, and so with you!

I invite you to embrace this passage as well. By virtue of your baptism this passage applies to you as well. Rejoice not in any effort or response of your own toward God but rather in his grace. Rejoice that separate from your efforts he has created and redeemed you and now called you by name. Let it be your identity that you belong to God.

Additionally, the gift that comes with this grace is that you can be free of fear! 

The passage mentions two forces of nature that can and do threaten us; water and fire. While these two forces do account for much of what threatens us they are by no means the only ones. In fact, the mention of these two is a literary device called a merism. A merism is simply two opposites that include everything in between. In effect God is saying that there is nothing to fear if we belong to God. 

The Sunday I heard this passage again the wildfires were raging in California. Lives were being taken and property was being destroyed. Tens of thousands of acres were being burned. These people were walking through the fire! My sister is one of those living in the midst of the threat. Her house was in an evacuation warning area, only five miles from the flames. At that moment my mind was very much on her and the many other people dealing with the threat.

Here too this passage is great comfort. I know of God’s love for her declared in her baptism and of her faith in him. The possibility of earthly harm remained by I know that God’s promise is true; you will not be overwhelmed or consumed, you are mine. No matter what comes, she will be OK for she belongs to him. I cling in faith to this passage as I make my way through life and encounter the waters and fires. I encourage you to do the same. Please know that there is nothing that can happen in this world that can overwhelm or consume you, that can sever the tie of belonging between God and you.
​
My dear friends in Christ, do not fear. You belong to Christ; you have been created and redeemed by him.

Disaster Relief
Helene Relief. A big thank you to all who participated in the hurricane relief opportunity. A total of $44,705.61 has been sent to the Southeast District of the LCMS (includes all the coastal states between Delaware and South Carolina) for distribution to their congregations, church workers and communities who have experienced loss. The time of availability for the matching funds has now come to an end. 

We have received both a phone call and a letter of thanks from the Southeast District for our generous donation. I want to make sure you know that the gift is very much appreciated and being used.
​
California wildfires. The California wildfires are located within the geographic area of the Pacific Southwest District of the LCMS. If you are interested in donating toward relief for these victims please go to https://www.psd-lcms.org/. There are updates and a place to donate on the home page.

NJD Work Plan
IDM (Initiative for Ministry Development) held an Advanced Studies event on Epiphany (January 6th) for the purpose of ministry planning. All those congregations that participated in either SCC or NJDU were invited. The event was scheduled as an in-person event but the threat of snow moved it to an online event. Congregations were coached regarding next steps in their planning and given the opportunity to share ministry events that saw success in their congregations. A lot of good ideas were shared. 
​
There are still a number of congregations that have not participated in either SCC or NJDU. We will be offering additional opportunities to participate this winter/spring. If your congregation is interested please contact me soon to hear about possible options. In addition, I’m not sure how many more opportunities there will be since the number of congregations remaining is dwindling. Please take advantage now.

District Convention 2025.
There are currently two important tasks for congregations to do in preparation for the 2025 District Convention:

• Elect and register a lay and a pastoral delegate for your congregation
• Make nominations for President, Vice President, Board positions, and CHEF

Congregations should have received nomination and registration forms in the mail (if you cannot locate your forms please contact the District Office). Please notice there is a deadline of January 31st. This is in part due to the need to make room reservations at the Crowne Plaza. Questions about nominations or registration can be answered by calling the District Office.
​
By way of reminder the NJ District Convention is scheduled for June 12-14, 2025 at the Crowne Plaza, Edison, NJ. The theme for the convention is Grace from Grace: Loving Our Neighbor, “You shall love… your neighbor as yourself”. Luke 10:27b  

National Youth Gathering.
Time is growing short for youth to register for the 2025 National Youth Gathering. Our goal for this Gathering is 75 youth from across NJ. Plans are well under way but there is still time to get in on the fun and spiritually enriching adventures. 
​
This year’s theme is “Endure”. Hope Dunbar and Pastor Steve Vera are our District coordinators. Hope may be contacted at [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!

​District Short Clips
Official Visits. All of my Fall Official Visits are complete. Currently 21 official Visits have been completed. Another seven congregations have been invited to schedule an Official Visit for the winter/spring months. The only others who have not been visited are those who are vacant or have a newly installed pastor. As these pastoral vacancies are filled they will be included in the visitation. Special arrangements may be made for congregations with longer vacancies.
Circuit Surveys. The Office of the Secretary and LCMS Research Services are conducting a (to our knowledge first-time) survey of parish pastors (including emeriti and candidates), circuit visitors, and district presidents to assess how Synod's circuits are functioning. This 5-10 minute survey asks about forums, Winkels, visitation, representation, and other aspects of circuit life. If you get an email with this survey please know it is legitimate and take the time to respond, as this information is crucial not only to the 2023 Res. 9-06A Task Force, which is reviewing the Bylaw parameters for electoral circuits, but to understanding important aspects of our life together as the Synod.

Conclusion
Hymn 716 in the Lutheran Service Book is titled “I Walk in Danger All the Way”. It reminds us of the many perils in life. Yet the last three verses remind us that God goes with us all the way too. For me Isaiah 43:1-2 does that in a most gracious and comforting way. It is the place from which I derive my identity and confidence for Christian living. I pray it does the same for you.

​The Lord be with you,
President/Bishop Gewecke