Along with many others–Christians and agnostics alike–I have been sickened lately by the deeply disturbing videos portraying the cold indifference of Planned Parenthood officials as they discuss killing and dismembering babies for the sake of making money off their body parts. My heart weeps at the atrocity…and my soul cringes at how easily I myself am indifferent and unwilling to speak up or enter in to such a polarizing issue. God have mercy!
One article that I was reading (find it here) was both convicting and encouraging. Encouraging because as far as I know the writer is not a believer in Christ and therefore even though he doesn’t share my Christian worldview or values, logic alone dictates that he must seriously question his long-held views on abortion. And convicting because he has more courage than me to enter the fray, even without the deeper theological underpinnings that should be pushing me to do the same.
While I’m sure that many pastors have preached powerfully and effectively on the sanctity of human life, this sermon from Matt Chandler was tremendously helpful for me, especially his points of application at the end: 1) repent of our indifference, 2) pray–in the way that Daniel pleads with God in Daniel 9, 3) let this inform how we vote, and 4) get involved for the long haul.
Life matters. Whether it is the life of an unborn baby at any stage of a pregnancy, or whether it is the life of a special-needs orphan, or whether it is the life of an elderly Alzheimer’s patient. And the reason why life matters is because eternal life matters even more. We fight for the life of the unborn, not just so they can be born and live, but so that they have opportunity to be born again and live eternally with Christ. We adopt the unwanted and the unlovely, not just so they have a home and family, but so that they have the opportunity to be adopted into the family of God and have an eternal home. We love the weak and the infirmed, not only to honor their life and contribution, but to point them to the source of eternal life and to all that Christ has given for their sake.
designed for discipleship 