Trust God - Choose Life
These words are the theme for this Sunday's Sanctity of Human Life. They were developed by Lutherans for Life based on God's Word from the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 30:19, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may life." Whether it's Old Testament Israel or today's Church, the Word of God is clear in establishing what God demands. He demands that we obey His word. Thus the choice set before us is not really a choice in the ordinary sense. The word choice is deeper than life and death. The word choice is the way of trusting God above all things. The word choice is the seriousness in dealing with the issues we face in the world we live.
When we remain silent or indifferent to today’s culture concerning abortion, destruction of human embryos, and assisted suicide, we are making a choice, a choice that keeps God’s Word about life away from others. The massive culture of devaluating and destroying human life is against what God says. And this silence or indifference affects us all. It is estimated over 32,000 people are negatively affected by an abortion decision every single day in the Untied States. There are 3,700 abortions every day where an innocent, unborn child is killed. The mother and father of that child have their life changed forever. Grandparents, siblings, friends - and each of us - all suffer greatly as a result of a choice made without consideration of what God has said.
In the Old Testament when Josiah heard these words of Deuteronomy it says, “he tore his clothes” because he understood immediately that his nation had gone against God’s Word. We, too, tear our clothes when we realize our culture has ignored God’s Word. Tearing our clothes is a sign of repentance, asking God to forgive, renew, and set us aright. This only happens because Jesus came to share with us our flesh-and-blood. He took upon Himself our evil, our sin, and our death so that He might fully be our sin. Jesus chose death for you and for me so that death would be destroyed and so that new life would ever be before us. That is what God assures us, that we have been baptized into Christ’s death and into His resurrection so that we might have life and have it abundantly. We can trust God because in Christ, He has chosen us.
So as Christians, we let this life God has given to us in Christ spill out into our everyday lives. It does so in the things we say and do. “Trust God-choose life.” By speaking and doing this we bring what we believe before family, friends, those facing difficult decisions, political candidates, and leaders who have influence over others. It is a simple message, but one that God will use to influence those who have not listened to His Word.
Pastor Bill
