In the Hand of God

In the Hand of God was the theme at the 2007 national conference of Lutherans For Life in Omaha, Nebraska, July 6-8.

"I love the theme of our conference!" said President Diane Schroeder. "We are in God’s hands so we can be the hand of God for others . . . When we reach out with hands of compassion to the pregnant teen and her baby with love and support, we are the hands of God. When we teach our children to trust the Lord of life—even if they make bad decisions—we are the hands of God. When we care for rather than kill the elderly, ill, or handicapped, we are the hands of God. That’s what Lutherans For Life is all about. Helping Christians connect, through either our words or actions, biblical truth to life issues. When that happens, lives are changed."

Dr. Wallace Schulz, executive editor of Good News magazine and former speaker on The Lutheran Hour, gave the Friday night keynote address on the theme By God’s Gift of Faith We Believe . . . and We Speak for His Unborn, based on 2 Corinthians 4:13. Dr. Schulz said abortion is not "something which God only occasionally thinks about. This is on the front burner . . . the scope is incredible." [An estimated 48,000,000 unborn babies have been killed by abortion since 1973.] He told the conference that in our culture "we can expect to be opposed," but also prayed in closing, "Almighty and everlasting God, unleash upon this room as You did upon the disciples years ago . . . the power of Your word and spirit to shake up the Church! Give them the courage of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Let them say ‘I’ve got to speak. I’ve got to speak for the unborn.’"

Saturday morning included plenary addresses from Dr. David Menton (Associate Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Washington University School of Medicine) on Chance or Design?; Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe (President of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana) on The Christology of Life (John 10:10b) and The Holy Spirit and Life (John 6:63a); and Buddy Davis (speaker, singer, and songwriter for Answers in Genesis) on Dinosaurs: Separating Fact from Fiction.

Workshops focused on Biblical Manhood; Biblical Womanhood; Defending the Defenseless; a biblically-minded process for finding a marriage partner for life; Trinitarian Theology and End-of-Life Issues; The Untold Story of Abortion; and Implications of Evolutionism.

In the Sunday morning Bible study, Rev. Dr. James Lamb, LFL Executive Director, laid three foundation stones upon which the Christian stands when connecting God’s Word of Life with the life issues. "We are created by God’s hands, redeemed by His hands, and He calls us and holds us in His hands. This foundation does not shift or change. ‘It stands forever’ (1 Peter 1:24-25). This foundation gives value to human life because of what God has done. This foundation enables bold and joyful proclamation of the value of God’s gift of life in all circumstances."

Dr. Lamb’s Sunday morning sermon theme was God in Hand or in the Hand of God? based on Job 12:4-10. "Carrying your god around in your hand might seem convenient. You could shape and form your god into whatever you wanted him to be and have him say whatever you wanted to hear. But there is one problem with such a god in hand. They would have to be so very, very small. Such a god could never carry you in his hand. But there is a God who can! ‘In God’s hands is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind’ (Job 12:10). The God who created us in our mothers’ wombs with His hands, the God who redeemed us with His hands nailed to a cross, this God now holds us. Indeed, we are engraved in the palm of His hand. This is our comfort and hope when facing difficult times. This is our power and strength as we share with others the value and dignity God’s hands give to all life."

First time attendee, Mikal Wittler, 13, a member of Faith Lutheran Church, Lincoln, said "To tell you the truth, I didn’t know a lot about life issues before this conference, but I sure learned a lot there, and want to know more . . . It was a great experience for anyone who is a believer . . . They should try it to see what they can learn."