Photo: Lutherans For Life National Conference • October 12-13, 2018 • Olivette, Missouri
As of October 1, 2018, Lutherans For Life has entered its fortieth year! And after all this time, we rejoice most of all that some things never change. Our story, our life, our world begins and ends with an everlasting God. “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6). Though sometimes it feels as if Earth is getting worse, “[W]hat has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9b). Our generation is not as novel or creative as we’d like to believe. We remain of equal sinfulness to those who went before. The hope of old holds out hope for us still: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
So, our theme for 2019 is “From Age to Age the Same.” Isaiah 46:3b-4 declares, You “have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear.” We rejoice to highlight how God’s grace endures in every age of human history and in every age of human existence. His truth and love are as applicable and effective today as in the epic eras of the Scriptures and church history. His creating, His redeeming, and His calling proclaim human persons at the margins of life as precious as those in the middle. His forgiveness and resurrection ensure human sanctity and dignity from the invisible miracle of conception to the moment of natural death.
No one else’s age, appearance, ability, or history impairs anybody’s preciousness. The Savior’s presence embraces even those complicit in violence against life. The Father’s power sustains also those vulnerable to such destruction and those advocating for better ways. That’s why Lutherans For Life’s Gospel-motivated message and ministry remain as vital—and as vibrant—as ever.
Some things never change—and thanks be to God!